2. amps-preamps
  3. 1257558090

Lost - Your combined experience required

Over the past while, off and on, i've been thinking about upgrading my gear, wanting more open, airy and extended sound. I want to lose the slight veil currently existing in my setup that just takes away from the believability of the presentation. I'd like more dimension as well.

I've made threads about possible amp upgrades, speakers, source...all separate threads (over a period of time). But i've never made a thread asking your opinions on what you feel the weak link actually IS, in my case.

Gear:
CD - Rotel RCD 971/ Sony PS1 model 1001 (on its way)
Sugden a48b w/ upgrades including point to point wiring
Rega Ara speakers
Target sand filled metal stands
cheapo monster cable (i also have some ecosse cable, but that makes the system sound very flat, albeit somewhat more extended in the higher frequencies).

Room is small, one bedroom condo living room, open to kitchen. Living room area is approx 14 x 10 or so (maybe a bit longer)

The system is on the better-sounding long wall of the room (not the dividing wall). I have fussed around w/ speaker placement to no end, finding strengths and compromises in a variety of positions, but with no fully satisfying results.

I came to a quick conclusion that my speakers are the weak link here, but now i'm not so sure. After reading about the Ara's and how others describe them, it sounds like I may be wrong.

On a hunch, i started reading up more on that particular sugden model and I've come to realize that it's generally not considered the most transparent in the world. It IS a good amp, mind you - quality performance. But perhaps just a little too antiquated for the sound i'm looking for.

I'm not too concerned about the source at the moment, since I'll soon have two players to swap in and out.

But I'm really lost in terms of whether i should swap speakers or amp (or both!). I'm on a budget and I don't really want to fuss around and risk poor matching etc etc...

With all your combined experience, I'm bound to glean some sort of insight from some of you. Hopefully. Thoughts? Please? ha
loose
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,298 posts
 
Loose,

FYI, I have a Cambridge 640C v2 CDP and it works very well. It is "alive" and detailed sounding with solid bass, good instrument placement, but not the widest sound stage ever. I am running it with an older modified AMC amp and custom built large bookshelf speakers. It should pair well with your amp and speakers. I am using a Shunyata Diamondback power cord with it and currently using Radio Shack Fusion interconnects because believe it or not they sound more coherent to me in this application than the AQ Sidewinder and Diamondback, Monster Cable or XLO wires I also have on hand.

If interested, you should be able to pick up one of these for about $300 used - although look for the "version 2" as I have owned both and the second generation is noticeably better. I listened to my version 2 player with Sim Audio Moon i7 integrated, Dynaudio Contour S1.4, and about $3000 worth of Shunyata wires when I was testing power cords, and I was surprised how good it sounded in that company - significant upside to this little player.

The Cambridge 740C is a minor step up in my experience, but the 840C with a good power cord and played through balanced interconnects is a smoother and more analog sounding rig.
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,262 posts
 
Loose,

Enough different opinions for ya?

aren't you glad you asked?

:^D
ryder
946 posts
 
With all the suggestions he has got so far I reckon it's a complete revamp of the system.
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Loose,

Yeah, it sounds like the Rotel may not be the culprit here.

You did mention that this particular room sounds a bit dead, so that may be one reason this system lacks life.

That said, my listening room is packed with stuff and is by no means a hot or lively sounding room, but I managed to get a lively sounding system with a good sense of scale without it being bright.

A lot of this had to do with cabling, especially the one I ran from transport to DAC. Unlike most people here I view cabling as an equal component. Just as skin is considered an organ.
rockadanny
1,037 posts
 
I used to be a "wire is wire" guy until I heard Gregg Straley's Reality speaker cables. They openend up the sound and brought out clarity and dimensionality unheard until then. These are special cables that sound to me like what you may need. They are not expensive and can be returned for full refund, less shipping which is not much, if you don't like them. I would seriously try these speaker cables. Nearly zero risk.
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