Best upgrades for my system ??

[baz]

Hello all,

I'm looking for sagely advice from those with more experience/knowledge than me in these matters.

I have been bitten by the hi-fi bug over the past few years, and am plagued by the usual desire to keep upgrading as and when finances allow (not that often, admittedly). Whilst I don't have thousands to spend, I'd like to improve my set-up's performance if possible. The system is ;

Rega Jupiter CD player
Audiolab 8000S
Audiolab 8000P (these are bi-amped, the M powering the bass and the P powering the treble etc)
Monitor Audio Silver RS8
QED Silver Anniversary XT bi-wire
Chord Chameleon 2 interconnects

So basically, any ideas ?? I'm thinking about swapping the 8000P for a couple of 8000Ms ? And/or an external DAC (poss the new Rega DAC) ? If I did buy a DAC I would no do doubt use it for streaming music with something like a Squeezebox, but what I'd like to know is, is it likely to improve the performance of the Jupiter ?

I'm pretty pleased with the set-up already, but as you all know, there's always room for improvement !

As I say, I'd love an unlimited budget, but I think to actually swap any of the main components, I'd have to spend loads before I actually saw much of a difference.

Thanks to anybody who has any thoughts/advice !

Baz

 

[baz]

Anyone ? Class ? Anyone ? Bueller ? :silenced:

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Baz

What other equipment have you heard and liked?

What aspect of the sound that you're getting at the moment would you like to improve?

 

[baz]

Hi Cno,

Many thanks for replying. Most of my friends aren't really into hi-fi (heathens !), so only other stuff of any note that I've heard was a an all-Cyrus system (with CD8, 8XP with power supplies and B&W speakers of some description) and a Primare/B&W system, both of which sounded fantastic, but no doubt cost several thousand...but to be honest, to my ears my set-up sounds pretty damn near as good as them, and I have no major gripes with it.

I'd quite like a bit more clarity/detail and control and maybe a bit more 'oomph', but as I say, my problem is that I'd have to spend a fair bit of money on completely new components that would sound as good...so I'm thinking/wondering about getting a bit more from my system without spending loads on swapping the main components.

This is why I'm wondering whether the upgrade from 8000S/8000P bi-amp to 2x8000Ms would be worth it for an outlay of a few hundred quid (depending on what I got for my 8000P), and also if/how a decent DAC would improve the performance of the Jupiter (which, to be fair, sounds pretty fabulous already) ?

Hope that makes sense, phew.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hello all,

I'm looking for sagely advice from those with more experience/knowledge than me in these matters.

I have been bitten by the hi-fi bug over the past few years, and am plagued by the usual desire to keep upgrading as and when finances allow (not that often, admittedly). Whilst I don't have thousands to spend, I'd like to improve my set-up's performance if possible. The system is ;

Rega Jupiter CD player
Audiolab 8000S
Audiolab 8000P (these are bi-amped, the M powering the bass and the P powering the treble etc)
Monitor Audio Silver RS8
QED Silver Anniversary XT bi-wire
Chord Chameleon 2 interconnects

So basically, any ideas ?? I'm thinking about swapping the 8000P for a couple of 8000Ms ? And/or an external DAC (poss the new Rega DAC) ? If I did buy a DAC I would no do doubt use it for streaming music with something like a Squeezebox, but what I'd like to know is, is it likely to improve the performance of the Jupiter ?

I'm pretty pleased with the set-up already, but as you all know, there's always room for improvement !

As I say, I'd love an unlimited budget, but I think to actually swap any of the main components, I'd have to spend loads before I actually saw much of a difference.

Thanks to anybody who has any thoughts/advice !

Baz

Hi Baz

Looking at your kit, with the exception of the Rega, screams 'clinical' to me. Your speakers need a lot of current and power to drive them as they should, but I've heard the older Audiolab amps on my RS6s, and although very good, do err on the analytical side.

Couldn't tell you about Audiolab power amps or monoblocs, but gut feeling is you'll probably need an amp such as Creek or Arcam (A38 or s/hand A32) to balance out the sound a little.

 

[baz]

Hi PP,

Many thanks for that, I know what you mean - whilst I love the clarity and detail, I also think it's maybe a bit too clinical and 'unfriendly'....but as I'm a relative novice and don't have a whole lot to compare it to, and am not really sure if I can trust my own descriptions of what I'm hearing. Although I love being able to hear everything in detail, I somehow feel that I'm missing out on the music a bit.

I will look into the creek and arcam options, and I also had a Musical Fidelity (Elektra E111) I think it was before this lot - in fact it was my first 'grown-up' amp - and it had a warmth I really liked...maybe worth trying something from them too ?

Thanks again,

Baz

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree with PP's assessment of how your system may sound.....which is fine as that is what you like.

The problem is that I have little detailed experience of your amp and speakers, as it's a sound I don't particularly like. With a bit of luck, someone with more direct experience will be along to advise. FWIW, I would guess your suggestions would bring about an improvement, but whether it's VFM, only you can decide that.

Good luck

Cno

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi PP,

Many thanks for that, I know what you mean - whilst I love the clarity and detail, I also think it's maybe a bit too clinical and 'unfriendly'....but as I'm a relative novice and don't have a whole lot to compare it to, and am not really sure if I can trust my own descriptions of what I'm hearing. Although I love being able to hear everything in detail, I somehow feel that I'm missing out on the music a bit.

I will look into the creek and arcam options, and I also had a Musical Fidelity (Elektra E111) I think it was before this lot - in fact it was my first 'grown-up' amp - and it had a warmth I really liked...maybe worth trying something from them too ?

Thanks again,

Baz

It's a decision you'll need to take by yourself. Is there any chance of taking your speakers and amps into a dealer, and deciding whether a change of speaker or amp is the better option?

MF with should be a good match, likewise Quad or even, dare I say it... Leema Pulse. Certainly love the synergy between my Pulse/RS6s, given the cost. The Pulse will certainly tighten the RS8's bass. The Pulse gives you lashings of detail, dynamics and imaging without the clinical edge - very organic or rustic (or natural) sounding amp.

Above all else, though, please audition before deciding.

All the best, pp

 

[smuggs]

the best upgrade is to take all your flac copys and dont play them, then go down to the co-op buy a 40pound hifi and listen to that for 1month in which time never log on to this site or read a mag then listen to mp3 rips from your laptop speakers. then after a month clean dust set your hifi ,dac ect sit back and your set up will sound unreal all the bits your hear and you will not question your kit and you start enjoying your collection again.

 

[Anonymous]

the best upgrade is to take all your flac copys and dont play them, then go down to the co-op buy a 40pound hifi and listen to that for 1month in which time never log on to this site or read a mag then listen to mp3 rips from your laptop speakers. then after a month clean dust set your hifi ,dac ect sit back and your set up will sound unreal all the bits your hear and you will not question your kit and you start enjoying your collection again.

I love that.

 

[Big Chris]

At the risk of opening a large can of worms, may I suggest trying some pure copper speaker cables? I went from QED S.A Biwire to my current twin runs of Atlas Hyper and I found a more balanced sound with more punch without sacrificing any of the detail.

And with both 3m runs costing me £110 all in off eBay (if you're prepared to wait), it's a considerably cheaper path to take than swapping components.

 

[Anonymous]

At the risk of opening a large can of worms, may I suggest trying some pure copper speaker cables? I went from QED S.A Biwire to my current twin runs of Atlas Hyper and I found a more balanced sound with more punch without sacrificing any of the detail.

And with both 3m runs costing me £110 all in off eBay (if you're prepared to wait), it's a considerably cheaper path to take than swapping components.

I think smuggs answer will yield equal or potentially better results

 

[baz]

Gents,

Thanks for your suggestions....I can see the way things will pan out....I'll audition a series of things, get bitten by one and fork out a load of money on something I ultimately can't afford, but just HAVE to have.

Alternatively, Smuggs' suggestion would give ultimate vfm, and is a stroke of genius - I have a crappy old Sony mini-system I could dig out and listen to for a month or so, maybe even through my iPod's original headphones for full torture, and then my system would sound like it's from another world. Sold !