Classic Rock Listener - Help me build my system

Sell the Krell KAV-300, Sunfire Classic and Levinson 331, that should give you around $5K to play with.

Look to buy a VPI Scout w/JMW9 arm, add a Dynavector 10X5 cartridge, and you have yourself a kick a$$ source for around $1500. Made to play classic rock. Remember, when Yes, Zepplin, Moody Blues were in their heyday, vinyl was the only way. Perfect sound forever was a lie.

You got around $3500 left, you could go in a couple different directions. Either seperates or integrated. I'd recommend a Jeff Rowland Concentra II w/ built in phono. If you want to go seperates, I'd recommend buying a preamp with a built in phono stage. I don't think you'll find a amp/preamp/phonostage seperates in the $3-4K price range to top the Concentra II.

If you still want to play cd's, because you don't want to throw them at your neighbors dog, get a Rega Planet for around $350.

Viola! You're happy and listening to music again.

Cheers,
John

Daveheine, It sounds like you were happy before the Legacy and the Levinson came into the picture. The Levinson does have a reputation as sounding, well, polite. So it's probably not a rocking amp. I'm not familiar with the Sunfire gear, so I cannot comment. I do find that Krell KAV series to be quite fatiguing. This is what happens by the way, when you make too many changes at once. I've been guilty of the same thing. I then go back and try to undo things, until I find the problem.

I'm just curious as to why you're stuck on the Legacy speakers. If you liked the sound better through the Pinnacle speakers and Sunfire amp, what makes you think it's not the new speakers you don't like? Is it that you like the visual appearence? Maybe you turned the bass up in the sat/sub setup you had, and you're finding out that you can't do that in a single speaker design. If that's the case, maybe you need to look for a preamp with *gasp* tone controls, possibly a Adcom GFP-750, so you can turn the bass up again. I don't know, I'm grasping here.
The Cardas cables are darker than the Nordost too. It just looks like you have a case of too many changes at once. Do you still have the older stuff around? Can you just, for example, switch the Cardas out and put the Nordost back and see if you like it better or not? Put the Sunfire amp back in place of the Levinson and see if that helps. One step at a time backwards until you found out where you lost your way.

Definitely look into vinyl though, there is magic in that Licorice Pizza. I lost my love of old rock, until I got back into vinyl. LP's just sound more like rock was meant to, not thin and sterile. That of course is just my opinion.

Cheers,
John

That's a strange combination you have going on there, too dark and hard. Usually it's dark and soft or bright and hard. All I can figure is the Cardas is the dark and the Krell is the hard. Going to the Nordost should eliminate the dark, which would mean you're looking for a softer cd player? Again, I would go one step at a time, replace the Cardas and AQ with the Nordost and report back. If it still sounds too hard, I'd try a Classe CDP-1 cd player. I had one a couple years ago and it was smooth and punchy. You should be able to get one for well under a kilobuck.

Regards,
John

Reb1208, you can go home again. Look for a Classe CDP-1 to come back up for sale. IMHO, you can't beat them for under $1K.

Daveheine, sorry, I'm not a real Theta fan. I know they have there fans out there. They are dynamic, but a bit edgy sounding for my tastes. That doesn't mean it's not for you though.

Regards,
John

Here you go Daveheine, an even less expensive way to get started rocking:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1086494885

I don't know the seller.

Cheers,
John

Dave,

I just pulled it up, it's sold. It was a Rega P25 w/ RB-600 arm for $650. Great inexpensive table for beginners. Great price too.

John

Dave,

$1500 will definitely get you there. Check out these reviews at Stereophile.

Rega P25

VPI Scout

I would save a few bucks by buyin the 'table/arm used, but I highly recommend a new cartridge. This is a fantastic cartridge, IMHO it can't be beat for under $500.

Dynavector 10X5

I think the Scout is warmer with better bass, but the Rega is a good 'table and costs less in case you just want to get your feet wet.

I was a die hard Zepplin fan growing up. I lost my zest for them in the digital age. Vinyl has re-kindled my enjoyment of them. There's something magical about Physical Graffiti spinning on that 'table.

Regards,
John