@itzhak1969
would agree totally based on an earlier pair of 803d I once owned, but different system, different room and what a difference.
There just is no substitute for actually in room demos, you can read all the reviews you want, listen to all the advice you can handle and sometimes it just means squat....lol
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thanks hifiman5 and dave-b
been non stop music today...lol |
Well that was certainly a BIG surprise!
Just goes to show that not all components synergize together well.
I had the chance to buy a pair of B&W 804D speakers at a very fair price so just had to do it.
I was not expecting anything majorly different and certainly not an improvement over the Ushers but wow!
With no other changes besides plugging in the 804,s it was a whole new world.
Soundstage was miles wide, best it has ever been and bass? I have no idea why the smaller drivers in these produce so much deeper and fuller bass than the Ushers but they do.
Goes to show that everybody can and will have different results with different equipment, looks like the BAT amp just did not suit the Ushers or vice versa but my combo now of B&W 804D, ARC LS2, BAT VK600SE and Esoteric SA-50 is making me very very happy indeed! |
@jafant
Upgrades already performed to the arc ls2 pre which have improved matters no end.
simple and cheap job of swapping the tube for a golden lion AND then adding a herbies tube damper.
Soundstage vastly increased again and clarity of vocals is very impressive to my ears. low down and mid bass feels just as strong as ever so a win win for a grand total of $58!
Next you will have me believing power cords and fuses can make a difference...lol
all interconnects are cardas quadlink xlr, power cords are cardas quadlink too. speaker cables are straightwire octave 2
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@dave_b
sorry but you can call me a dinosaur!
I have zero interest in ripped files or a music server or streaming tbh
it took long enough for me to move from vinyl to cds!
good for those into it, just not my thing, i like to fondle those shiny silver discs....lol
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Have now lived with my "new" system for a while and just my thoughts.
Replaced both the krell power amp and cd player with Esoteric sa-50 and BAT VK600SE.
After selling off the Krells I am probably out $4k total with some new cables as well.
Did i get $4k perceived value?
Probably not tbh, the sound is different, some improvements but some reductions.
The low and mid bass is noticeably stronger and fuller, much more slam and as I listen to rock music that is a good thing for sure, not fat or bloated just more "iron fist" type of improvement, makes the Ushers work for a living now!
Vocals about the same, maybe a little more chesty but would be a tough call.
It is definitely more volume tolerant without becoming harsh as the Krells were apt to do, I can now watch the windows bow before my ears tell me it is distorting, a sure sign of the huge power reserves of the BAT.
But the soundstage has definitely suffered, a fair bit tbh. Even sitting with my eyes closed I can tell exactly which speaker each instrument or vocal is coming from with ease, a feat the Krells dismissed with ease, guitars would come in through the walls it seemed. That right there is my biggest area of disapointment.
And yes slap all this equipment in another room in another house with different music and ears and the results could well be completely different, I know that!
I suspect the BAT is the main culprit for the soundstage but after spending $4k its going to have to wait a while before I can splurge again!
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so the esoteric arrived this morning, hooked it up through my ar ls2 and listened to pat benatar.
best i can describe is that higher volume levels it holds together much better, more cohesive, much more slam for want of a better word and the highs are not as harsh as the krell was by far.
at moderate levels there is probably not a lot between them although still more noticeable bass on drums etc but as volume is increased the esoteric definitely holds its composure much better.
I then tried running direct to my power amp but i ran out of gain on the internal esoteric volume way too early...lol. Yes I like my music loud or at least the option to like it loud! Now I will say that at lower levels I think I did prefer the sound direct to the poweramp, it appeared more full bodied and possibly even better sound staging so now maybe I have to look for a better preamp as well, you know how that goes...... |
well just an update, had to buy it as price was so right
Esoteric sa-50 should be here wednesday, then we will see.....
be interesting to try it through my ar ls2 pre AND running it direct into the power amp, often been said that the best preamp is NO preamp..... |
i had decided to give an ayon cd7 an inhome trial for 15 days and see how that goes, simaudio players I have looked at but the ones I have seen in my price range did NOT have balanced xlr outputs?
not sure if the 260d does or its price, will have to research that
thank you
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i am really in the market just to replace the cd player, at this time i do not have the inclination or intention to go fully digital with usb or wave file players, way too many cds going back years and years to be bothered to "rip" them to a music server or computer or similar.
Pretty old fashioned and cd digital tech is about as far as this old fart is moving tbh.
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Thanks Joe, my readings had sort of confirmed the ux series was not quite up to par compared to some other Esoteric offerings even though there is a ux being offered fairly local to me.
Not sure as I overly concerned on going the total digital route with usb et al. Huge collection of cd,s and no inclination to rip them to any music serve in the near future...
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Not quite what I was asking I think.
More on the lines of would running my Krell through a dac make any appreciable difference to the Krells existing "sound" or just better to go for a differing player altogether? |
Esoteric and Ayre are on my watch list
However somebody early on did suggest possibility of keeping the Krell and running it through a dac.
Anybody have experience with this type of upgrade, just using my player as a transport and if so what dac may give a benefit? |
some great suggestions already, tbh I was strongly considering Esoteric and Ayre.
Also has anybody any experience with Gold Note Stibbert or Shanling players? |
