Oh dear, think I might be going down with upgrade-itis

[scene]

These forums should carry a health warning "extended exposure to postings, may severely damage you wealth and lead to unforeseen expenditure..."
I think I've been following to many threads on people upgrading their kit and their deliberations. And now I think I may be going down with upgrade-itis... I realised this morning that I had mentally started adding up how much each item of my current setup could be sold for, even to the extent of looking for bay sales of similar items (which I'm now watching!) I've even started planning how I could justify any expenditure to Mrs. Scene. Oh dear, symptoms are pretty classic.
Thinking maybe of selling the avr250, the kef 2005.2, maybe even the silver 8is and the rsfx. Dv88 may have to go as well!
For what I hear you ask?
Well, I'm wondering if I should go for a pioneer sc-lx82 and a full MA RX6-AV setup, that's £3200 of kit, probably, might be able to shave it down to a little under £3k if I shop around a bit. The best the kit sale is going to raise is £1k I reckon, so £2k down. Mrs scene is going to kipper me!
Think I need help here! Should I be selling the MA speakers? Should I just get a rsw12 and maybe a pair of rxfx and the pioneer? That'll keep the spend down to £1800, if I'm lucky, and I might get £600 for the arcam and kefs? If I do this, will I truly appreciate the pioneer? Should I just get the rsw12 and maybe the rxfx and stick with the arcam, then get a new amp in a year or two?
I feel I have an itch, but am I scratching the right place?

 

[grdunn123]

I've just had a dose of this, can get quite nasty! The only remedy seems to be spending loads of money that you don't have......

 

[chebby]

I have had downgrade-itis recently (mostly cured) and downsize-itis (under control with treatment).

However, I am now looking at improving my DAC and - possibly - speakers*.

*I have started thinking about getting some used Naim Ariva 'speakers amongst other ideas.

 

[Anonymous]

scene, buying the rx-av12 seperately, with the rsw12 sub, would be much cheaper than buying the full rx pack..

ive seen the rx6's for around £650, the centre can go for under £300, £399 for an rsw12 sub, another £300 should get you the surrounds, thats about £1650, add the pioneer at £900 and assuming you get a grand for you're own kit, the whole upgrade costs you about £1500..

 

[Anonymous]

Cheaper to get "Patches" from your local Chemist

 

[Frank Harvey]

Ask Canada next week

You could do the speakers bit by bit as you already have some MA, but as you say, it's shop around time and see what's what, you never know.

Is it upgraditis? Or is it just that we like a change every now and again? Sometimes we just feel we want to start afresh and have something different. I know I've done that before. Might be doing it again as well! (hi-fi, not AV

)

 

[Anonymous]

I have it too, I may need a second job to speed up my savings pot for my next purchases!

 

[aliEnRIK]

Id keep a hold of the MA 8i's personally

 

[grdunn123]

AlienRik might have a piont with those 8's

 

[scene]

aliEnRIK:Id keep a hold of the MA 8i's personally
Yes, I was wondering that, they do sound lovely with the A85. Hmm. If I keep them, and the rs-lcr, as max suggests, would they meld with an rsw12 and the rxfx rears? Would this combo work with the sc-lx82? Should I save some money and go for an lx72? My room's 5.8 by 6.4 (I've just re-measured it), so I'm assuming the lx82 is par for the course.

 

[aliEnRIK]

scene: Hmm. If I keep them, and the rs-lcr, as max suggests, would they meld with an rsw12 and the rxfx rears? Would this combo work with the sc-lx82? Should I save some money and go for an lx72? My room's 5.8 by 6.4 (I've just re-measured it), so I'm assuming the lx82 is par for the course.

I wouldnt swear to it, but id be suprised if there was a miss match with the rears and sub. What about a center?

As for amps ~ id try to borrow off a dealer if possible, or at the very least try to audition them both to see if theyre worth your money

 

[scene]

Already got the rs-lcr centre. Seems to work with 8is, just a little more "forward" I'd say, but not such a bad thing. From what I've read, the rx centre wouldn't really go with the 8is, hence why I wondered about the rx fx rears.

 

[grdunn123]

Just got the RXFX rears and have them matched up with RS 5 fronts and GS LCR centre and they work great! I think they would work in your system too and with a big receiver in there they would really sing

 

[scene]

grdunn123:
Just got the RXFX rears and have them matched up with RS 5 fronts and GS LCR centre and they work great! I think they would work in your system too and with a big receiver in there they would really sing

Thanks for that grdunn123, that's useful firsthand info! Have you got a sub as well, and if so which?

EDIT sorry, scrub that last comment, just seen your sig, the perils of using the iPad!

 

[grdunn123]

I have but I'm looking for a matching MA sub at some point

 

[aliEnRIK]

scene:Already got the rs-lcr centre. Seems to work with 8is, just a little more "forward" I'd say, but not such a bad thing. From what I've read, the rx centre wouldn't really go with the 8is, hence why I wondered about the rx fx rears.

So far as im aware (Hopefully somone can confirm this), the Pioneer amps have the ability to use a mic and adjust the frequencies of the speakers so they all tonally match

 

[scene]

aliEnRIK:
scene:Already got the rs-lcr centre. Seems to work with 8is, just a little more "forward" I'd say, but not such a bad thing. From what I've read, the rx centre wouldn't really go with the 8is, hence why I wondered about the rx fx rears.

So far as im aware (Hopefully somone can confirm this), the Pioneer amps have the ability to use a mic and adjust the frequencies of the speakers so they all tonally match

Oh. That does sort of make things clearer. If the pioneer can do that, keeping the existing front three and getting new rears and sub makes sense.

 

[Anonymous]

no text

 

[Anonymous]

aliEnRIK:
scene:Already got the rs-lcr centre. Seems to work with 8is, just a little more "forward" I'd say, but not such a bad thing. From what I've read, the rx centre wouldn't really go with the 8is, hence why I wondered about the rx fx rears.

So far as im aware (Hopefully somone can confirm this), the Pioneer amps have the ability to use a mic and adjust the frequencies of the speakers so they all tonally match

They certainly do..........MCACC.Gives a pretty good balance IMO, although you might wanna tweak them a bit with a meter.

The only thing I changed was the front speakers were set to large by the MCACC and I changed them to small so the sub gave a better response.

http://www.pioneer.eu/files/eur/MCACC/index.html

 

[scene]

piobob:aliEnRIK:
scene:Already got the rs-lcr centre. Seems to work with 8is, just a little more "forward" I'd say, but not such a bad thing. From what I've read, the rx centre wouldn't really go with the 8is, hence why I wondered about the rx fx rears.

So far as im aware (Hopefully somone can confirm this), the Pioneer amps have the ability to use a mic and adjust the frequencies of the speakers so they all tonally match

They certainly do..........MCACC.Gives a pretty good balance IMO, although you might wanna tweak them a bit with a meter.

The only thing I changed was the front speakers were set to large by the MCACC and I changed them to small so the sub gave a better response.

http://www.pioneer.eu/files/eur/MCACC/index.html
Thanks for that tpiobob and the link.

Just checked ebay and someone's "bought it now".

next cheapest option is £1300, or risk the active auction. Haven't squared all this with Mrs scene yet

 

[jaxwired]

Here's my advice. For the music system, you know the songs you pull out when you want to impress a visitor with your great hifi? The music that just kills on your system. Everyone has a few songs that for whatever reason sound jaw droppingly good on their system. Pull out those recordings. Play them loud. Sit a awhile and marvel out how incredible your system sounds. If you still want to upgrade while you're doing this, then there's no hope, you're committed.

BTW, if you really, really like your existing system and you just want something better, then you are playing with fire. If however, your existing system is annoying you and has noticable weaknesses that consistently prevent you from enjoying the music, then upgrading could be the right thing. It's definately dangerous because if you upgrade and find yourself still unhappy, then you will be on an upgrade treadmill that could take awhile to sort out.

Regarding the movie system, I'd give the same advice, pull out your favorite movie, the one that really makes your system shine. See if you still want to upgrade after watching...

 

[Anonymous]

Well the reason why I did it was.....

I was sick and tierd of wondering whats best and I will have that one day ect...

And buying two speakers at a time and them just not sounding the best.

I heard some guy on you tube and he had some floorstand set up with pioneer sc-lx82, and I said was you can even hear that detail from his camera, so though buck it I am going for it.

I cant really afford it, but the way I look at it, I would rather spend the outlay now and get it over with and not have to worry about upgrading anything for years, and now I can sit back and enjoy my system, instead of wondering........ I could do better. and not enjoying my system and sitting down and relaxing just like this guy........

 

[scene]

jaxwired:
Here's my advice. For the music system, you know the songs you pull out when you want to impress a visitor with your great hifi? The music that just kills on your system. Everyone has a few songs that for whatever reason sound jaw droppingly good on their system. Pull out those recordings. Play them loud. Sit a awhile and marvel out how incredible your system sounds. If you still want to upgrade while you're doing this, then there's no hope, you're committed.

BTW, if you really, really like your existing system and you just want something better, then you are playing with fire. If however, your existing system is annoying you and has noticable weaknesses that consistently prevent you from enjoying the music, then upgrading could be the right thing. It's definately dangerous because if you upgrade and find yourself still unhappy, then you will be on an upgrade treadmill that could take awhile to sort out.

Regarding the movie system, I'd give the same advice, pull out your favorite movie, the one that really makes your system shine. See if you still want to upgrade after watching...

Yes, I agree with you. That is why I'm going to keep the A85 and the Silver 8is - I've had them since new and they really sing

Never tire of listening to them...

As for the AVR250. It's been a troubled relationship. With the KEF 2005.2 setup, it was OK, but the centre channel was a bit muffled. And it was bought for a 3.8x3.5m room in our old Victorian house. In the 6.4x5.8m room they were a little lost. Upgrading to the RS-LCR centre really helped that channel and using the Silver 8is instead of the front pair sounded great. But the now the rear pair sounded lost, and the sub was a disconnected. Also, although the AVR250 is a great musical amp, it doesn't do HDMI, which frankly is a pain and causing problems. OK, I've got a spider's web worth of Chord Crimsons connecting my BDP to the Amp, but that means the Sony is doing the decoding, which loses me some functionality and I keep getting stereo only on some formats.

And then there was the period of 12-18 months when I had all sorts of issues with the 250, cut outs, freezing, locking up. Culminated in it dying (except for Stereo Direct) and an expensive trip back to Arcam for a new motherboard and DSP. OK, it seems happier now, but...

Basically the AVR250 is great for music and OK for films, that would be my summary.

canada16:
Well the reason why I did it was.....

I was sick and tired of wondering whats best and I will have that one day ect...

And buying two speakers at a time and them just not sounding the best.
I think it's over-exposure to your threads that's given me my dose of upgrade-itis, so I blame you entirely

And yes, I've been doing a lot of piecemeal upgrading and tinkering, like you, and adding bits and bobs to the system and haven't really sat down and thought about what I've got as a cohesive unit.

Musically, I think my system rocks. Cinematically, it's OK. And I think I want more than OK

canada16:I cant really afford it, but the way I look at it, I would rather spend the outlay now and get it over with and not have to worry about upgrading anything for years, and now I can sit back and enjoy my system, instead of wondering........ I could do better.
Can I afford it? Well I added up how much I've spent on my "hobby" in the last twelve months and, frankly, I've been a very bad boy... But, I'd like to sort this out and really give my Kuro and Sony BDP the amp they deserve.

And yes, I want to have my Maxell tape moment!

 

[scene]

OK. So now I'm confused. I've been trying to decide whether to go for the sc-lx82 and my thoughts were to keep my existing front three - an MA RS-LCR and a pair of Silver 8is - and get a new pair of rears, a pair of MA RXFX, and a new sub, probably an RSW12. All well and good. But...

Now I've read that the pioneer doesn't suit "bright" speakers and that the RS range is bright (and my 8is as well I presume as they're a tonal match for the RS centre), something the RX range isn't. Is this correct?

Do I need to get the RX range at the same time as the amp, or will the MCACC system on the pioneer take care of this?