i would identify specifically what is not "doing it for you" in your system so as to id the weak link in the chain and upgrade that only. Also are you sure you are not upgrading just for the sake of upgrading or because you are bored with your current sound and want something different? That's fine if that is the case but then you would at least know that's why you are doing it and that would open up the field to any of a number of your components that can be subbed out.
Where should I concentrate my upgrade dollars next
I'll dive right in & pick your brains. In your opinion, what should I concentrate on upgrading next in this small setup? It's in a cottage with a view and I'd like to keep the view central and gear clean.
I'm running:
SlimDevices Squeezebox 3
Rotel RCD-1070 cd player
Channel Islands Audio VDA2 with upgraded outboard VAC1 Power Supply
Jolida 102B tube amp
Omega 3 Grande full range speakers.
Cables:
From SB3 to DAC = Zu OxyFuel Digital Coax
From Rotel to DAC = Zu OxyFuel
From DAC to Amp = Zu Wylde RCA
From Amp to Speakers = Straight Wire Waveguide 3
I have a Monster HTS 5100 other power conditioner tuned for digital and analog depending on the plug.
Plus a B.I.C. turntable and Parasound phonostage pre, but I'm not interested in upgrading this portion.
+90% of my listening is via the SB3 / CI DAC streamed in ALAC from a PowerMac server. The musical tastes run all across the board: Vivaldi with a sunset or snowstorm and Haydn while cooking. Stills with a beer. Ska on ski weekends... etc.
The soundstage is definitely present and the setup impressed party guests this past weekend. Simple clean looks and it's okay enough to pick out individual instruments and vocals and pinpoint there location on stage, but it's just not doing it for me anymore.
It's not a high power system, but that's not what I'm going for anyway.
Any input is appreciated.
I'm running:
SlimDevices Squeezebox 3
Rotel RCD-1070 cd player
Channel Islands Audio VDA2 with upgraded outboard VAC1 Power Supply
Jolida 102B tube amp
Omega 3 Grande full range speakers.
Cables:
From SB3 to DAC = Zu OxyFuel Digital Coax
From Rotel to DAC = Zu OxyFuel
From DAC to Amp = Zu Wylde RCA
From Amp to Speakers = Straight Wire Waveguide 3
I have a Monster HTS 5100 other power conditioner tuned for digital and analog depending on the plug.
Plus a B.I.C. turntable and Parasound phonostage pre, but I'm not interested in upgrading this portion.
+90% of my listening is via the SB3 / CI DAC streamed in ALAC from a PowerMac server. The musical tastes run all across the board: Vivaldi with a sunset or snowstorm and Haydn while cooking. Stills with a beer. Ska on ski weekends... etc.
The soundstage is definitely present and the setup impressed party guests this past weekend. Simple clean looks and it's okay enough to pick out individual instruments and vocals and pinpoint there location on stage, but it's just not doing it for me anymore.
It's not a high power system, but that's not what I'm going for anyway.
Any input is appreciated.
Showing 4 responses by cmalak
cool...now i think we have a bit more focused area to work on...i agree that one area to look into is upgrading the source, because presence is about decoding low level info buried in those 0s and 1s and the better the source, the more of that low level info in the signal will come through...the second place is amplification. Tubes generally are better transmitters of spatial info than SS. I know you have the Jolida 102B integrated tube amp but if you look at the Enjoy the Music review of that unit it gets average marks on soundstaging and imaging (good value for the money but not reference grade performance basically). So the question is what kind of budget are you playing with and do you have any local options (within 2-3 hrs driving) to audition equipment? If not, buing used with feedback from Agon, will be the way to experiment with minimal hit to the wallet. |
Kphinney...i just went to Omega's website and didn't realize how sensitive your speakers are. These are a match made in heaven for low powered SET amps. So that is one option to explore. Also, Stereophile's coverage of the Festival Son & Image (FSI) for 2007/8 shows that Omega was showcasing there speakers with Red Wine amplification. And Stereomojo gave them a best of show award at the 2007 FSI with that setup (here's the link...just scroll down 2/3 to the bottom: http://www.stereomojo.com/FSIreport2007.htm). If you check out Red Wine's web site, they have a pre-amp with DAC (I believe it's called the Isabelina) that has received very good reviews. Pare that up with their 30 wpc stereo power amp and you may have a winning combo on your hands...just a thought...enjoy |