My first Hi-Fi system doesnt sound quite right

[Tariqv]

Im new to hifi and bought my system without hearing it due to limited auditioning availability in my country. I dont have a cd collection so I listen to Flac through a windows 7 laptop via Wireworld starlight usb into mdac and using the Roksan kandy k2 integrated as pre and power. The thing Im not liking is the fact that the music sounds nothing special, not inviting and fullbodied enough, this is evident especially with rock music where many fast instruments play together, you really dont get excited and satistied. Otherwise electronic music is quite enjoyable with good bass and acoustic music is even better with highs quite likeable and vocals realistic.

I believe the primary problem is the synergy of the roksan with the other equipment, it might be too analytical?!

Im thinking of auditioning a Naim 5i used in a few days, will post how that goes.

Appeciate if you could share your experience so I can improve upon my system.

 

[CnoEvil]

I would also try different speakers with the Roksan....maybe Spendor, Proac, Sonus Faber, Kef R series or Opera.

 

[plastic penguin]

How long have you had the system? It needs a good two weeks before all components start to sonically take shape, especially the speakers.

 

[ear]

80% os that analitical sound comes from the dc6t

 

[the record spot]

Very much doubt its the speakers Cno, whereas the amp seems to divide opinion... the dual concentric arrangement resulted in a very musical presentation to my ears. I listen to a lot of rock, classical, jazz... the works and the Tannoys haven't put a foot wrong.

 

[BigH]

I have heard that the Tannoys DC6Ts do need a bit of driving to get them going, so if you are are lower volumns a more sensitive speaker may be better for you.

 

[Tariqv]

Thanks to all for your generous responses. Actually I have had the system for about 2 months now but the roksan was bought used, so they should all be well run in by now eventhough I do not play music that often. I doubt the speakers are the problem since they seem so relaxed and no strain whatsoever to the sound, but as BigH commented I do listed at quite low levels and I do feel the sound gets better and richer as I turn up the volume, and the roksan can really deliver when I do; however the main issue of not really feeling the music encapsulating me remains, t doesnt excite despite the sound being very clean and tight.

Besides, I really do not have the chance to replace the speakers firstly because of budget constraints but also because I really feel they are quite good.

I wonder if changing the amp might make a significant difference, I hear the Naim amps are very musical, so I may even upgrade to the Naim XS if that could more or less solve my problem?

 

[dumbledore]

You should try different rock recordings. A lot of recordings can sound compressed and if so nothing the system can do to improve things dramatically. Also some speaker are less suited for rock and may sound soft. So you will need speakers that exhibit fast tight bass for rock. Not sure how the CD6T bass is like but someone here will be able to say. A soft deep bass will be good for many music types like classical, accoustical, Jazz, electronic but won't be that good for rock. To a lesser extend amplifiers may exhibit lasier bass then others. So mixing a lazy amp with a lazy speaker will be bad for bass repoduction, while mixing a lazy amp with a fast bass speaker may be a good and is a common practice to make small speakers sound just a bit more bassy. Again someone here can comment on K2 bass response.

 

[BigH]

I still think the speakers are more likely to be the problem than the amp. esp at low volumes. If I were you I would try and demo a few speakers with your amp, see if there is a difference. For a start try the Rega RS1s if you can, good for low volume, can sit on or near a wall.

Of course try different amps as well.

Just found a similar post back in May, saying a similar thing about Rosan/Tannoy combo.: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/roksan-kandy-k2-not-impresive-onkyo-tx-8050-as-an-alternative

 

[CnoEvil]

Very much doubt its the speakers Cno, whereas the amp seems to divide opinion... the dual concentric arrangement resulted in a very musical presentation to my ears. I listen to a lot of rock, classical, jazz... the works and the Tannoys haven't put a foot wrong.

The speakers also divide opinion, so I thought it would be worth exploring different options......I suspect it's a synergy thing, combined with personal preference.

 

[Anonymous]

k2 was bright for me and for my gf too...

 

[the record spot]

Very much doubt its the speakers Cno, whereas the amp seems to divide opinion... the dual concentric arrangement resulted in a very musical presentation to my ears. I listen to a lot of rock, classical, jazz... the works and the Tannoys haven't put a foot wrong.

The speakers also divide opinion, so I thought it would be worth exploring different options......I suspect it's a synergy thing, combined with personal preference.

Less so than the amp I imagine. The K2 has picked up a lot of negative comment here of late. I imagine it probably is a synergy issue too, but I;'d be losing the amp first and speakers thereafter. And I never liked the K2 look anyway - very Marmite!

 

[danrv]

I wonder if changing the amp might make a significant difference, I hear the Naim amps are very musical, so I may even upgrade to the Naim XS if that could more or less solve my problem?

I wouldn't change the amp. It's versatile, flexible with speaker matching and a cracking amp for the money. I listen to a wide selection of music and it sounds awesome no matter what I play.

Rock is exciting and engaging with deep tight bass , clear mids and smooth treble. I'm not sure how the FLAC / MDac combo compares to the Kandy K2 CD player but I would imagine it's as good.

Give the speakers time though. Sounds like the tweeters need a bit more time to settle in. My Dali's needed more than 2 months of moderate use before they sounded their best.

 

[BigH]

I really think you need to demo some other combos to see if there is a problem with your gear or not.

 

[Dommer]

I'd second dumbledore post. It's the Music and how it's recorded that might be the biggest factor.

I've been upgrading my system in the last 2 years. From playing FLAC out of my iMac into DacMagic + Marantz 6004 + KEF iQ10s. To streaming into a Naim UnitiQute and a Linn Poweramp to the KEF R100s. And I still find that a lot of Rock, especially recorded in the last 15 years sounds very flat and compressed, with little soundstage. Then there are some albums that are just amazing sounding... I think it all comes down to how they were recoded.

Try a jazz album like Katie Melua's House, Melody Gardot's Worrisome Heart or Diana Krall's Why Should I Care and you should hear what a difference a good recording makes.

 

[BigH]

I don't know about recent rock as I don't tend to buy much of it although the ones I have bought seems OK to me, prob. depends exactly what you mean by rock? My beef is more about 70s rock which may have been early cds Im not sure but a lot of that seems poor quality, even 50s jazz sounds better. I heard some recent recordings like Linn's and also Eric Bibb's Deeper in the Well and they do sound excellent, so yes I agree I find the recording or cd pressing to be a big factor, and don't all cds sound the same even the same original album will be different on every pressing just compare one album and every version, say the Japan 1984 may be loads better than the Europe 1984 version.

 

[dumbledore]

Also I the DC6T's are different to conventional speakers. It may just be that they don't favour rock material. If you can try similarly priced alternative speakers will be good..

 

[the record spot]

I'd be very surprised. The DC4 is a much smaller speaker and it can rock out as well as my old Mission 751s - one of the reasons why I like them so much in fact as they remind me of that speaker.

 

[dumbledore]

I'd be very surprised. The DC4 is a much smaller speaker and it can rock out as well as my old Mission 751s - one of the reasons why I like them so much in fact as they remind me of that speaker.

DC4 has got different units then the DC6 which could be different again. My suspition on the DC6 is that there may be some lack of upper midrange making them sound a bit lazzy on rock material. DC4 has got smaller units which means upper midrange could be well controlled. They will just lack bass. Also the DC4 has different size tweeter too, 19mm as opposed to 25mm.

 

[Anonymous]

Danrv,can I have your opinion about my hifi setup ,you seem to have had to same problem as me in the past

Look under hifi section in the forum,Roksan Kandy K2 by Tobber61

regards

Tobbe

 

[danrv]

Hi

Funnily enough I've have just replied to that post before reading this.

 

[the record spot]

DC4 has got different units then the DC6 which could be different again. My suspition on the DC6 is that there may be some lack of upper midrange making them sound a bit lazzy on rock material. DC4 has got smaller units which means upper midrange could be well controlled. They will just lack bass. Also the DC4 has different size tweeter too, 19mm as opposed to 25mm.

I'm aware of the physical differences in the drivers, however the dual concentric unit is well implmented and has been a staple of Tannoy for some time. The DC4, incidentally, does not lack bass. Far from it in fact.

 

[dumbledore]

The DC4, incidentally, does not lack bass. Far from it in fact.

Well, according to Tanoy user manual the DC6T will go 1 octave lower then DC4 which in herz means 34Hz as oposed to 68Hz. Now this means to me lack of bass. A 4 inch speaker cannot physically give any decent levels of bass output. They are good for midrange though.

 

[the record spot]

In my room, they give good bass. Deep, tuneful and controlled. Now, how you want to interpret what the book says, that's your issue, but for me, the reality is I don't feel shortchanged. Moreso with the HK amp which really goes deep.

 

[Anonymous]

DC4 has got different units then the DC6 which could be different again. My suspition on the DC6 is that there may be some lack of upper midrange making them sound a bit lazzy on rock material. DC4 has got smaller units which means upper midrange could be well controlled. They will just lack bass. Also the DC4 has different size tweeter too, 19mm as opposed to 25mm.

I'm aware of the physical differences in the drivers, however the dual concentric unit is well implmented and has been a staple of Tannoy for some time. The DC4, incidentally, does not lack bass. Far from it in fact.

What Hi-Fi say they do.