Hi again all - I currently run the first version of Delius DAC (no FireWire hardware, first version of software (requires a new unobtainable ROM chip to upgrade)) and a last version Purcell upsampler (latest software and FireWire).
Love the sound, but looking for the next cost effective upgrade 
Would replacing the Delius with a latest FireWire version of the Elgar make much difference sound quality wise do you think?
Thank you! Richard
Hi Richard,
I owned an Elgar Plus from 2002-2006 and sometime around that time bought a Delius/Purcell combo for my father (yes, I guess I was flush back then, but he was worth it!) so I had the chance to compare the two.
Now this is a long time ago but I remember concluding that the Elgar was worth the extra money (although having shelled out something like Ā£11k for it I canāt rule out expectation bias here!) Far too long ago to remember details but if you put a gun to my head I would point to bass texture and size and delineation of soundstage as points of differentiation.
Per an earlier thread I would caution that most of the very small number of āaudiophileā FireWire cables that existed fleetingly will have been consigned to the rubbish skip of history by now so buying a unit complete with cables would be a big bonus.
I would also advise comparing the price of an Elgar Plus with that of later generation dCS units. A Scarlatti would represent a step up on the Elgar and a Debussy an even greater one. If the prices all tend towards an asymptote you might want to consider a bigger jump.
But yes, I wouldnāt mind betting an Elgar Plus would put a nice smile on your face. 
Just a couple of points further to @AndrewS .
Firewire cables. Very hard to find these days. However even if you find some this is no guarantee that they will function. The reason is that the casework of Purcell or Elgar is too thick to always allow electrical connection as many types of firewire cable have long insulation that fouls complete entry. Cutting back the insulation is difficult to the degree of having ro give up ( I tried). Some cable suppliers back in the day would customise the termination but needed to build a jig. That kind of option is no longer available.
Later generation units are indeed superior and I recall the significant sonic improvement when I moved from Elgar/Purcell/Verona/Verdi to the next generation. You donāt have to go for the top range (Scarlatti). Paganini (which is where moved at the time) is terrific. I would try for this if you can.
Thank you both - the Elgar comes with FireWire cables apparently (& is on latest v4.31 software) and I just missed out on a sensibly priced Paganini. To be fair Iām completely happy with the sound I have now, and my preferred upgrade would be a late model Delius with FireWire and latest software (enabling me to clock the 2 together), but they pretty rarely come up and are often out of my (cheapskate) price range 
Thanks again, some pondering to do.
Richard
Great stuff still, the classic range. I sold 2-3 Delius/Purcell combinations back in the day that were trade-ins at dCS. I felt DSD upsampling was a step up and so was Elgar from Delius. But having a Delius right now is still a very musical component. I know of several other people that own one and are really happy. I sold my Paganini to one of them as an upgrade two years ago.
See what you can find, itās nice being able to hunt for classics āon the cheapā and keep enjoying them.
Hi Dowser,
Yes, upgrading to a late Elgar with FireWire should offer noticeable improvementsābetter resolution, dynamics, and synergy with your Purcell.
Regards!
Thanks - the Paganini was an upgrade to the Delius (hope so!)? Only issue with it is it lacks the toslink input (I recall?) for my TV, so would a SPDIF converter.
Still pondering on the Elgar + 
In effect yes. It was one line down from the flagship Scarlatti.
Correct.
One point is that units having all upgrades ( as they were free I would expect so) gets you out of the firewire difficulty. Not only are firewire cables hard to find it is also difficult to find ones that sound well IMO. I have had several real clunkers. The final software/firmware revision added DSD to the dual AES inputs. However before you become too elated, this mode is only for DoP and your Purcell is not compatible. You would need Paganini upsampler should you wish for this connection.