stereo5: thank you for your valuable input! I'm expecting delivery of a Parasound Halo Integrated soon from Audio Advisor, so I will focus on amps. |
Yes-- 213runnin--Jolida has 50 wpc. I'm curious to hear how the Silverlines respond to more power, for one thing.
TY-jmc-- both amp and cdp were modded by Mitch Singerman who's been Jolida's West Coast repair guy for quite awhile-- he knows the gear inside and out. I don't recall the specs for the amp mod-- it was 8 years ago or so, and as it's no longer in the Jolida line, there's no description of the mod on the Affordable Audio website. Here is the parts list for the level 1 mod description for the cdp; "Hovland Musicaps for the coupling stage. Auricap and Solen for coupling and bypass. Caddock film resistors. Mills power resistors. International Rectifier Hexfreds". Pretty sure some of these parts were also used for the integrated mod. The cdp mod was a more (to my ear), dramatic improvement in my system. Very much worth the price!
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marktomaras-- thanks for your input. The reason I have monitors is that I don't have the luxury of a dedicated audio space, and as a result, I needed to raise drivers above furniture in the livingroom. Pardon my ignorance, but would the 50 watt Jolida sufficiently drive the 91db Silverline 3-way floor-standers? RE: source, I can't yet face the prospect of the time and monotony involved in ripping my cds. While I don't have a huge collection, it's definitely not small. What about adding a DAC, instead? |
jmcgrogan2-- yes, more bass would indeed be nice. The bass I have is well defined and relatively quick; it just doesn't extend down very far, as you have no doubt surmised. Finding a place for a sub in our livingroom is the hard part (WAF). I get what you mean about the merry-go-round. Fortunately or unfortunately, the reality is; I lack the funds to indulge in that particular life-path! The downside is that when I do have a little money for upgrades, I feel a great deal of pressure to make the most of my investment. No doubt this is a familiar enough scenario for other Audiogon members.
marktomaras-- my impression is that when it comes to DACs, the technology is changing rapidly. Schiit's DACs are, apparently upgradeable. Unfortunately, they charge a 10% restocking fee should one elect to return a component; this has, so far, kept me from ordering one to try. I have two friends with expensive systems who both have the PS Audio DAC that sells for $ 1200 (don't recall the name). I tried it in my system and it did wonders for female vocals but otherwise, it didn't blow me away. Also, it accentuated differences in recording/mastering quality from one CD to another. As I am more of a music lover than an audiophile, I'd rather have a system that's more on the forgiving side, even if I lose resolution. |
marktomaras-- thanks for your encouragement re: going disc-less. I will probably be compelled in time to follow your advice but I guess I'm old fashioned... OK-- maybe just old, as in an old dog and new audio tricks.
Adding a quality DAC would be the easiest thing to incorporate into my room at this point. |
stereo5-- I welcome your positive remarks about the Halo, especially in comparison to a tube amp. I have come across many recommendations for the Cronus as a step up from the Jolida. I've never owned a Stereophile class-A-rated component and having read many enthusiastic reviews of the Halo, I'm excited to check it out, even though I know there's no guarantee it'll be the proverbial cat's pajamas. in my system. If it's not, I will, no doubt, be back here, asking for recommendations for DACs and Subs. |
marktomaras--
Wow... a lot to digest. Very kind of you to take the time to lay it all out.
I will have two amps to try, first, and it will no doubt become apparent soon enough whether they'll make much of a difference. BTW, I'm not at all opposed to trying a stand-alone DAC but I do find the reviews very intimidating, as I know so little about the technology and understand none of the terminology. The Parasound Halo has an internal DAC but I have no idea how advanced it is or even if it can be bypassed in favor of an additional stand-alone unit in future. More research/education is required.
As for speakers, a "merry go round" friend had the Acoustic Zen Adagios for awhile, which I liked. Maybe the Adagio Juniors would be a possibility for me or a Zu. Subs-- I'm not familiar with the Wisdom SCS-- I will check it out. The above are options I feel most comfortable with exploring first. Thanks again for your kind assistance!
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David; my wall outlet is upgraded, although it was done many years ago and so I do not recall what brand/type was installed. I will check out Synergistic. Thanks. |
marktomaras;
You are evidently much more comfortable with these newer technologies than I am. I have no idea what a "node" is! |
marktomaras;
Thanks for the explanation. I'm expecting the Parasound Halo to arrive from Audioadvisor on Thursday, so my plan is to first evaluate its effect on the system, then take it from there. I will bear in mind the possibilities you've kindly detailed. |
Wrap-up: I ended up sending back the Parasound Halo. I wasn't willing to keep it in my system for 150 hours to see if I would like it in the long run. Frankly, my current Jolida tube integrated, tube CDP and Silverline speakers all sounded very good to my ears right out of the box and only improved with break-in, whereas the Halo sounded very thin and generally unappealing to me. It's garnered many enthusiastic pro reviews, so I'm not going to pass judgement on it-- it simply wasn't a good match for my expectations and patience level. Another factor was that I borrowed Margules hybrid integrated that was nearly new, and liked it so much better than the Halo. The combination of muscularity and smoothness wrought by more power and a tubed pre-amp section was truly seductive. More power is good ! The Margules demonstrated convincingly just how much an amp can improve my system's sound. My wife prefers the pure tube sound, though, so I've decided to demo a Jolida 3502S-- a hot-rodded version of my current integrated that has the flexibility to use EL34's, 6550's, KT88's, KT120's, or KT150's. The Jolida with KT150's would boost the power from 50 to 85 watts and based on my familiarity with the Jolida sound, it should satisfy both of us. So, in the end, I've answered my original question; I'm going with an amp. Thanks for everyone's input!
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wolf_garcia: Yeah, I sure hope it's "amazing"! The 3502S is upgraded from the stock model 3502, which is just as well, as I'm used to listening to a modded 302. A rel sub is definitely something I'm keeping in mind for the future, but for now, I'm chasing more power. BTW-- did you find the Rels very "picky" in terms of location? Can't wait to hear what the KT150's do in my system. I/m also contemplating sending my long speaker cables to Audio Art for cutting in half and upgrading to SC-5 SE level and moving the components into another room. This'll also free up bookshelf space for more CDs! 213runnin-- I hear what you're saying about the "last 5%" ... it's wise to recognize that accepting what we've got is often more supportive of peace of mind that obsessive consumerism. Kudos to you!
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