The system seems decent, though given the investment in the speakers, the amp and digital chain are a bit light. Is there anything about the sound that you think needs improvement?
Suggestions on improvement
I'm 78 with age related hearing decline.My current system which I do enjoy is comprised of a Marantz CD cd 60006,Technics integrated SUG700,Canton stand mounted 9k reference speakers, and two SVS SB1000 pro subs, Subs interconnects are SVS. Stand mounted are connected by marker cables on upper frequencies and monster cables Powerline 2 for mids and bass.
Speakers are placed 8 ft apart the listening position is also 8 ft.The room is untouchable,that is to say wife has fixed my location,hey no smirks, I know where my beard is buttered.The room has vaulted ceiling 14 ft(at sitting position),has one open sidewall,another is 3 ft behinds the speakers and is covered in floor to ceiling drapes on a 9 ft wall,the third wall on one side is all glass (glass door and full length window next to it ) the final wall behind the sitting position has glass covered photos and prints.On The sides of each speaker are over stuffed chairs with a couch facing the speakers.Hanging plants are in all corners.The room has wall to wall carpeting. For domestic tranquility I can only subtract components so bass traps and alike are verboten. I listen Stones, Beatles, Who,female solos, symphonies,and jazz(sax oriented).
Are there any cheap tweeks to improve current system given the above, max budget $1000.However if can improve my sound by selling off apiece of gear and adding that revenue I'd do it, just don't know what I'd get off the sale.
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+1 My feeling as well. But on the other hand $1K + trade in on your integrated probably doesn’t get you any where. Hmm, actually try a high end power cord for the integrated. Maybe try the lending library from the cable company. Look at spending $500 (used, so $1K new). Speaker cables, also try used at the $1K. Either / both may make an outsized difference.
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For that amount of $$$ I think you’re relegated to cables or something like isolation tweaks. Here are some very good speaker cables that could potentially provide a meaningful upgrade, and if they don’t you can turn around and sell them for little/no loss so pretty low risk. I’ve recommended them to several people here and they’ve worked out very well with the obvious caveat that cables are always a bit of a crapshoot. You didn’t mention what interconnects you’re using between your CDP and amp, but that would also be a potential area of meaningful benefit for not all that much money. Hope this helps. |
That Marantz cd player can be improved upon greatly. I wouldn’t touch anything else until you get the source game up. |
If at age 78 you're still getting your beard buttered, you have no real complaints. As for your system, acoustical treatments aren't necessarily ugly. Wite panels on a white ceiling are practically invisible and make a big improvement on the largest flat acoustically reflective surface in your environment. 6 - 2X4 ft panels would add 48Ft2 of broad band absorption. We added about that much to the ceiling in our slope ceiling living room. Not only are they not noticed visually, my wife definitely noticed how much more 'intimate' (her words) the space feels with its liveliness tamed a bit. She's a believer in acoustical treatments now. |
OP, as a fellow subject to aged hearing that also began with loud tools and loud...louder likely music as baggage... Do you wear aids? -or- Would you accept an equalizer that had room correction abilities? -or- Both....like me? ...the ’rest of me’ is my own problem....*L* ;) If traps won't fly, I suspect panels overhead won't get to either..... An eq up to the task, 'reasonable' cables to knit it in, and a calibrated mic as it's 'ears'.....$1K ought to do it, shopping 'hard' for the sweet stuff if you must...😏 ...and you can always 'tweak to taste'....;) Mho.....If you're 'buttering your beard'.....either wasting it or not performing 'proper'.... My mustache? Yes, Certainly..need not ask. My beard? Go to go in that latitude.....a visit to the Hills, perhaps..... Anywhere Else? ....I trust y'all have That figured out by now.....🙄 |
......I don't drop mics... |
If I were to change anything, it would be the CD player. It is not in the same league as your amp and speakers. Which means you would be spending way more than a grand to improve it. So don't do it. I am not sure it would be worth it as your stereo sits in the middle of your living room and excessive tweaking would just create friction. I am 10 years younger and after awhile, who needs the grief? I like the idea of tone controls. Doubt cable changes would make an audible difference given where the system lives. Possibly add headphone capability. Then you can get the side glances I do when I put on my phones and they still speak to me like I can hear them. Be well, Rich
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I have the Marantz CD6007 paired with a Chord Qutest DAC & am still not happy with my CD sound. It is infinitely better than using the internal Marantz DAC, but doesn’t compare to streaming or vinyl. So while a DAC upgrade is a definite improvement, I am not sure it will get you where you want to go. Audphile1/others: which Audiolab do you recommend if I were to upgrade? I am a very infrequent CD listener, but that could change if I could get CD sound on par with vinyl and streaming. Or perhaps I just load all my CD’s to my Aurender and call it a day. |
For $1000 or less I would suggest Room Correction technology. Basically these are computers in little boxes that look like audio components. All the digital components-in your case that might just be the CD player-connect. They come with a little microphone. You will need either a computer or a mobile device to do the setup. It takes about an hour. You can generate different settings depending on what sounds best to you. It analyzes the individual characteristics of your room and adjust accordingly. It may perhaps help a little with the hearing loss. The technology is usually bundled into AV Receivers, so if you are looking to replace your integrated for any other reason you can go that route, or it can be purchased as a stand alone. The two competing companies that I have used are Anthem ARC (as part of an Anthem AVR) and Dirac, which I have as a free standing box that cost around $300 a few years ago. The Anthem was a bit easier to set up, but it has been a few years and since software gets updated frequently that may no longer be the case. |
Another thought… you didn’t mention streaming. If you are currently not streaming, I highly recommend it… access to the entire world of music… and great sound, all from your couch. |
As someone with similar age-related hearing decline, as well as a moderate degree of tinnitus, most tweaks you’ll get recommended hear aren’t going to make a darned bit of difference. I say invest the $1000 in more music that you enjoy, crank it up (when the wife is out) and enjoy! The music is what it’s all about anyway, isn’t it? |
The best upgrade that you could do to your system is get the Townshend podiums under your speakers they stop the vibration from going into the floor and back into the speakers and your equipment, It's the best upgrade I've ever done to my system, and my system is worth 72,000 and it was like I upgraded to even better electronics they're not cheap but well worth it. |
I am 72 & have hearing loss & tinnitus. I do wear hearing aids, but can clearly hear every major & minor change I have made to my system. So, I agree that the OP maybe should start with a gearing test & potentially hearing aids, but it depends on the loss and at what frequencies. |
Being 78 and having age related hearing issues and not knowing what areas of what you’re hearing you need to improve, I’d take most responses here with a grain of salt. You’re going to get lots of responses that are wide of the mark. I have the Technics SU-G700M2 and trust me when I say to ignore any responses to replace it. What I’d like to know is, are you using the RCA out on the Marantz CDP or one of the digital outs? I ask this as the Technics is a fully digital DAC amp and you’d need to spend a lot on a DAC to improve on what it can do for a digital signal. Saying that and assuming you’re not using the RCA out on the Marantz, try using a great Toslink optical cable (mine is from DH Labs-click on the blue link) as it bested any RCA cable or Coax I have on hand. I haven’t tried many but the sound I’m getting is marvelous. The Marantz should be good enough to serve as a transport and if you like what you hear, you can invest further down the road on a better transport when and if you feel like it. Also, check out Darwin Cables and their Specials page for cables used at audio show as you can get some great discounts on some great cables. Hope that helps. All the best, |
As somebody who has worn them for over 20 years, I can say that hearing aids made much more difference to my enjoyment of sound than any of the many pricey pieces of gear that I own. You can get top quality hearing aids at Costco hearing center for about $1500, which is about $500 more than you want to spend, but you might also look into OTC hearing aids, which you could certainly find within your budget (although many of those would be too expensive, too). |
@maxdukecapone & @samssa, granted aids that are worth a uck cost more than $1K....but I only posed the query "Do you....?"etc. I can't and won't consider aids as 'strictly audio items' since in one's daily life they've got more functionality and sheer 'quality of existence' perks. (...although my audiologist hinted strongly that I should have my spouses' ears tested, since she's 68....that 'goose/gander' thing.... That'll be a 'pleasant interlude', sure....) TOL Phonak '90's....RIC, 'ninja level' hearing....+/-.....B/T'd. so under headphones isn't really necessary....31 bands of eq if I opt for that sort of input.... Both spouse and self tire of me going "What?!" when she mumbles at the other end of a room, under the AC and beyond the fans..... ..and how you relate to your sig other is your own conundrum... Imho and existence, @scott22 ought to get more 'bang/$' with room eq and aids if the latter exists or no.... Reluctance to swap stuff for potential nil value, room treatments off the table, limited budget, cable tweaks of high cost with a potential of limited 'value' to the situation....coupled with *sigh* the 'failures of the flesh' involved.... Yeah, yeah....I'm an outlier when it comes to things audio.... (I heard that....fu2) I have a limited budget, F'd ears, a space that suks....so I focus on that which can work v. 'sky pie'.... |
First and foremost a thank you to everyone who responded. I will purchase an EQ to play with and I will start the hearing aid purchase process. Nonoise optical cables are in use,I can't recall brand and currently immobile so can't take a peek. Larsman, asvjerry and others thanks for sharing your hearing aid insights, its time I accept them as a solution. Thanks again
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I think you have fantastic components. I would only play with the speaker placement and perhaps the speakers. For that $, I would buy smaller, more musical speakers. But since I never heard them, I have no idea what I am talking about - just what I like.... boutique shop, smaller range (with your SVS subs) more fine tuned speakers |
I would agree with those noting that digital room correction could be a good 'non-invasive' route. If you can get somebody to do a home demo with a dirac enabled integrated, some prefer room perfect on Lyndorf, personally I have tried both an favour Trinnov in both a "ST-HiFI" and an Amethyst pre-amp, but those would not fir to budget. I use the Trinnov (and have used Dirac / Room perfect) to integrate the two SVS 16 Subs I have with Focal Viva's and its seamless on bass, bot more importantly the time base correction right through the mid-range will bring those female vocalists into sharp focus from your primary listening position, with a second program for when there are multiple listeners. I suggest the home demo because you might find it provide an improvement you cannot 'do without'. But perhaps more importantly it will show you what your system is capable of in your room. If you then go for the trials with an EQ you will have something to measure it against. I would suggest that with the speakers and twin subs, unless you have been very fortunate about where your wife has allowed for position, then time bas e correction will help. The other 'virtually zero' cost option, if you can move your subs / speakers slightly forward / back relative to each other. Is to get hold of a copy of the Sneakers film soundtrack on CD and use track 4 to test if at your listening point your speakers or your subs are aligned or one is ahead. You can find articles on the net on how to use these including one on the REL website. |
@signaforce the 6000cdt was very nice in my system. But rather than spending on cd transport I would suggest to just rip your cds, and just the ones you can’t find on streaming services, to a decent SSD drive and upgrade the DAC. Your Qutest is ok but you can do better. |
One more time Widex Moment 440 do not sound like hearing aids. if your over 60 or so you would be astonished. and the hearings aids programmed to fill in your deficiencies Best money ever spent on music or equipment Hunter,musician ,concert goer for 45 years
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Your gear is quite nice. Another thumbs up for that great gizmo known as the Schiit Loki EQ. Other than that, maybe use a Marijuana edible ( a very small amount and if it is legal in your state) to help calm your mind and enhance the music listening experience, I suppose. Use a good scented beard oil. All the 78 year old vixens in church could start having sinful thoughts after they take a look at ya. |
Short story for OP. I am retired Army. Hearing went bad in Field Atillery and Air Defense Artillery units. Once I got out, 24 years later I had lost upper mid freq and higher freq band hearing. My wife told me to get tested at the VA and once my hearing loss was verified for the 15th time I was granted 10% disability and got hearing aids on Uncle Sam’s dime. The morning I went to get my hearing aids I had stopped at a gas station to get a small bag of potato chips. I ate a few and set the bag on the passenger seat of my car, before I went into the VA building and got my hearing aids tuned in and on my ears. When I got in my car, I reached for the bag of chips. When my hand went into the bag I heard a crinkle sound of the plastic bag. Had not heard that sound in many years. The volume of the sound and frequency range was something I was missing. I was sold on hearing aids on that day, about 5 minutes after I had them on. |
scott22 First off, I do not yet have hearing loss; so no suggestions there.....and some good suggestions so far. I can see where a few tweaks could be helpful though. (1) Equalizer such as the Schitt Loki or Lokius (2) Since you cannot risk getting your "bread buttered" and cannot add room treatments (and that I can understand), some room correction could be helpful. Something from DSPeaker like the various Anti-Mode products (3) Good cables between the CD and the amplifier. Interconnects like Zavfino Arcadia, Morrow Audio MA4, DHLabs Air Matrix, or Lavri Cables Ultimate Silver; can all be had for $200 to $300 a pair. The silver versions might be a touch higher, but may help with a bit more detail....which could be helpful |
If not already, measure your system with a calibrated mic & software and get a hearing test for a baseline. If your system produces frequencies you can't hear or vice versa, this is important info. Measure system after any changes, allows you to track your likes/dislikes with numbers vs audio memory. |
If you're using the stock power cord in the integrated, try a step up on that. Nothing crazy, and something that you can get a tryout period on. Anticables changed my mind on power power cables years ago when I used one in my integrated. Paul will let you try it out and give good advice. About 300 bucks. And yes....I'm an old timer too. |
The idea of equalization may be good, but I don't understand how an analog equalizer works with the OP's integrated amp. Only the analog sources can be looped through the equalizer and so anything digital would be irrelevant unless the OP has an external DAC and uses an analog signal. To the OP: instead of audio tweaks, have you explored the various streaming solutions that you can launch from an ipad on your couch? There is so much more music out there, but what is really great is the convenience and the power of the software. I use Roon which is awesome when it's not being annoying. |
