@jmcgrogan2 - First of all thank you for the detailed response. This is very helpful. So as far as my speakers are concerned, I feel that they can be a little on the bright side on certain songs. Also, sometimes they sound a bit more on the 'thin' side than I'd like them to be. I understand that a lot of this has to do with the acoustic properties of my living room, but unfortunately, there's not much I can do about it. Wife shot down the idea of hanging treatments on walls.
If the Satoris are 'fuller, warmer, with bigger base', as you mentioned, then that's exactly the qualities I desire in my current setup. At some point, I'd like to introduce a tube pre-amp in the mix but that's probably not going to happen for at least a couple of years.
I'd keep my eyes open for pair of used AZ Satori (8 ft or less) at agon. |
Folks, I just want to give a quick update. While researching the Clear Day cables, I had exchanged a few emails with Paul (owner). I asked him how the cables might perform in my system. He told me that he was not comfortable making any recommendations because it was very system dependent.
This level of honesty and integrity is so rare in today's competitive business world. Paul could have easily told me whatever I wanted to hear. But he was very honest and forthcoming.
Amazing guy! I wish we had more people like Paul in the high end audio world (or the political arena for that matter) ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves here :)
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@bdp24 I purchased the double shotguns from another a'goner. But Paul was still nice enough to recommend the double shotguns for my speakers. I am purchasing jumpers from Paul though.
Since this is my first foray into the world of specialized cables, it'll be interesting. I'll post my impressions once things settle down. |
Okay, so received the cables last night. Admittedly, I have only listened for about a couple of hours, but here are the initial impressions...
Like some other folks, there really wasn’t a jaw dropping moment.
I haven’t noticed much improvement in imaging or soundstaging .. about the same. No noticeable difference in depth, width or height.
Definitely no improvement in bass response thus far. That’s one area I was hoping to see an improvement.
There might be a tiny bit of improvement in detail and clarity ... but to be honest, I don’t know if its perception bias or what.
One thing that I definitely noticed is that the background is blacker. Definitely less background noise than before.
Voices are more centered and ’present’ - not sure if ’present’ is the right way to describe it, but it does feel that the singer is sitting closer, in an intimate way, to me than before (that’s a good thing in my view).
Having said that, maybe the wires need more break in. I’m not sure how many hours were put on the wires by the previous owner. Also, I’ve ordered jumpers from Clear Day. That might improve the sound.
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Okay, I really feel like an idiot now ... shouldn’t have jumped the gun when I posted my first impressions. So it turns out that the spades were not inserted all the way into the binding posts of my speaker. Second, I realized that the volume was set well below my normal listening levels. This is remarkable, because once I set the volume to my normal listening levels, it’s like a veil was lifted.
I’ve been listening non stop for the last hour or so ....
The soundstage has definitely opened up ... it’s wider, much wider now. I can hear things at least 4 to 5 feet to the left and right of my speakers. The cymbals reverberate more and feels like the reverberation is travelling outwards and around my room.
The separation between instruments and the voices is much more defined.
The base is not more per se, but has tightened up considerably.
I’m hearing new details on familiar recordings. And it all sounds so clean.
The best part is that the brightness that I complained about earlier is pretty much gone. I cranked up the volume waaaay up, and guess what? No more harshness. Lastly, and I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s almost as if someone added more ’heft’ to the same music I listened to before.
Okay, so I had my jaw drop moment about an hour ago, when I listened to Alan Pasqua’s The Antisocial Club. Holy cow!!!! They’ve finally stepped into my living room :) Sorry if I’m gushing like a newly wed. But this is pretty amazing for a guy who is new to this hobby.
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@oleschool - thanks for your suggestions. Upgrading power cords and interconnects is definitely the next thing on my list. As for room treatments, it'll probably have to wait till we move to another house and can have a dedicated audio room. Until then, WAF is the reality I have to live with :)
I do have few questions regarding power cords though ...
1. The power cord that came with my Parasound A21 seems quite thick and well made. At what price point can I expect a noticeable difference? Someone told me that spending anything less than $600 on a power cord would be a lateral move. Not sure how true that is.
2. What would be a reasonable price point?- Given that the goal is best bang for the buck, similar to the Clear Day cable upgrade
3. Do I upgrade the power cord on my Pre/DAC (Cambridge Audio 851D) first or the amp?
4. What brands would you guys recommend? I'm planning to stay with Clear Day cables for sometime to come, so synergy is important. |
@ghosthouse don't know if you remember, but actually it was you who recommended Alan Pasqua on a different thread. great recommendation! i play their music at least once or twice every month. |
Thanks, folks. Very good recommendations. I'm leaning toward AZ Tsunami or Cullen at the moment.
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Cerious Technologies sound interesting. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the pricing. Their website doesn't show the prices ... or at least I haven't been able to find the information.
I see a couple of used AZ Tsunami PCs for around $200. This sounds like a pretty good price to start with. |
@oleschool -- re: your advice for contacting the owner of Acoustic Zen ... I'm only looking for used at the moment, so not sure what benefit I'd get by calling Mr Lee. |
@jayctoy Your recommendation of Pangea AC14 is definitely worth considering. I have narrowed down my search to the following four:
1. Cerious Technologies GE power cord (most expensive, since only available as new)
2. AZ Tsunami (around $280)
3. Cullen Crossover Series 2 ($325)
4. Pangea Audio AC 14SE MK2 Signature - only $65.00
I wonder if Cerious Technologies is 'that much' better than the Pangeas, especially for a mid-fi system like mine. But it does sound the most intriguing, albeit the most expensive, option available.
Has anyone compared the Pangeas with other PC's in the < $500 range?
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After much deliberation, I decided to go with Cerious Technologies High Current PC. Will post my impressions once I get them and break them in for about 50 hours or so.
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@oleschool - I would love to buy AZ Tsunami used, but so far I have only come across dealers selling new or demo for over $250. |
