Where to go from here?


I have a treated dedicated room with pmc ci140 speakers. So my room and speakers are done. Now i need to get the front end up to par. The pmc speakers are being fed by a denon 3700h to monolith amplifier.  I rather not get hung up on which brand is best but what makes a bigger positive improvement? I can purchade a reference dac with volume like a weiss 501 or tambaqui, or i could buy a quality integrated like a mcintosh ma9500 or hegel 590. If i get the weiss or tambuqui it will be awhile until my wallet cools off, so i would keep the monolith amp for a few years. If i get a quality integrated it would be a few yrs until i got a reference seperate dac. Sooooo......what the heck makes sense and which would make the biggest improvement?  Thanks

davekuyt11

Showing 10 responses by davekuyt11

The speakers are designed to be on the wall. I know most 2 channel only speakers are put into the room but that would not be the right thing to do here. I do think trying gear a bit more reasonable than the mola mola price range is great advice. 

Can i run 2 speaker wires to each speaker? One from the av receiver and one from the 2 channel system. Only one would be used at any given time. If if that is not a good idea maybee something with theater bypass should be on my radar. I have a lumin dealer in town. The new luminp1 could fit nice. The leedh volume is supposed to be very good.

Digital only. I mostly stream qobuz. I use a transport for a few cds some of the time. I can add krell to the list. How is  the bolder 866? If one pops up used that could be another made in america integrated to add to mcintosh and krell.

How good is my monolith amplifier? Audioholics raved about it but stereophile shot it down saying it was dark sounding. I didnt design or manufacture it so my feelings will not be hurt if you feel its not that great. I know audioholics use denom av receivers to listen to music but im skeptical that mid priced av's ideal for 2 channel. I know first hand my speakers sounded far better plugged into the new $10-12k storm prepro at a demo. It was clear how much unrealized performance potential my have. speakers have

Thank you for the great replies. I need to keep the amp and denon for ht purpose. I plan on a digital only system so that is why i was looking at weiss and tambaqui. They both stream and have volume control. Im sure a seperate preamp is better than a dac volume but by how much when im looking at these higher cost dacs. I lose a lot of the value that a preamp offers if Im not concerned with analog. Is that right? I hear great systems at audio shows but its hard to tell if its the  DAC, amp or preamp that Is credited with what I am liking the most.

That is all so helpful. Really. I just love this hobby and use my music room a lot. Therefore I would like to shoot for a substantial outcome over an incremental one. I am not against  integrated. I heard the mohican cd player from hegel and also a mcintosh integrated. Both systems were impressive but different. Hegel was detailed and euphoric. Vocals on mcintosh were perfect. Not sure what i would like best long term. I was hoping to get a quality dac with volume and network and go xlr straight to the amp. Less equipment. Just a reference dac, amp and speaker. It sounds lile everyone is suggesting a quality integrated or seperates that includes a dac and get a reference dac at a later time.  Are the volume and streaming on reference dacs like a weiss 501 or mola mola not the same as a seperate streamer and a good integrated or preamp volume?

Also i know i prefer neutral. Any gear that i have tried and liked did not emphasize either the bass nor the  treble. Also i agree with some reviewers that entry cost gear is detailed but its a card board cutout of the sound. I get that. Where is the noise after a sound is played on cheap digital? Each dollar more spent seems to get a little more natural reverb and decay instead of an abrupt end of information after a note is played or sung.

The av will be out of the 2 channel system entirely. I am shooting for detailed and musical. I agree ghdprentice.  I much prefer  engaging music than just hyped up sound details.  I can wrap my head around seperates. I have an av closet so i have the space. Another bonus is that changing one piece at a time lets you focus on a components effect. One piece at a time is easier to budget.

All very helpful. Im learning a lot in short time. Thank you jjss49 for getting my feet grounded. Tambuqui is a ton of money for just one piece of the puzzle. I probably owe mlsstl a beer, since his advice will keep me from frying my audio system. If the amps and preamps are just as important as the dac then I will listen to ggoofyfoot and visit some local hifi shops. I am also a short drive from mcintosh factory. That seems to be a love hate company on the forums. Oddiofyl may be right. A great integrated with ht bypass may be the best way to start. Many quality integrateds have decent dacs to get started and then down the road i can add a better streamer or dac via balanced analog in. Pmc isnt too well known in states. Very popular in canada. Other owners say they need lots of power due to the transmission line. Others told me that a good front end is a must because they are so revealing. They will never have the depth of my friends maggies that are positioned 6 ft from the wall. Depth of soundstage is a compromise Im ok with. The speakers have so much of the other traits that allow me to connect with the music.

Going back to  ghdprentice's comment. His opinion was that the streamer was possibly the most important. In that case I need to audition a lumin x1 or p1. Reviews claim that the leedh volume is as good as a preamp. Its dac looks to be very good. I see used x1 in the  7-8000 range. The new p1 would get me ht bypass. I could then save up to get the lumin amp later. Their amp has high impedance input to work well with leedh direct to amp. The amp sure is pricey tho.