Its a very intereting option, but tbh, it would need to be a full 2-3 tiers better than the mk1 to compete with the wa33 on a technical level. The mk1 also has a fairly different sound than the wa33. I think its a worthwhile amp to explore but im not certain it should be compaired much to the wa33. Mind if i asl what you are wanting to get out of the amp sound sig wise?
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I kind of understand where you are coming from with this.
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Mainly a different presentation than the Enleum. More technically focused and wider soundstage perhaps. For the days I want a bit more critical listening over just liquid smooth sound.
Also perhaps an amp that’s a bit more focused on getting the most out of what the TC already has to offer instead of balancing it out like the 23r does at the moment. I feel the Enleum is a really great pairing with the Susvara and works well to balance the 1266 but sometimes I want to emphasize the sound characteristics that the TC has and can’t really get it from my current chain. So if that second amp prioritizes the TC over the Sus that’s fine if I keep the Enleum for the other way around.
TBH that’s why the WA33 is so high on my list because it matches well with the Wavedream and synergistic with the Susvara and the TC while being different than the Enleum
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The great way is not difficult
if you just don’t pick and choose.
You’re a part of this forum that I always read. And I mean, you’ve got your own streamer. That’s bad ass. 
I know there can be a lot of frustration when you come across ten used deals being posted on the forum and they’re all over $5K in price. lol
But you know that we all love the BF2, Crack s/b & HD600 and that’s like under a grand almost if you’re lucky with used pricing! And there’s nothing more fun in the hobby than that!
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I own a bunch of expensive gear…but I probably use my HE-500 and KSC75 just as much as my Diana V2 and Auteur.
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I remind myself once in a while that we’re chasing the 1% of the sound we think/feel is missing. Like any hobby, that end is very very expensive. Even when I own gear in the thousands, I’m still exploring and learning about things way over my budget and can feel the same way you do. Price ranges and budgets are very personal so you’re not alone in your feelings even if maybe sometimes in a different budget. Not sure if that helps at all but just another perspective perhaps.
There are many pieces of gear this forum really likes that aren’t over $1K, and I personally have great memories of gear in that price bucket that if I could afford having more stuff around even if not used frequently, I would’ve kept for sure or maybe buy again later.
One last insight that I figured out at some point and not everyone would agree but it fit me better - I rather own one higher end piece than 2-3 lower budget pieces. Same budget different way of spending.
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We love to babble about all the fancy new expensive stuff…yes we do. My Pi streamer @dB_Cooper built for me along with my tablet and XDUOO-05 and my not very expensive mish-mosh of IEM’s have much play time on them. Problem is the stuff is old and boring and nobody has any reason to talk much about yesterday’s old cheap gear…lol. Do not be disheartened 
My desk at work has a bluetooth speaker someone left behind after they left and i adopted…want to guess how much playtime something like that gets…allot when folks aren’t around 
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And then I was at a concert tonight and washing over me was all sorts of over modulated highs, preponderance of bass and a and zero blackness and I was loving it.
This fallacy that exists of chasing for that “being there” experience when actually being there sounds horrible! lol
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It’s not really all that surprising that we don’t see all that much budget or midrange discussion here, the community is mainly full of people who have been there, done that, and aren’t really looking to go back to that. Doesn’t mean that the cheaper stuff wasn’t great or wasn’t worthwhile, it’s just not exciting or worthwhile to return to that state for other than mild curiosity for most. I would personally say that the higher you go, the more boring the lower end stuff is to talk about. It’s more simple in sound, more simply described, and there’s less nuance in discussion about it between people who are already far above. That does make describing and categorizing lower end gear easier which is nice, but it’s just hard to really start an engaging conversation about something you’ve already passed imo (but can be different for others)
We are kinda suck in that sense, if we want more discussion on more affordable audio, we have to get more members that are actually looking within that range lol. People here are going to be way more likely to talk about that good yet cheap gear if someone asks about it rather than on their own volition (at least from what I’ve seen lol)
Cheaper gear is nice, either to use for convenience and simplicity when you need it, to remind yourself where you came from or what you’d be missing out on, or if you have a piece/chain that captures a specific sonic goal that while it isn’t something you want all the time is nice to have to scratch an itch when it arises. But that’s really another reason why the discussion around more budget and midrange gear is different here, because we use it in fundamentally different ways than someone who is more on the starting out side or hasn’t moved to that next level, these budget and midrange chains aren’t typically our daily chains or aren’t our go to critical listening, where they would be for others. For most of us, it’s something to go back to, but for others that’s the best they’ve heard and their main focus.
On the note of the chasing the last percentage, that’s kinda the name of the game of the hobby, it’s all about getting the nuance out of what you listen to, and by definition those are smaller more critical aspects that while they might not matter to the average listener, greatly matter to the more discerning type that tend to end up in this hobby. If you look at it from the perspective of the average listener, it will seem like just chasing a few % extra, but I think it’s better to look at it from the perspective of someone already in the hobby where those few % equal pretty massive differences to the listener. But this is getting off topic
It is sometimes nice to have a reminder of how good some of the even more consumer goods have gotten, most audio these days is in the “good enough” realm, and that doesn’t really give too many people the reason to get too deep into the hobby, because with a proper budget or midrange setup you’ve already made several leaps over most typical consumer goods. If that’s good enough to call it quits right there depends on the person, hearing the next step up typically will ruin that for people though lol.
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Thanks for being a very cool bunch of people among whom I can safely express frustration and get some really thoughtful replies. This forum is awesome for this and I value it immensely.
You are absolutely right. Sometimes it is easy to fall prey to “grass is greener” thinking and to forget how cool the shit one has is. Thanks for the reminder and the compliment!
It does help. Envy is very human and I suppose we all like to feel like our precious toys are awesome, if someone tells us there are even more awesome things we tend to want them. I was thinking that one positive thing of this is that this little corner of the internet is very low in jealousy and I like that a lot. I really like that we are all good at expressing happiness for people’s new gear regardless of who or what. I love how many likes and replies the new purchases thread gets!
Good words Nick, thank you! Got to say one of my very favorite things to listen with is one of my cheapest. I really love my DT880. Man that thing makes me want to dance!
I had not thought of it that way, that’s interesting to learn.
True 
Although I have been thinking about my post too and I want to add that there is a positive to it too. I get to learn about some really cool shit and get ideas and advice from people with masses of experience of all kinds of devices. It has encouraged me to build things that perform above their budget and boy do I love the DIY things I am learning and doing.
That was an interesting insight, thanks.
It’s truly crazy how much difference there is between the gear on my desk and what I owned thirty years ago. Like, genuinely insanely advanced. The future does kind of kick arse
You know, one of the things I do is over think things and I can’t express how cool it is to be among a bunch of people who have the time and interest to discuss this hobby with me. Both the positive and negative aspects of it. I know from my personal life that the best way to deal with the negative is to air and discuss it. The internet tends to be a terrible place to do this (to put it mildly lol) and Sonus is pretty unique. Thanks for taking my words the way they were intended and for some really cool insights and encouragements
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yah, im not gunna lie. The WA33 seems like the perfect option here if you want tubes. If you dont necessarily want tubes then CFA3 and the big boi masskobo are also very good shouts though
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Yep, CFA3 is there on that list as well although I’d like to try one maybe before I put it next to Enleum to see that’s it ain’t too much solid state in the house. Can be nice to get some tube flavor (even if not a lot) from the WA33.
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FWIW, my personal moving (having never heard your dac so not knowing the synergy the best) would probabaly be CFA3 for solid state sound and the swap the 23R for a tube to fill the colored role. While I dont realy like my 13R much I do recognize its a damn solid amp at least. But if you are going for smooth and relaxed I think there are some damn good options from tubes out there. the HA300mk2 would be a solid choice and it would probabaly be worthwhile to check out the new feliks amp too. Lastly, I know they aren’t generally well liked here, but I would seriously consider something like a mogwai SE or bigger ben. Even with my AIC-10, the forge/mogwai are still my absolute favorite sound signature ive ever heard. This persists with 1266, sus, utopia, and a wide range of others. I will say though, this sound sig did not persist on the nautilus I heard at canjam. No idea what was going on, but the crazy spatial presentation and insane tactility didnt continue there.
TBH Its a shame you left cali just before canjam. Would have been a great chance to try all sorts of shit since i know A&S, feliks, a CFA3, and all sorts of other options would be there
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I had a feeling you would go that route but I see the 23R playing a dual role with my 2ch setup so it’s unlikely. I do prefer smooth and relaxed over edgy and cleaner sound but I also learned with my experiment with the Spring 3 that there’s such a thing as too smooth for my ears. The Enleuem is a nice compromise there.
I hope the NY event next year would be just as good. Definitely want to hear the Envy. I have a feeling I’ll get my hands on the CFA3 before that though.
TBH, I’m so happy with how my current system sounds that the only reason I’m looking at other gear is because this hobby and pure curiosity keep pushing to try more stuff. That and because I have open balanced connections crying to be used in my Wavedream lol
The right thing to do would be to move to the smaller components (cables, power etc) and save the big $$ for new speakers.
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Been going back and forth with this but thinking about the next upgrade to the system… DAC (amber 3) or amp (allnic 3000gt)?
My senses tell me the amp is the current bottleneck of the two in performance. Am I in the right line of thinking on this one?
As for what I’d go for, I was thinking of the modwright ha300 as the front-runner for amp, seeing as m0n rec’d it for both the utopia and mysphere. It’s also what I’d go for for having a more balanced sonic profile. I love how the allnic is currently but I’m just wanting for a boost in performance basically. The DNA stratus is also another one. Probably less to my preference but I can definitely see myself enjoying it as well. And last consideration would be a woo but might be pushing budget (6k max) on that one.
As for the DAC, well bmn1251’s recent listing has a few people scrambling. Lol
I guess this decision would largely depend on which DACs come up used since I’m definitely not in a position to buy those new (ie. TotalDac, lampi, rockna). The amps most likely will have to be bought new.
But, assuming I have both options open at the same time, should I aim for the DAC or the amp first?
Thanks in advance!
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I would honestly go dac, but that would be contingent on how much you are willing to spend, and if you want to stick with the allnic or go a different direction
This really makes me think dac then if you already really like the direction you are headed now amp wise
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Ohh interesting. Does that imply the allnic scales pretty well then? I for sure thought the allnic would be the bottleneck. Pretty much based it on your middle of the road amp list for the mysphere/utopia.
Probably 6k max
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It does scale well yes. I Really do think that you could go either dac or amp upgrade and get what you want, either one makes sense, it’s just that since you said you already like the sound of the allnic and just want more of a sound like that, that’s easier accomplished with a dac upgrade moving up the lampi line rather than switching to a new amp and dealing with the differences there
The most direct upgrade would be a baltic or used atlantic trp (unless you find a crazy good gg deal), but there’s plenty of other options that are also worthwhile but not as direct upgrades, depends on how you want to potentially deviate
Amp wise, I mean for 6k there’s also great options, it would again come down to what changes/directions you’d be willing to take
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At the moment, my chain is running fiber optic into an ethernet converter into a microRendu, then into an SU-2 KTE, then S/PDIF into my DAC.
It feels like the natural upgrade path would be to swap the microRendu and ethernet converter for an opticalRendu, and to swap the SU-2 for maybe a Berkeley Alpha USB, but I’m not as familiar with what streaming/DDC options are even out there, so I wanted to ask for any alternate upgrade recommendation ideas!
I know picking up a Sonore opticalModule would open up basically any ethernet streamer, so in theory I could get a streamer that natively has BNC and then maybe I wouldn’t need the DDC (though I’m not seeing really anything like that at this price point).
I think max budget is looking at maybe $2K per component, though less would be appreciated (both the opticalRendu and Alpha USB are decently under $2K used, for example).
@Polygonhell I think you’ve lived with an opticalRendu for a little while, how has it held up?
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Yes, mine is still in use at the price point I think it will be hard to beat, I went from fiber to ethernet converter into the Pacifics network connection (which bridges to USB internally). To the optical rendu and it was a win for me, though it wasn’t a huge difference.
If your bridging to something other than USB though, I’d probably combine the budgets and get a network bridge, either the DCS one or the EMM Labs one.
I think I paid 2800 for my NS1, DCS discontinued theirs, and I’ve seen a few at or around the same price.
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