So, who is planning to upgrade to a Pro?

[mdconnelly]

Friends,

Thanks for all the replies. I really do appreciate them. I know that the easy answer would be, 'decided for yourself; your ears, your money'. And that would be valid, certainly.

I have the money, but for me, it is a lot of money; enough that for the cost along I need to be very certain that I will be happier with the new amp than the money. Or else I need to be willing to forgo other purchases in favour of the amp. We do listen to music every day, but rarely do I find the time, or perhaps make the time, to sit and just listen to music. So does that make the serious cash outlay less logical?

I don't know much about the streaming board, but it does come free with the sept - dec upgrade, and that too will add some residual value down the road. And the cost of the upgrade may change in the future, or become unavailable. But that is speculation either way.

One other thought is that if I was looking to spend $5 - 6K on the system, would that be the best way to do so? Oddly, if I was forced to change a component in my system, I'd keep the amp and find new speakers, though I do love the Lawrence Audio speaker. Cables? Power cords?

If the cost were relatively easy to manage, I'd do it for sure. If there was a less expensive upgrade to a D130 Pro, I'd certainly lean that direction. I almost feel like I'm trying to anticipate the potential for regret. Will I regret spending the money or will I regret not having the upgrade?

Anyhow, my thanks again for the excellent comments. I appreciate that you took the time to offer considered, helpful replies to a vague and difficult question.

I have to echo Will's comments.    Unless you think you'll be happy with the 120 for many years to come, it would be hard to pass up the 120 to 220 Pro upgrade.... definitely a great deal.   

For me, the improvement from the 200 and the 220 Pro is far more than anything I've ever heard by swapping cables or power cords.   It is significant improvement and clearly sets the stage for the future of the Devialet Expert.  No idea what the new streaming board will bring (or when), but it'll be free now with the upgrade, not likely later. My guess is that if you're on the fence and you can afford it, the only thing you'll regret is not doing it.

Now, the choice is between the upgrade vs buying a significantly better set of speakers (I don't anything about the Lawrence Audio), might be a more challenging choice, but that's apples and oranges and delving there will only make your head hurt.   If it were me and I popped for the speakers instead, I know I'd start wondering how much better they might sound with the 220 Pro.   Just sayin'...