2. amps-preamps
  3. 1045782429

I need some clarity

Hey guys, can yall give some suggestions on how to brighten the sound of my system. It consists of:
Ah! Njoe Tjeob CDP with the Burr Brown OPA627 Op-amp upgrade
Van Den Hul The Bay C5 IC
Parasound HCA 750 power amp
Acoustic Reasearch speaker wire (to be replaced soon)
Magnepan MMG

The midrange is quite nice and strong, the bass is fine, but I need more clarity and detail. My options in placement is very limited because I live in the dorm at my school, plus I have a roommate so I only have half of the room. I'm hoping I wont have to buy a pre amp with tone controls or brighter speakers. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks
lawbadman
dopogue
1,767 posts
 
Sticking strictly to cables, I would strongly recommend you try Mapleshade ICs and speaker cables. Mapleshade offers a 30-day moneyback, and clarity is their strong point. The more expensive Omega Mikros (same designer) are even better.
lawbadman OP
14 posts
 
Hi guys thanks for the responses.
I think I will try a silver IC. How about Nordost Solar Wind, RCA 1m, they are about $70 used. Any other suggestions in my price range (keep in mind that I am a student)?
I currently have sovtek 6922 tubes in my CDP, would replacing them with telefunken 6922 help the situation?
Would buying a better power amplifier also help, like a used Aragon or a classe? I might sell the MMGs and buy new speakers but thats a last resort.

Keep the suggestions comming.
foreverhifi
229 posts
 
Do you want the old clarity or the new and improved clarity?
tomryan
794 posts
 
I also had a pair of MMGs in 1986-87 as background music speakers. They lack detail and are really quite dull sounding for real music listening. They are also based on a technology that Magnepan has surpassed alomst 15 years ago. The speakers are exactly where you need start (by replacing them). No silver or tube replacement juju is going to help. These things are fine tuning.
elevick
2,439 posts
 
Solar winds should help. You don't have to blow your budget on telefunkens. I really like golden dragon tubes as well as svetlana, don't rule out any old stock 6922s. Sovtek are crap. Switching to the aragon or classe will still leave you with a softer sound. If you need more bite in the highs after new interconnects and tubes, it's time for new speakers.

Good tube sites: tubesandmore.com, thetubestore.com, tubeworld.com (pricey), tubeman.com or jeffssoundvalues.com
More to discover