Hafler Amp - Upgrade?

Moofy

I am a neophyte audiophile and would appreciate some input from more seasoned experts. I have the itch to upgrade from my Luxman R-117 to separates. I picked up a nice Apt Holman preamp from CL on Saturday, and just got a Hafler DH-220 amp yesterday. I've done some research into the Musical Concepts mods for the Hafler, and I'm trying to understand what the benefits will be. Having gone through the VR3 modding process with some Polk SDAs, I know it can make a very positive difference in the sound. However, speakers and amps are two different animals. If anyone has experience with the Musical Concepts mods, would you please share your observations? Is one of the various levels of mods the "sweet spot?" What will I hear with a modded amp that I won't with the stock Hafler? And, most importantly, is Apt Holman + Hafler going to be an improvement on the Lux?

I know this is a lot of questions, but I have a lot to learn.

Look forward to your insights.

Thanks.

Seth

zingo

That is a fun amp Seth, but a bit dated in technology and component age. I rebuilt a DH200 a while ago which was a fun experience, but still left me wanting. I would not spend the money on a Musical Concepts package as you can buy a very nice complete amp for the same money; I went through the same process weighing costs. A good preamp and amp should be an improvement on the Luxman, but you will need something with a phono stage like the Apt Holman unless you have a separate phono section; I can't remember off hand...