Hi-Fi Dilemma

[behaviour]

I'm just starting to dip my toe into higher end hi-fi (not audiophile high-end on my budget!). I was originally running a pair of Mission Cyrus 781 (now destined for a well known auction site) driven by a vintage Pioneer SA-608 (40W per channel) with Cambridge Audio DAC-100 as the source. I am using a 100% digital setup with all my music being ripped to lossless and played via JRiver Media Center (linux) which is great for playing my expanding collection of SACD ISOs.

So I went and picked up a nice pair of B&W CDM7NTs and have been impressed with the change but part of me is a little disappointed with the overall sound. There's plenty of bass and top end but I'm finding the mids a little uninspiring at times. If I play something that I know is going to sound good, like Tracy Chapman's first album, it sounds good. But play something a bit more lively I am finding the vocals and mids are almost a bit flat sounding and disappear into the rest of the music.

It was my plan to upgrade the DAC & Amp and I have my eye on the NAIM DAC-V1 with the NAP200 or 250 power amp. This is obviously going to set me back a lot of money and I am concerned I am not going to hear £2k worth of improvement.

I am after a little guidance on this as I would be gutted to spend the money and not be in love with my system. Would speaker re-positioning help with the mids? There is an EQ feature built into JRiver that I could play with me but the hifi snob in me thinks decent equipment shouldn't need any assitance.

 

[SteveR750]

Speaker positoning is critical, you'll need to experiment with them, start out with as close to an equilateral triangle as you can get. Keep the speakers at least 1.5ft from the rear wall to start with, and at least 2ft from a side wall. Start with that and experiment.

It's possible that your more revealing speakers are doing just that, and they would certainly benefit from a better amp. I don't think your DAC needs changing yet, but depends on how much you'd want to spend; I'd be inclined to spend any budget for new kit on the amp. How much do you want to spend?

 

[chris_bates1974]

+1 for looking at positioning here too...

My speakers had some booming bass issues, but looking at the placement (and adding some granite) underneath, really made a difference.

And of course, moving stuff around gives a great excuse for spending some qulaity time with your music!!!

 

[behaviour]

Thanks for the replies. I'm trying to post something meaningful but it's being classed as spam

 

[behaviour]

I'll have a bit more of a play with speaker positioning but as with a lot of people I am limited by the room layout, the furniture and the wife. I understood that positioning can help with bass but mine really is with the mid-range.

 

[behaviour]

I like to spend no more than £2k for everything. I liked the look and reviews of the dac-v1 kit but am unsure if it's over the top for the CDM7NTs

 

[drummerman]

Tonally, Naim will certainly give you what you crave ... involving midrange. It's where I found them to excel. - How that would fare with the B&W's, dunno, never tried the two brands together.

 

[newworld]

Since you didn't have this problem with your previous speakers, and the new ones are obviously not working for you with its volume and positioning, I would suggest that you look at standmounts. Naim doesn't have the magic potion for this, I'm sorry to say. Find the right speakers, first.