Hi all once again im postin askin for advice to which i apologise because no matter how many syztems ive had in the past and there have been plenty this one i have now is driving me to distraction and ironically its the most expensive. Now because of this i have posted asking for advice on new speakers or whether i shld go down the one box route as i have five boxes and a tt or whether i shld change my amp and god knows what else. Now it seems that when i play vinyl my speakers or listen to my tuner the speakers dont sound to bad, very nice in fact and then when i play say one of my fave cds ie queen live at wembley i cant bare the almost shrill sound though saying that some other cds sound awsome. Now is the cd amp speaker.combo that dont gel or amp cd thats not working. Now previously i have suggested going for a more mellow amp like an arcam a38 which i thought would give me a similar sound to my tuner but i got told off on here for even thinking about getting rid of my monos so now im thinking is it actually the cd player? which ever way i look at it my system does not make me happy and a part of me wants to sell.it and start again.
HELP MY SYSTEM IS DRIVING ME NUTS
- Thread starter audioaddict
- Start date
Hi,
Is it always the system? I'd love your set up by the way!
Could it be what's being played, the production quality (not the media but how the producers tweaked it in the studio)?
You say tuner is great, vinyl is great, some cd's fantastic... but some not, Queen you mentioned.
I always hate to listen to the Oasis albums I have, they sound so shrill and tinny, I just turn them off, ranting at how bad it sounds. But then play Norah Jones or Jamiroquai and I'm in love with my set-up once more.
Personally, I don't think it's always the system.
Is it always the system? I'd love your set up by the way!
Could it be what's being played, the production quality (not the media but how the producers tweaked it in the studio)?
You say tuner is great, vinyl is great, some cd's fantastic... but some not, Queen you mentioned.
I always hate to listen to the Oasis albums I have, they sound so shrill and tinny, I just turn them off, ranting at how bad it sounds. But then play Norah Jones or Jamiroquai and I'm in love with my set-up once more.
Personally, I don't think it's always the system.
Yes you could have a major point there some production does sound awful though i have to say with my trusty old technics system everything sounded nice but then im just nostalgic for the old stuff
audioaddict said:
True, but it wouldn't be picking up the detail that your current set-up would be, so any production nasties are "amplified", if you'll pardon the pun.
IMO It's quite possible to put together a system that is both sweet and detailed. Enjoyment of your whole music collection is key.
Hi audioaddict,
Sorry to hear your not happy with your system, if its any consolation I'm not a fan of 'live' cds.
I'd be surprised if the reason is that the audiolabs don't gel together, but then I have no experiance with them so don't know. For me the weak link in your systme would be the speakers as you mentioned. Being the smallest MA's in the old silver range, I can picture them lacking in the bass department and being 'bright', by compasion to the larger models. My advise is see if you can get the Castle Knights you mentioned in a earlier post on home demo (or any speakers you like for that matter) to try them with your current system. They will definately have a warmer sound.
Small steps!
Tommy.
Sorry to hear your not happy with your system, if its any consolation I'm not a fan of 'live' cds.
I'd be surprised if the reason is that the audiolabs don't gel together, but then I have no experiance with them so don't know. For me the weak link in your systme would be the speakers as you mentioned. Being the smallest MA's in the old silver range, I can picture them lacking in the bass department and being 'bright', by compasion to the larger models. My advise is see if you can get the Castle Knights you mentioned in a earlier post on home demo (or any speakers you like for that matter) to try them with your current system. They will definately have a warmer sound.
Small steps!
Tommy.
Yes i guess thats the way forward i have listened to a few pairs though i might have said before i didnt really get the wow factor but then again almost daily i come across another brand ie castle that i hadnt considered before so i guess this will take a while. Again today i read hifi choices review of the castle two and they awarded it best speaker upto two k so something else i might need to try. Thanks you guys
matthewpiano
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- Nov 23, 2007
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Cno's comment that 'enjoyment of your whole music collection is key' strikes right to the heart of this conundrum for me.
I've never understood the attraction of hi-fi that renders less than perfect recordings practially unlistenable. I listen to all sorts of recordings - mono acoustic recordings of great singers from as early as 1900-1901, mono orchestral recordings from the 1940s/50s (Klemperer, Furtwangler etc.), the great early stereo recordings of the 1950s and 60s, the less than impressive early digital recordings, modern digital recordings, compressed pop/rock recordings, 60s and 70s progressive rock and folk-rock, the great jazz recordings etc. I don't want any of them to be unlistenable because I love the music and performances held therein and if my hi-fi doesn't allow me to enjoy these performances it has failed.
Kit that has failed for me in this way has included the Arcam kit I've owned and the relatively expensive Denon set-up I had for a while (DCD1500AE/PMA1500AE). My current system gives me plenty of information about the differences in recordings but even the less perfect recordings are still wholly enjoyable.
I've heard the Audiolab monos on 3 seperate occasions and whilst they are very impressive in some ways I couldn't imagine living with them.
Maybe it is time to go back to basics. Try auditioning some different set-ups. Maybe an all-in-one like the Marantz MCR603 and/or a more expensive one such as the Naim Uniti might be just what you need to get back to enjoying the music rather than feeling cheesed off with the hi-fi.
I've never understood the attraction of hi-fi that renders less than perfect recordings practially unlistenable. I listen to all sorts of recordings - mono acoustic recordings of great singers from as early as 1900-1901, mono orchestral recordings from the 1940s/50s (Klemperer, Furtwangler etc.), the great early stereo recordings of the 1950s and 60s, the less than impressive early digital recordings, modern digital recordings, compressed pop/rock recordings, 60s and 70s progressive rock and folk-rock, the great jazz recordings etc. I don't want any of them to be unlistenable because I love the music and performances held therein and if my hi-fi doesn't allow me to enjoy these performances it has failed.
Kit that has failed for me in this way has included the Arcam kit I've owned and the relatively expensive Denon set-up I had for a while (DCD1500AE/PMA1500AE). My current system gives me plenty of information about the differences in recordings but even the less perfect recordings are still wholly enjoyable.
I've heard the Audiolab monos on 3 seperate occasions and whilst they are very impressive in some ways I couldn't imagine living with them.
Maybe it is time to go back to basics. Try auditioning some different set-ups. Maybe an all-in-one like the Marantz MCR603 and/or a more expensive one such as the Naim Uniti might be just what you need to get back to enjoying the music rather than feeling cheesed off with the hi-fi.
CnoEvil said:
+1 for this also. No albums are unlistenable with my system (or the previous CD6SE / K2 / Spendor S6e system for that matter), in fact, albums that I used to think were lo fi or poorly produced actually contain some stunning music. Even mono blues tracks played via spotify sound pretty damn good! So I'd agree something clearly isn't right for you, and probably your speakers is the best place to start. Good luck in the search.
Messiah
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- Jan 13, 2008
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I would agree with changing the speakers. I had the RS1s with a Cyrus combo and whilst most albums sounded excellent there were some that could not be played due to them sounding harsh. One album being Bon Jovi's Crossroads.
Personally I don't think they lacked bass either.
Ultimately I changed the whole system for some AVI ADM 9.1s and have never looked back.
Personally I don't think they lacked bass either.
Ultimately I changed the whole system for some AVI ADM 9.1s and have never looked back.
CJSF said:
I'll assume I don't then
... but
Is there truly a single set-up that DOES suit every room, every music genre and more importantly, every ear. No
From Slipknot to Mozart, Queen to Runrig, Levellers to Chopin... it's all different and so are the production qualities.
And that can and usually does manifest itself differently through differing set-ups.
plastic penguin
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audioaddict said:
As I've mentioned on your other threads the speakers are the weak link. It seems most are saying the same thing.
There is a very good reason for mentioning the likes of Epos, PMC, Focal etc. Because should you decide to go the one box solution or change to an integrated amp then these speakers will pretty much cover most brands. For example, I've heard PMC DB1i with several different brands and they are, to my mind, the hi-fi equivalent to a Swiss Army Knife.
You've also mentioned that auditioning is a little tricky. Perhaps if you tell us which region of the country you live then some members can recommend good, reliable dealers.
Yes i tbink matthew and steve have a very good point i live in lowestoft suffolk i have a hughes electrical which is where i bought the system and also have audio images which is a very good dealer though they do not have a wide range of equipment on offer and they can be expensive. There are one or two dealers in norwich which isnt far and i am there regularly again there is a hughes a sevenoaks which i find to be a gd dealer theres basically sounds which is a bit further out in the sticks and there is one other dealer in norwich city centre whose name escapes.me though again mainly a cyrus meridian dealer with one or two others thrown in. I think sevenoaks is my best bet due to the bigger range and will just have to wait until i have the right amount of time and amount of funds to do this properly. Ideally i would like to sell up and feel like i wanna start again but my wife wld kill me lol and maybe thats to drastic as like you all rightly say one i find the correct speakers im sure the whole system will.be tranformed. I am interested in going down the ex demo route as im.sure you all know id end up getting a more expensive speaker for a budget price ie castle knight five down to a.mere.four hundred thats just an example but thats the route i will go down. Thanks plastic and all you other guys for your help most grateful.
I certainly understand the dealer issues you have audioaddict, I live down the road in the Ipswich area, the East coast especially coastal Norfolk/Suffolk, the back of beyond when it comes to anything 'specialist'.
I also started with Hughes Electrical 9 months . . . very helpful, but one soon got the message that they really could not help, long term. I ended up doing my own dems, showing the salesman what to do, it was actually good fun, I got to know Mathew quite well.
I had to bite the bullet and do a lot of car miles to get what I wanted, I started with the speakers and built from there . . . I already had the speakers left over from my previous life.
:? . . . I really dont know, I cant believe ditching the lot and starting again is wise, especially as some music sound OK . . . ? I still have my suspicions over the 'silvered' speaker cable and interconnects as part of the problem? Are you prepared to travel?
CJSF
I also started with Hughes Electrical 9 months . . . very helpful, but one soon got the message that they really could not help, long term. I ended up doing my own dems, showing the salesman what to do, it was actually good fun, I got to know Mathew quite well.
I had to bite the bullet and do a lot of car miles to get what I wanted, I started with the speakers and built from there . . . I already had the speakers left over from my previous life.
:? . . . I really dont know, I cant believe ditching the lot and starting again is wise, especially as some music sound OK . . . ? I still have my suspicions over the 'silvered' speaker cable and interconnects as part of the problem? Are you prepared to travel?
CJSF
Yeah i guess i wld travel when time and funds permit. Someone on this thread recommended the marantz cr_603 which has got me well intrigued
I would think the MCR603 a step back in terms of sound quality. Depends what you want, sound quality or more features.
I'd still be looking at a speaker change, though.
I'd still be looking at a speaker change, though.
plastic penguin
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My last system was all technics more of there high end stuff. The pre power amp had a slight fault so the tech guy put the wind up me by sayin the pre power amp sea 2000 was lush but if it goes wrong youl never get it fixed so i stupidly sold it i wish i hadnt
My last system was all technics more of there high end stuff. The pre power amp had a slight fault so the tech guy put the wind up me by sayin the pre power amp sea 2000 was lush but if it goes wrong youl never get it fixed so i stupidly sold it i wish i hadnt
You might want to consider this an alternative, if you cannot get to demo stuff. Look to buy stuff used of ebay etc, with care there are bargains to be had (my S6e for example, an £1800 speaker which will I hope go for around £500 maybe less...). The beauty of this is that firstly you get to demo the stuff in your house, and secondly you can sell on without losing too much cash if anything. It's a great way to find out what sonic signature you like, which really is half the battle to be honest.
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