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Unsettled and considering changing stuff

I honestly have no idea why but I got an itch lately to change my main system. Probably that damned trip to Vegas to see the toys at CES. To my ears my system is very good and I haven't really changed much recently. So why the hell change anything? Do you guys get bored with your setup every now and then and swap things out even though the system as a whole is putting out some good tunes? In keeping with the spirit of providing all the information needed for other members to provide an informed opinion...

We'll start with the room...My room is roughly 14' x 25', cathedral ceiling that goes from 8'(back wall where the speakers are) to 20' (listening position). Persian rug of some sort on the hardwood floor. The speakers are on the back wall (standard sheet rock construction) about 4' from the wall and 3' from the side walls (toed in slightly) and about 15' from my listening position. Got a leather couch in-between the speakers but the Logan's are tall and don't seem to suffer much from having the furniture there. Directly behind my listening position is a set of glass patio doors but I have heavy drapes to take care of that. I have hospital grade outlets for everything, other than that no room tweaks. This room is the family room so doing room treatments and such is out of the question (I've tried every sleazy angle to get her to give in, no luck at all), and there really is no other room I can set up my rig. All in all not that bad a room anyway.

Music? My music collection is about 800 CD's and roughly 2500 LP's. I listen to my turntable 50% of the time, CDP 30%, tuner 15%, tape deck 5%. I listen to a wide variety of music but generally spend about 70% of my time listening to rock, 20 % blues, 10% classical. My musical tastes run from grunge (think Rage Against the Machine) through to Steely Dan but I spend the majority of the time listening to the likes of Dire Straits, Steve Winwood, Blue Rodeo, Peter Gabriel, Roxy Music, Sting, etc... Yeah, I like vocal based music, preferably acoustic.

The current system (I never turn off any of my gear):

- Oracle Delphi MkIV, SME345 Arm, Grado Sonata Cartridge (marble base)
- Lehmann Black Cube Phono Preamplifier
- YBD CD Integre CD player (remote)
- Sansui TU-517 tuner
- Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette Deck
- Rega EAR headphone amp (used along with Senn 600's)
- Balanced Audio Technology VK30 Tube Preamplifier (with remote, EAR feet)
- Balanced Audio Technology VK500 amplifier (with BATPAK, EAR feet)
- Martin Logan Quest Z speakers
- Sennheiser HD600 headphones, Cardas cable
- (2) 5' Synergistic Research AC Reference power cords (preamplifier, phono stage)
- (1) YBA Diamond power cord (CD player)
- (2) Harmonic Technology Pro AC11 power cords (amplifier)
- (2) MIT Z-Cord II power cords (speakers)
- (2) Maple Audio Works Ambiance interconnect (Black Cube, CDP)
- (1) Transparent MusicLink interconnect cord (Tuner)
- (2) Phoenix Gold RCA-Balanced interconnect cable (Nakamichi Deck)
- Goertz Micropurl 25' Balanced interconnect (preamplifier to amplifier)
- Transparent MusicWave 10' Bi-Wire speaker cables (spades)
- Nitty Gritty 1.5Fi MkII record cleaning machine
- Custom built oak stand for source components, preamplifier, and music. Amplifier stand

So what's wrong with the set up? What don't I like? I guess I find it less involving than it ought to be, sounds good but doesn't draw me into the music they way I would like it to. Wonderful detail, but not engaging. I suspect maybe I ought to consider changing the speakers but I'm not a box-speaker fan at all. Maggies? Maybe consider the Avantegarde Uno? If I went this route I'd sell off the amp too cuz the Uno are powered speakers and have the added benefit of being designed to be used right up against the wall (they even sell wall mounting brackets for this purpose). Or stay off the merry-go-round and buy even more music?
jeffloistarca
jetter
1,035 posts
 
Buy more stevie windwood albums.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Hi Jeff, thanks for a great post. Like you I found sd's comments really interesting. I agree with him that improving your interconnects would give you more music. I went from UHF magazine's recommendations ( Van den Hul The Second, Wireworld Equinox ) to Ensemble Masterflux. Here's what I told the gentleman (an Agon'er) who sold them to me :

(CDP to preamp) Artifacts diminished, female voice became rounder and more three-dimensional. I hadn't noticed before, but the music had been layered and flat-sounding, like a Disney cartoon background. Now it was filling out. The second Masterflux cable (preamp to amp) provided still more of the same kind of improvement : more dimension and naturalness. Harmonies and timbres became more subtle and relaxing, and the music made more sense. Digital artifacts were far less present.

I think you know Pierre Royer. He demoed some of his own handmade cables for me and they made a very nice difference too, at a good price.

Last, if I were changing components in your system, I would look at sources. A good MC cartridge--nothing under a Benz Glider--and a new phono stage would make a big difference. I switched my Copland CTA-301 for a Klyne SK-5A mostly to get the phono, and I love it. But then I'm a source kind of guy. Finally, IMHO your CDP could use an upgrade. Mine is now a Shanling CD-T100 with NOS tubes, and say, if you'd like to come over and spin some wax, you'd be welcome.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Obviously, a lot of different suggestions can be made (at a price), as evidenced above, and the results would be unknown until you took the plunge. My take is slightly different: the first thing I notice is that you seem to feel the system lacks something in the way of excitement, involvement, or immediacy, but you are not generally displeased with the way any particular part, or the whole thing together, sounds overall. Looking at the system/room/listener layout, I'm wondering if you might be a little bit farther away from your speakers than could be optimal, and the speakers (as dipole radiators) may also be a bit too close to the front wall. If your partner-in-decorating doesn't mind too much, I suggest trying to possibly kill two birds with one stone by moving your speakers a foot or two closer to the listening position. Doing so could offer some increase in perceived dynamic contrast, transient precision, HF liveliness, and soundstage clarity, mainly by increasing the ratio of direct to reflected sound both in the time and amplitude domains. Getting the positioning just right for dipolar panel speakers can be a real bitch, with each centimeter being potentially touchy in regards to funky phase cancellations and reinforcements, so you may have to work hard at this, involving all aspects of distance, angling (both toe-in and maybe lean-in a well using shims or threaded footers), spacing, and don't be afraid to even experiment with small changes in listening chair distance from the rear wall in addition to fine-tune. But if I were you, and hadn't addressed this issue for a while, this is the first area I'd look at before spending or changing out anything
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Lots of good equipment...but I would certaintly "pare" it down a bit....Im on the other end of the spectrum...intergrated,source,speakers...I had a more "elaborate" system...but find that a simple, well selected system will outperform a more costly, complex one...also...dont get too caught up on the design of the speaker...find what you want out of a speaker/system first...for vocals and acoustic material that is rich and full bodied...Vandersteen and Spendor come to mind...very open sounding midranges.....forgiving enough for vinyl...unlike the Maggies...
sean
6,229 posts
 
Jeff: How did you arrange the wiring in the Micro-Purls when you wired them up for balanced operation ? It is quite possible that re-arranging how you have these wires pinned out could offer sonic benefits at no cost other than some elbow grease and fresh solder. Sean
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