Weak point of system...what to upgrade

mongoose1234

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Hey guys I was wondering what I should upgrade first?

I play all music from my computer, about half is flac, half mp3. I can tell the difference quite clearly and got my friend to test me on songs which I had in both mp3 and flac and scored 9/10 correct, so clearly my system can reproduce decent fidelity music.

Basically I have an arcam rdac connected to a nad c370 with a belkin interconnect from ebay (retail around 20 euros, don't know the model). Speakers are wharfedale valdus 500 connected with qed "balanced design concept" wire -whatever that is.

All mains wires are stock.

The arcam dac made a huge difference to the sound, amazing, greater than upgrading to the nad c370 from a tangent budget amp costing £50 in richer sounds! Thanks for the review really glad I made this purchase.

Thanks for any help in advance.
 

richardw42

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How much do you want to spend ?

Youve got well regarded DAC and amp, so perhaps speakers should be investigated, or re rip your mp3s to flac.
 

mongoose1234

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Mp3 ranges from 128-320

The test was done with 200 vbr and up, I can tell the difference between 320 and flac though as I tested myself a few times (was still a random test). Never tried ogg and better compression up to 600kbps etc, never saw that much point as my flacs average around 900 so it's not that much difference to me.
 

mongoose1234

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I guess the main problem would be the tweeter, it can sound a bit rough if that's the word. However my parents own the b and w cm series and I found the tweeter and overall sound a bit flat and boring.

Would it be possible to just upgrade the tweeter? How practical would that be. I'm pretty sure it's the worst aspect of the speaker.

Voices sound clear and controlled, but sometimes the trebble can be a bit grating and overpowering.
 

CnoEvil

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mongoose1234 said:
I guess the main problem would be the tweeter, it can sound a bit rough if that's the word. However my parents own the b and w cm series and I found the tweeter and overall sound a bit flat and boring.

Would it be possible to just upgrade the tweeter? How practical would that be. I'm pretty sure it's the worst aspect of the speaker.

Voices sound clear and controlled, but sometimes the trebble can be a bit grating and overpowering.

That could be down to amp / bit rate / speaker.

You need to narrow this down by trying different permutations. If it's speakers, you need to try others, which will depend on budget. Smoother sounding speakers might come from Epos, Spendor, Sonus Faber and Kef R series.
 

altruistic.lemon

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CnoEvil said:
Is there a particular area of the sound you think is weak or want to improve...and in what way?
This is one of those questions impossible to answer, because the speakers basically are too weak to reveal any deficiencies further back.
 

mongoose1234

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I can't comment on amp/the rdac because I don't know if they are considered bright/neutral/warm components; however its a problem across all bit rates.
 

CnoEvil

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altruistic.lemon said:
CnoEvil said:
Is there a particular area of the sound you think is weak or want to improve...and in what way?
This is one of those questions impossible to answer, because the speakers basically are too weak to reveal any deficiencies further back.

The OP has given some insight.
 

CnoEvil

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mongoose1234 said:
I can't comment on amp/the rdac because I don't know if they are considered bright/neutral/warm components; however its a problem across all bit rates.

The answer can come from either borrowing stuff from a dealer (eg different speakers), or bringing your kit to a dealer and trying different options.
 

mongoose1234

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Unfortunately my budget is £200. Any recommendations for second hand equipment? Whafedale diamond 9.6? Seen these go around that price on ebay.

Given that it's mainly the tweeters that bother me would replacing them be feasible? I can solder.
 

CnoEvil

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mongoose1234 said:
Unfortunately my budget is £200. Any recommendations for second hand equipment? Whafedale diamond 9.6? Seen these go around that price on ebay.

Given that it's mainly the tweeters that bother me would replacing them be feasible? I can solder.

I think that you are probably right about the tweeters, as I think those on the Valdus may be a bit rough.

I would try and sell yours and get some Wharfedale 9 or 10 series.....do you need floorstanders, as the 9.1 are good value.

Here are the Superfi Prices: http://www.superfi.co.uk/search.aspx?searchTerm=wharfedale%20speakers
 

mongoose1234

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Hi, thanks for your replies. I would really like floorstanders because I would like something that can at least come close to my speakers in loudness and bass output.
 

CnoEvil

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What about this: http://www.richersounds.com/product/bookshelf-speakers/wharfedale/diamond-9.0/whar-9.0-blk (The 9.1 is better if you can stretch)

PLUS

This: http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-3656-wharfedale-diamond-sw150-subwoofer-black.aspx
 

mongoose1234

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I should probably explain, I had a SW 150, but I upgraded by building an 18 inch subwoofer (fane xb) in an 8 cubic feet box tuned to 33 hz which is powered by a 600w rms amplifier. For obvious reasons it sounds cleaner and plays deeper than the sw 150.

I also had previously tested my dad's CM1's with both the sw 150 and the subwoofer I built and the home brew clearly sounded superior. At low volumes (with the CM1) it sounded great but getting considerable bass slam proved impossible without making the sub play too high, which ruined the presentation as the 18xb (and sw150) are really desiged to play below 80 hz. I understand bass slam is hard to define but to me it means the frequencies in a kickdrum which seem to hit you, not the 60 hz lump which resonates your chest itself. I would guess its centered around 80-250 hz.

So in conclusion I guess I am looking for a large second hand floorstander with better treble and overall clarity than the valdus speakers.

I don't require something with monsterous mid bass output but cerrtainly more than most bookshelf speakers (at least that I have heard) can provide.
 

CnoEvil

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For £250 you can get something like this; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SINGLE-KEF-iQ70-FLOORSTANDING-SPEAKER-IN-BLACK-ASH-EX-DISPLAY-/271124680228?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3f204a4e24

They are clean and neutral sounding, with controlled bass.

PLEASE IGNORE LINK (ONLY ONE SPEAKER)......but I have seen IQ7s go for less than £200.....so worth keeping an eye out.
 

mongoose1234

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Any other speakers I should look out for? Will keep an eye out for the kef's (two eyes actually, one for each speaker).

These seem like a good option if the opportunity comes along. Size is no problem, the only real requirement I have is that they can produce a reasonable amount of bass above 60 hz, and sound better than my current speakers. (Especially the tweeter).
 

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