Which component to upgrade?

[admin_exported]

Seems like we have a theme of upgrade threads so here's another!

I have a Roksan Kandy III CDP, Rotel RA03 amp and MA RS1 speakers. Which component would be the best to upgrade?

In general I like the sound but would prefer something a bit richer or less bright (without sacrificing detail). I intend on listening to the MA GS10s with my kit to see if it gives a worthy upgrade at about £800, but will consider other speakers too. When looking around the bookshelf market at this price point compatibility has reared it's ugly head begging for a new, more powerful amp. Perhaps bi-amping would be a good path.

Thoughts, opinions and ideas welcome!

 

[d_a_n1979]

Personally id sell the amp and go for a Cyrus 6v2 amp or the Roksan Kandy LIII amp. The Rotel, to me, is letting the system down here.

 

[Anonymous]

I originally intended to get the Kandy amp but it was far too bright compared to the Rotel. I suspect the Cyrus might be the same although I should try it. Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

For fear of starting a cable war.....

I'd also consider changing your chord cables to something a little more neutral, I personally have always found chord to be way too bright. Not sure about the RS1's but I have heard the RS6 and RS8 and found them way too bright.

The Cyrus VS2 amps are a little smoother than the older VS amps but even the VS amps could be toned down a little with the Cyrus PSX-R power supply or a 6 or 8 power amp to beef up the lower/mid range.

 

[Anonymous]

the chord cobra is not a bright interconnect.In fact when i heard it i thought it was neutral tending towards warm. The roksan cd player is quite bright and its also not known for its detail.The gs10's are not any less bright than the RS1's either.I like a slightly bright sound and mon audio speakers are quite upfront so if you don't like the brightness i would maybe consider a change of speakers.In saying that the RS1's are superb and the weak link in your system is the rotel amp.You could also maybe go for dnm reson mk2 speaker cable which is copper only and neutral sounding.It's also better than the likes of qed silver anniversary ( i know you dont have that but its apparently quite similar to your current cable). Silver cables are probably to be avoided if you dont like brightness.The reson is a what hi fi award winner so you can be sure its good. What about a nad amp? i think cyrus might be a little bright too.you have a few options open to you i think.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for you response.

I was warned that the Cyrus kit is a little bright and about two years ago emerged from the shop with a Rotel amp as it balanced by system quite well, or at least I thought so at the time. I'm tempted by the upgrade path available with Cyrus but new speakers would be necessary.

I'm suprised you think that the Rotel is the weakest link over the speakers as I always thought the RS1s were quite a budget choice. I've heard of somebody using an RA03 to drive a pair of Dynaudio Focus 110s with good results! (personally don't see how 70W can control the bass on those)

What sort of amps should I be considering to work well with the Kandy and RS1s? I've given up with Sevenoaks branches as I find their stock and service competence surprisingly poor. Instead I look around for small independent dealers that stock less common types. I'll make it my new year quest to find some new amps to audition.

As for cables, I agree about your description of the Chord Cobra and bought it for that reason. I could change the Silver Carnival for some DNM but I'm not convinced it will yield the right results. I'm ready for a new upgrade so I'll look into amps instead.

Perhaps I should just replace the tweeter grills on the RS1s......

 

[Anonymous]

I always left the grills on.I could never hear the difference. I think the RS1's could cope with some seriously good amplification.I know that up until recently it was the norm to spend roughly the same amount on each component ,but i have seen a lot of amps and cd players in recommended systems recently where the speakers are a lot cheaper than the amp and cd player.I dont know if thats a trend or what it signifies but it would seem sensible to get the best out of your speakers and i definitely think the RS1's can handle a better amp. Of course i have RS1's and i love mon audio so maybe i am a little biased but not too much.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll just have to try some amps to see what happens.

I found taking the grills off increased the clarity of the sound stage. I found the same with my old Silver 4i's too. The amount of difference always surprised me but perhaps I should have another play to check for the placebo effect.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="igglebert"]perhaps I should have another play to check for the placebo effect.[/quote]

lets not get into that.lol. actually i only tried taking the grills off once and did not hear the dufference but i didnt really give the speakers a proper listen without grills.I always preferred the safety factor having them on.I might give it another go to see if i can tell the difference.