Bright sound - new amp?

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Overdose

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danrv said:
Bass and midrange is good but treble is too much at times. Don't really want to use tone controls as I'd like to 'warm' the sound up a bit also.

Are tone controls not exactly for this purpose? If not, what is the point of having them?

Have you tried toning down the treble with the relevant control?

If you want to go down the cable route, you could try a cable less bright than silver, copper should be suitably duller and to counter the 'thin' sound that comes with 'bright' you could try some larger guage (thicker) cable. So, thicker duller cables to counter the thin and bright sound you are experiencing.

Ta daaaa!
 

danrv

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Thanks for the reply.

Will try the tone controls to trim the high end although I do prefer using source direct for best possible sound. I like to try and tweek the sound through positioning, loading stands, trying different cables etc.. but I think I've tried everything there apart from getting some Carnival Silver Screen. I'll see how that goes also.

Would be interesting to see how many people here use tone controls or EQs. I think that would be a no-no for Hifi purists.
 

Overdose

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danrv said:
Would be interesting to see how many people here use tone controls or EQs. I think that would be a no-no for Hifi purists.

The 'purists' seem to prefer not to use the manufacturer designed and provided tone controls, but would rather take the chance (and time) to play roulette with cables. Either way, you are changine the tonality of the sound in some way. To me, it seems eminently sensible to do this in the easiest and most effective way and that, for my system, is digital EQ. I don't use it though, as I am happy with the sound as it is.

It is also worth noting that EQ is used to effect the sound live, rather than faff about swapping cables and trying to remember what the original sound was like before the cable swapping shenannigans.
 

danrv

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Thanks

It is a pain and also can be expensive swapping cables around. I don't think it is the room acoustics as the bedroom has soft furnishings.

On another post someone else says the CA 640C is a bit bright for mellow jazz and the like.Good for pop and rock though. I would like a more versatile player and amp and I think the Lektors would mellow and be a better match with something like the Marantz CD/PM 6004 combination.
 

Reggie Mental

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It's the speakers. You have tone controls, use them.
smiley-smile.gif
 

GCE

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If your Dali spk have biwire connectors, you can try to connect cable from amp to bass connectors and then bridge these with a resistor ( 0,5 Ohm, or so- you have to try) to the connectors for the highs... crazy and original idea! Or swap amp to Marantz, Nad, ecc....
smiley-cool.gif
 

danrv

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Thanks for the idea but the Lektor 2 speaker aren't biwirable. I'll see how I get on with the Carnival speaker cable upgrade and if brightness is still too much I'll have to think about which component to change.

It will either be different speakers or a CD and amp change. Are you pleased with the Marantz PM6004?
 

GCE

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Yes, here only some impressions with my old B&W and B&W 684 in store (rock and Jazz):
Yam AS 500: very open sound , great horizontal image stage, but with too present high freq., for me; bass good only with loudness in, not very ergonomic remote and front commands; very, very easy to mark with fingers on the front (incredible!);
Nad 316: good bass, but not at low volume; medium-high freq. a little bit confuse; very ergonomic and nice.
Marantz 6004: more liquid and natural medium freq.; bass enough, but you can add something at low volume with loudness, not possible with Nad;
built like a tank in Japan, with golden input/output, smart and nice remote, that I found can drive my 20 years old CD Philips too!
MARANTZ - PM 6004
Bancs d'essai
I'd like to hear others impressions about Nad 326 and Marantz 6004 differences, thanks.
 

danrv

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Having compared source direct with tone controls I really do prefer the direct sound. Have also just bought some Chord Carnival Silverscreen speaker cable and have to say it's excellent and well worth the money.

The treble is more controlled than with the QED and Cabletalk. Don't know whether I'm just imagining £39 worth of improvement but to me the sound is smoother and clearer.

CA Azur 640C / Rotel RA-01 / Dali Lektor 2 / Atacama Nexus 6 / Target Hifi stand / Chord ChrimsonPlus / Chord Carnival Silverscreen.
 

danrv

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Thanks.

The Marantz looks like the best option for me there. Don't think the Yamaha would help tame the brightness. Nad maybe ok although I don't really want anymore bass,which the Nad may well bring.

Tricky business getting the perfect system if there is such a thing, at this price range.
 

a91gti

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Big Chris said:
Ocean37 said:
The QED is warm and smooth....

:O

Really?

I've heard QED cabling called many things over the years, but warm & smooth!?!?

I used QED silver anni' for some years and while it was great with Leak Sandwich it did have a bit of brightness to it. The Cambridge Audio sound I would agree can be quite forward in its sound, at least the bits I had were. @the OP. Where are you in the world? If not too far I have an excess of a very nice cable I was given and you are welcome to a couple of lengths at no cost. Its a silver (looks it anyway), four indiviually screened, 22awg that is used by Chubb for alarm installations. I'd be interested to know how it sits with solid state amps as I'm using tubes.
 

a91gti

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That's handy as I'm in Bury St Edmunds, if you like I'll sort something via work so you can collect the cable from our Cambridge branch. Dig the Leaks out, the pre is pretty poor but the power should be quite sweet.
 

danrv

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andrewknight said:
Big Chris said:
Ocean37 said:
The QED is warm and smooth....

:O

Really?

I've heard QED cabling called many things over the years, but warm & smooth!?!?

I used QED silver anni' for some years and while it was great with Leak Sandwich it did have a bit of brightness to it. The Cambridge Audio sound I would agree can be quite forward in its sound, at least the bits I had were. @the OP. Where are you in the world? If not too far I have an excess of a very nice cable I was given and you are welcome to a couple of lengths at no cost. Its a silver (looks it anyway), four indiviually screened, 22awg that is used by Chubb for alarm installations. I'd be interested to know how it sits with solid state amps as I'm using tubes.

Hi Cambridge, UK.

Interesting to hear of the Leak brand again. I have an old Leak Point One Plus amp/pre amp.
 

danrv

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Have now swapped the Rotel/CA for Roksan Kandy K2 amp & CD player. Big,smooth sound without the splashy treble I had before.
 

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