ezstreams
Excellent advice and pointers as above. Good to read that your CD Player is the center piece of your system. Consider a Cabling or Tube upgrade. Keep me posted on your Journey.
Happy Listening!
Yes, another audiophile at a crossroads story and request for advice
I find as I’m rapidly approaching retirement that 2 competing thoughts about enjoying music after i retire. First, Im really looking forward to having the time to relax and listen to music any day of the week (not just the weekend now). Second, I don’t expect to be continue any significant investment in equipment upgrades post bringing home a paycheck.
My current system consists of a 30+ year old Linn LP12 with Linn cartridge and Vincent PHO-701 tube phono pre-amp. I only listen to analog when i want to enjoy an album i bought in the 60’s - 80’s.
90+% of my listening is streaming Tidal using Roon via Roon Nucleus, Lumin D2 as a streamer only, feeding a RME ADI-2-FS DAC.
i still enjoy my CD collection (9% of my listening) and still purchase CDs) on a Primaluna tube CD player.
All these are connected to a Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP integrated amp with original primaluna tubes from Upscale Audio. My speakers are the original Joseph Audio Perspectives (not the graphene version).
Power and interconnect cables are mid-level grade and power management via Niagara 1200.
i listen mostly to instrumental jazz.
This system is enjoyable, but I’m missing the last elements of sound details that reproduce an accurate organic sense of hearing guitar strings being plucked or picked, drum sticks hitting/tapping membranes or brass cymbals, the sound of a string base wood cavity vibrate. Hopefully that describes what im looking for. I do not like hyper/etched detail especially in the upper frequencies.
I will add that the Primaluna CD player is the most enjoyable source of the 3 I currently. Oh, and i also want to simplify my system.
So, if you come with me this far to the intersection, heres what im debating. Should i chunk the integrated and Perspectives and invest in a top notch set of headphones (like the Focal Clear MG) and dedicated headphone amp? In other words go to a headphone system. Or should i go the route of chucking all but the Perspectives and the Nucleus and invest in a high quality Roon approved integrated amp with built in DAC/Streamer?
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@pindac Thank you for that thoughtful advice. Frustratingly, I live in a city that has the 2nd highest post graduate degreed percent of population in the US with a huge technology business base. In my 41 years living here, ive only found 1 other audiophile and he owned a hi-end audio store here that only stayed in business for ~10 years and went out of business 20 years ago. Surely they are here somewhere. I wonder if i posted a “Are you an audiophile in Huntsville AL?” here on Audiogon, i might find a few? I’ll try that. |
@scthom I’ve thought about going the graphene upgrade route, but haven’t pursued it yet for 2 reasons. I’m not sure the my earlier versions are the root cause/weak link from achieving the sound I’m looking for described in my OP. Also, it doesn’t address my sense that id really like to simplify my system and not add tweaks. I hope this makes sense and i truly appreciate everyone’s thoughts/suggestions/advice. Thats the reason i’m willing to ask total strangers for help with something that is personal and a source of joy for me. |
@ezstreams The following links will point you in the direction of notices put forward to create meet ups between forum members. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/huntsville-alabama https://forum.audiogon.com/topics/audio-clubs?page=2
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- 47 posts total