APl 3910 with the new AKM dacs , 6 per channel to be exact and you will be on top of the world Triob.I still have 2 more duck breasts and can get some foiegras quickly. Feeling adventurious? Great tme last night , thanks for coming!! B
Very nice indeed, and I would agree that good digital can be had under 4k. The rest of your rig almost demands an upgrade on the source, I would also say that a decent turntable would be a nice choice to look into. The flesh that analog puts on the bones would lend itself to the awesome dynamics and portrayal of delicate nuances that those trios provide. Whatever you choose, congrats, you have a great system going.
I second the WOW. Rob they are beautiful . i suggest source upgrade as well, something with a tube stage possibly. Look at .......yes i will say it again but Alex Peychevs APL Denon 3910 . Fabulous soundstaging properties . Could maye well with the cary. System looks really nice !
Rob, There is no question at all that upgrading your source will take your entire system to a much more enriching level. See if you can get out and hear a few. If you bought your speakers & amp from a dealer, see if they will allow you to try out some players in your home. I'm willing to bet that whatever you like in your rental home will be great in the new place as well. Good luck!
Guys,, Thanks for all of the suggestions... I'm going to read and re-read through them and try to make some headway.
I'm trying to tackle this one component at a time, and going for the biggest 'bottleneck' down..
Since we are renting while our house is being built, room treatments are on hold... It's a pretty bad room in a old house...
So with that said, It sounds like the rega planet would be the next one on 'the block?' Cables are nothing to brag about, but I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck... The trios sure did represent that for me... (!)... I still can't beleive the sound. It's amazing how much sub power it takes to keep up with them...and the 1610s warm them up nice... Going from magnapan SMG's to these... well .. it's like a black and white TV to High Def in one step!
Thanks again for all of the continued suggestions,
Photofreak, Sorry I came off so confrontational. I too think there are excellent CD players to be had at $4000 or under. It just so happens that in my experience, the best players I've heard were slightly more expensive, including the AA Capitole MKII, which seems to be around $4500 on the used market. The SE upgrade runs $700. Also, some of the modded players from Modwright, Exemplar, APL, etc. are definitely worth a listen. For a guy who has $80K+ in an amp/speaker combination, cuting corners on a source component would not make sense, at least not in my opinion. Which of course, is just that: an opinion. Regards, Howard
Boa2, I think it was the MK 2 version, it doesn't really matter to me, I just found the room sounded, OK. Maybe it was the speakers, I don't know. I just moved on to the next room. Yes I am suggesting that a cd player less than $4,000 can sound great. I can't take any credit for this though, I'm just a happy music listening customer. In case your curious, check this out:http://www.stereounlimited.com/Home.htm I have never heard ANY digital front end at any show sound as good as it does at this store! They have their own patanted wire that they modify components with. This is also the #1 Magnapan and Avantegarde dealer in the country and yes their $27,000 Viva Aurora monoblocks are sitting on bike tubes. They don't care about the price of tweaks, just what sounds good! I've learned to stop listening to reviews and started listening to music. Why spend more when you don't have to. The Jolida cd player I heard was completly rewired and sounded quite a bit different than stock, same with AMC and DAC-9 all tube source, about $2,000 or so, still the most analog like to me but as we know this all rather subjective and a matter of personal taste. Have fun listening and good luck!
I don't know if Photofreak is actually referring to the MKII SE version of the Capitole, but it is by no means an overrated machine. If so, by what rating system? To what have you compared the LATEST version of that player? And in what way do the "modest" players equal it? To my ear, they simply can't keep up. Or maybe over 1/2 the vendors at T.H.E. Show should have opted for the Jolida instead of using the Capitole?
I've owned the Rega Planet, the Planet 2000, the Jolida, the AA Prima, the AA Capitole MKI, and have heard the MKII extensively. It is a stellar machine, and NO, I don't even own one. Neither the Jolida (or Photofreak's "modest" source) can come close to the playback of the Capitole, or any of the other mid-priced players, for that matter.
With a pair of AG Trios & Cary 1610SE monoblocks, you have over $80K in those two components alone. I'm sorry, but to suggest that a $900 CD player sitting on a bike tube is an adequate conductor for that orchestra simply misses the point. Because your system, Rhoneycutt, ain't modest. Held back by the shortcomings of its source, perhaps. But it is not a modest system, and it requires a source that can adequately showcase the capabilities of the other players. Best of luck! Howard
Wow, You just added Trios! I'd say thats awesome! A freind of mine has some modded duos and they sound great, I've heard the trios at T.H.E. Show with basshorns and it blew me away. If you want isolate your components, try some toy tire inrtubes, you can get them at Wallmart for about $2.99 each, just put your amps right on them, they work great! As far as Zoethecus goes you could build your own or go with heavy duty book cases. Those amp stands are a big waste of money. For a cd player I would look into AMC[tube] or Jolida, the A A Capitole is overated! I have a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 in my modest system and it sounds great. With those Hornspeakers vinyl playback is almost required!
Absolutely phenomenal system. I agree with Kirk (Audiofankj) that an upgrade to something like the AA Capitole will bring your source to a level that is commensurate with the rest of the gear. The sonic improvement from such an upgrade will be enormous. No joke. You will be shocked by the difference. Enjoy!
One more idea for you that I forgot to mention. You may want to look into either Zoethecus amp stands, or perhaps Silent Running Audio, or Neuance platforms depending upon your budget. I mention this as tube gear at that level of price & performance on a metal and glass (what it looked like) shelf system will be subject to quite a bit of vibration. Removing as much of that and microphonics from the tubes will yield very worthwhile improvements. Just some more food for thought. Good luck!
Wow- extremely nice start (and end) for speakers and amps! I am sure those could make most happy for many, many years to come. Perhaps a Audio Aero Capitole Mk II SE cd player that you can run direct to your amps would take care of upgrading both the preamp and cd player. The Capitole Mk II will also keep the "analog" sound of the Rega Planet, however add in liquidity, detail, space, soundstage, etc.
