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  3. 1257212443

Where should I concentrate my upgrade dollars next

I'll dive right in & pick your brains. In your opinion, what should I concentrate on upgrading next in this small setup? It's in a cottage with a view and I'd like to keep the view central and gear clean.
I'm running:

SlimDevices Squeezebox 3
Rotel RCD-1070 cd player
Channel Islands Audio VDA2 with upgraded outboard VAC1 Power Supply
Jolida 102B tube amp
Omega 3 Grande full range speakers.

Cables:
From SB3 to DAC = Zu OxyFuel Digital Coax
From Rotel to DAC = Zu OxyFuel
From DAC to Amp = Zu Wylde RCA
From Amp to Speakers = Straight Wire Waveguide 3

I have a Monster HTS 5100 other power conditioner tuned for digital and analog depending on the plug.
Plus a B.I.C. turntable and Parasound phonostage pre, but I'm not interested in upgrading this portion.

+90% of my listening is via the SB3 / CI DAC streamed in ALAC from a PowerMac server. The musical tastes run all across the board: Vivaldi with a sunset or snowstorm and Haydn while cooking. Stills with a beer. Ska on ski weekends... etc.

The soundstage is definitely present and the setup impressed party guests this past weekend. Simple clean looks and it's okay enough to pick out individual instruments and vocals and pinpoint there location on stage, but it's just not doing it for me anymore.

It's not a high power system, but that's not what I'm going for anyway.

Any input is appreciated.
kphinney
vandermeulen
191 posts
 
And we all know who's response is el numero uno...YES?

(...let me know when someone figures it out...)
kphinney OP
24 posts
 
Thanks All. I guess I gave you an open-ended question, yet was still provided with excellent suggestions. What I have that works for me: volume, tonality, even bass from these little speakers.

What I'd like more of is 'presence'. I want a very depict-able sound stage. My problem is, that especially where I live, I have nothing to compare to. Honestly, my closest neighbor bought a $250 Tivoli (splash resistant and rechargeable) after she heard the one in my bathroom. It's her primary music source and she is now close to the top of the sound pyramid within a 30-40 mile radius.

I'm listening to "Ça Ira (There Is Hope) (Disc 1) (2005) Roger Waters" right now and I can sense WHERE the stage actors are (musical) but is there a way to SHOW my without a doubt where they are? I'm guessing it's the DAC as suggested.

Please fire away with your thoughts and accept my greatest thanks.
kphinney OP
24 posts
 
PS - Do you think ditching the SB3 and DAC in exchange for a SB Transporter is worth it, or cosmetic?
vandermeulen
191 posts
 
Kphinney, dim the lights, close the door, grab a drink...sit down. Close your eyes, relax...and just listen. Dont try to locate where the information is coming from...let it find you. I promise you, if you let it happen...it will come. Jesus I sound like a hypnotist. Now, send all you belongings to P.O Box...........:)~
cmalak
681 posts
 
cool...now i think we have a bit more focused area to work on...i agree that one area to look into is upgrading the source, because presence is about decoding low level info buried in those 0s and 1s and the better the source, the more of that low level info in the signal will come through...the second place is amplification. Tubes generally are better transmitters of spatial info than SS. I know you have the Jolida 102B integrated tube amp but if you look at the Enjoy the Music review of that unit it gets average marks on soundstaging and imaging (good value for the money but not reference grade performance basically). So the question is what kind of budget are you playing with and do you have any local options (within 2-3 hrs driving) to audition equipment? If not, buing used with feedback from Agon, will be the way to experiment with minimal hit to the wallet.
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