everything sounded great until the upgrade

@thehorn 

What do you think about the newly printed LPs?

Of course! It's not personal, it's about the #$%@#! sound. 

I have avoided this word all my life, but here it comes: "SYNERGY"!

That's what missing downstream from my system.

I have experimented a lot over the weekend and what I am missing with the A3.2 for the warmth, I get back with other aspects - such as details, highs, depth. So it may or may not be my cup of tea if warmth is my preference ,

@thehorn 

that's my biggest lesson from it: it's starts with the amp.

I always chased the speakers before.

If I had the money and time, I'd buy a different system for my 10 favorite songs each because they all sound different now

@retiredfarmer 

Hi, thank you for all this, you should write a book about how to gradually improve a system. Some of these changes seem easy, like lifting cables/dice under cd player. 

I will try those. 

If you saw where they sit now, you'd scream! I don't have speaker stands. (partly because they cost money and I also haven't found anything I like aside from the Bucrhardts.

Otherwise, here is my dilemma: if I make these changes - will I hear the difference? Sometimes I switch from amp A to B, speakers X to Y and my ears tell me: well I don't anymore, These are noises. Lots of them. What do you expect from me. 

Of course what I expect is that special moment, when the noise becomes sound, gets into my ears and fills me with joy. 

But it (and all the suggestions) gets to me and enlightens me and will push me to improving my system, eventually :)

I don't have a lot of placement options but I will do my best :)

I don't doubt it's a good amp.

@larryi 

it's all in the comments now, Marantz 2252B --> Musical Fidelity A3.2

Dynaudio Evoke 20

My initial hope was that things would get better not worse, So the improvements you are suggesting (all great ones) are "me working for the amp and not the amp working for me" :) if it makes sense. But I will get up my butt and play with the placement. 

I should not have started with the implications of domestic dispute over audio gear. But I must not have been the first one on this forum worried about the happy wife-sweet sounding system balance

pretty profound advices, thank you all.

I just spent 2 hours playing LPs and I am a lot more appreciative of the sound now. I gotta do something about the CD player. - even the connection is weird, I have to wiggle the cable sometimes to avoid static 

@riccitone thank you very educational! I feel a bit less ignorant

@rar1 I am planning to keep it and I am glad so far no one told me to ditch the speakers. I am slightly confused if I should get a DAC or another CD player, options :)

@decooney CD then turntable 10:1 

@rar1 

local CBS 8PM news:

husband found dead in the suburbs, no motive or suspect have been identified. He was apparently hit by a hard object. Some blood was found on an audio equipment looking item labeled 'CD PRE 24', retrieved from the trash bin

@cat_doorman what did you upgrade to?

@asvjerry I am OK with change - it's my ears that aren't :)

@scowler1 thank you :)

@cd318 I don't like the Tannoy looks, but it's actually good because I couldn't afford them anyway.

@bigmac1963 Sweet Special Forties :) I love those 

I would have said "that's dark" a few years ago but in the sci-fi we live in, reason can be a pleasant surprise :)

@jetter I guess I have to "face the music"!

@sandstone Since my options and budget is limited, but above all, my audio knowledge is very limited, I first wanted to get a high level advice. I used to think of myself as a speaker guy (spend 5 times more on speakers than the amp for the best result) and I realize I was wrong.

I am going to research what goes best with Musical Fidelity integrated amps.

@jetter

46 hours ago

" once you are used to the new presentation " that's fair but what's wrong with wanting to be wowed the moment I press play?

@mlsstl

I still have the old amp. I bought a new amp because my local vintage audio repair guy has gone mad. And there are not many of them around so mid and long term, I would not have support. My brother (who is the nerd behind my audio decisions) told me to buy it.

I was honestly hoping for a magic boost.

With old amp half the music sounded OK (speaker: Dynaudio Evoke 20s) such as rock, heavily instrumental music, classical, Jazz, the other half: vocal, folk, 70s rock sounds great, It kind of flipped with the new amp. The magic of the vocals is gone

meow.... I mean new:

used (in great shape visibly) A3.2

old:

2252B 

@russ69 thanks!

"easy" - everything is easy if you know how to do it!

@decooney 

that's pretty accurate. My initial thought was that it's unforgiving, highlights all the errors the 2252b hides/unable to reveal

@decooney

Sounds like a harmless experiment, thanks! I will try it :)

I don't have a DAC. My wife will kill me.

@danager 

yes I have TOSlink out. So that's for the DAC? Sorry for my ignorace

@jperry I explained why I didn't name the components (and later I did many times)

thank you @rocray @riccitone @lanx0003 

I have no idea how to find a DAC but I will look it up

@rar1  yes, but that's 2 birds with 1 stone :)

overall feedback processing notes: just like with anything: learning a little reveals how little I knew and how much I thought I knew! Some of the advices are scary, I should not remove the cover and tweak this thing, that never ended well for me. (As a kid I took apart a lot of alarm clocks, none I was able to put back together, (I am a theoretical guy)

@decooney absolutely! You know me by now. My current RCA is crap, something that came 15 years ago with a $20 cd player. I ordered a cable from Amazon last night for $35, I was too embarrassed to ask here. May suck but will still be better than these.

@asvjerry I started it, @dadork is the second in line to be visited by the FBI with a warrant.in case of an incident

@mofojo first time I heard pink noise :)

@clearthinker right! It’s used, no returns, brother’s advice that I always trust. Little prick.... he got me!

my little prick brother got back to me, he is just probably reading the forum,

He says:

• CD input is likely crap, and next to phono which is suspect, try any other input
• get a DAC (a$$hole!) but maybe I will get away with
• a decent RCA cable https://tinyurl.com/fzj48ccn

Update: CD input IS crap, aux1 is times better

@henry53 

except that I need to stick with my speakers and test other options, cables, DAC, smaller improvements. I received so many great suggestions, I am still playing with my system ,

@felixa 

I need you to explain this to me via zoom!

@itsjustme 

Why did you buy something without hearing it first? 

Because it's used, can't hear it anywhere

@mahgister 

design change is less impactful on listening test than acoustic and psycho-acoustic change in the speakers/room relation

Right. But when my room is a given, not many options in placement, my main variables are components and cables - as I stick to the speakers

1 week update:

the sound from the MF A3.2 is definitely different. I noticed that different types of music sounds good with it, and so I changed what I listen to, all the instruments are brighter, more forward, vocals less harsh, less punchy.

haven’t gotten a DAC yet, but I certainly appreciate the experience and the quality, It does bring out recording flaws, which - given my selection of 60s-80s mostly - is a pain, because recording back then was less than perfect (but also, some were tweaked until it sounded best)

Playing LPs is much more fun now. (need a new cartridge, then a new turntable, then I will find my suitcase on the driveway)

thank you all! As much as I often find some of you arrogant and egoistic pricks, most of you are awesome: generous, helpful and knowledgeable! :)

@12many 

That's a reasonable path, I find CDs becoming a pain, a clutter. Not that LPs don't take up space. So it doesn't matter where I store it, if it connects to a DAC, that's all I need?

@grossman616 

Yes! Very helpful! However, should I really not turn it off? Ever? Doesn't it wear it out?

@ghdprentice 

1. Book: I wouldn't understand it. Not only that, it would frustrate me that I don't. It would also frustrate me that I don't have the budget to do more (more that costs $) I like technology but more than that I love the awesome and beautiful sound. I don't t really care about how the signals get to my speakers. Not in any disrespectful way, just I am not a nerd that way.

2. DAC Definitely! I am borrowing my brother's a test it out first. 

3. New speakers. I don't have any desire to buy different speakers. I love the look and the sound. Of course if I won the lottery and saved all the orphans from Ukraine and had anything less, I would want the Martens.

4. I will do the photos. I will embarrass myself using West End cubes for speaker stands but. That's where they are.

@theo714 

but also limited me in what I can listen to

that's a hill I don't know how to climb. I need a compromise (system that makes what I like sound good. Maybe there should be a software that re-samples to music we like to our taste :)

@ghdprentice 

yes, I am going to buy it, it can't hurt. Worst case is that I will not get it....

But.... I am in it for the fun, and not to climb mountains up in the clouds with zero visibility :)

@thehorn 

I am forever dragged into the dark audiophile underworld and I shall never be satisfied nor understood by non-believers again 😀

Seriously. Isn't it a reasonable goal to make my existing speakers sound good? Just for a day before I move on..... . to your suggestions.

the main aspects for speakers:

bookshelf

room - open in one direction but 12'x20' - 3mx4m

I don't need big bass

has to sound good with both Gypsy Queen by Van Morrison and the first Gimme Some Lovin'

@bigmac1963 current ones are Evoke 20s. I love Dynaudio. I listed to the Special forty’s and I missed the warmth of the Evokes. At the dealer, then and there. So, yes, special forty’s might be the be all end all!