Well this is my system, I am 15 and have been into the hobby for a little under a year now. Just bought the shanling and am really happy with it. I am still not certin if I am going to go with a cd player or tt as a main source. The thing I am worried about with a turntable is the ammount of time I use my system (70 hours a week!). I would like everyone's ideas on what to upgrade first. I currently have $1500 and am planning on spending it on speakers, but if you feel that money is best spend elsewhere let me know.
I love how my system sounds, good bass output, good midrange, killer highs (sometimes too shrill though). Somethings that bug me are the backround noise durring high level listen (rarely listen at high levels, usally only around 70db) I belive this problem has to do with the cdp and interconectors.
So basically I am looking for sugestions on the next upgrade. Be it Speakers (which is what I think will help the most), CD player or turntable (i have equal ammounts of cd's and lp's), or whatever else you suggest.
Speaker positioning is almost everything. Agreed!! My Quartets (little cousin to the Chorus) have risers, but sound better 18" off the ground and separated at a 3:1 ratio. They're now about 2 feet out from the long wall to decrease bass. I've never had a problem with the highs. You may try some tube rolling. I've had excellent results with different tubes in different units. Bugle Boys may sound good in one unit while Tung Sol sounds better in another. Nice choice for power. Good luck, and thanks for your response regarding my system. Ears are like eyes. They're all different.
Already bought new speakers, at the vtv expo this last weekend. I will update my system once my custom built stand are finished. Thanks for the advice, I am going to buy some cables, soon. I am thinking about spending around $500 for everything
Hi James. Looks like you're off to a great start with the tube system.
If I were you, I'd set aside $300-$400 for cables (speaker, jumpers, IC) and spend the rest, $1100 or so, on the speakers. As you continue to add really nice pieces in your rack, the weak links are going to become more and more obvious soundwise. I was actually quite surprised at how much of a difference an upgrade to the power cords, speaker wire and IC's made in my system over the stock cabling. And believe me, there wasn't any bigger skeptic than me at first. And I agree with Goatwuss that you shouldn't need to spend thousands on the cables to get a substantial return. I've enjoyed the results from my Signal Cable purchases, and there are several other affordable, quality shops offering comparable product out there.
Merlins do indeed get raves from speaker reviewers. JM Labs are also nice. I've own Tylers and Epos and I think each were worth every penny. Whatever you go with, try to preview them if at all possible with a similarly rated amp. Your own ear should be the only measure of a nice speaker. It'll definitely save you a lot of time and hassle.
Congrats! You've definitely got an option that didn't exist when I was your age. I started out with a godmother buying me a Sony TC230 reel-to-reel deck with integrated amp and lid speakers when I was in Jr. High, then added a Miracord turntable and Rectilinear XI speakers once I was in high school and earning money from tutoring and summer jobs. It went on from there, but certainly has been fun. Trying to focus now more on listening to the music than purchasing the gear, but still have the upgrade jones from time to time.
Not to be nosey, but what kind of cushy job do you have at age 15 that gives you that kind of disposable cash and allows you 70 hours/wk to listen to your system, and go to school, and work?
Hey, I'm 24 here, started with hi-fi at around 15 like you and started with klipsch speakers and a jolida tube amp.
The harsh highs are definitely the speakers. newish Klipsch speakers are lively good for what they are, but unfortunately the horns used in them are harsh in the highs.
Though upgrading the speakers would be great, you really do need to get a nice sounding CD player, too. Some of the ~$500ish used players are great - the jolida 100, music hall, ah tjoeb, there are plenty of good choices. I'd do that even before the speakers.
Also - do yourself a big favor and learn a lot about speaker positioning. There are some good resources in the audio asylum FAQ. For your music to have depth, you really need to have the speakers a good bit out from the back wall. Speaker placement and the room acoustics is the #1 most critical aspect of any system, much more important than any single component.
The gallos you are thinking of would be a fantastic choice, and there are many others. I think you would like von-schweikert too. Used VR4JRs can be found for less than 3 grand, definitely worth saving up for. Go to some high-end shops and listen to what they have to start learning what different technologies and methodologies sound like. In general, don't pay too much attention to hype around any one component or technology. For every opinion, there are 100 contradictory ones, and you need to find what works for you, not everyone else.
Dont spend too much money on cables. Though many will disagree with me on this, anything more than a couple hundred dollars is a rip off for any cable, UNLESS you're talking about a system with ultra resolution that is completely optimized in every other way. Every other component will have a significanly higher effect on your sound reproduction then cables. Don't waste your money on expensive power cables or other expensive cables. I don't know if you caught this, but in recent history, someone cut open a ~$400 JPS labs power cable to find a someone else's ~$20 cable inside. speaker placement is 10000% more important than any cable.
If you can manage (afford) the Ref 3s, go for it. I'd actually recommend buying a used pair, since you won't have to go through that horrendous break-in period. Good luck, whatever you do. Dave
(I can definitely relate, even though I'm 61 years older than you are!)
Bad cables are a common reason for shrill highs. At least they were in my system. The Gallos are very nice speakers although there are posts in various forums saying that the sweet spot tends to be limited to a narrow horizontal band. You have to tilt them up and down to suit your listening position. For about the same money you can get a pair of Zu Druids - like the Gallos, very highly rated by 6moons.com. Since you have a tube amp, you might also look at a pair of Merlins. Hard to ignore the hooting and hollering by the people who own them and like them very much.
Thats a good one. Not just good. Very good. Its worth it I guess. It will last you for a long time. Here are the specs. Frequency Response : 34Hz - 35kHz +/- 3dB Frequency Response (active bass) : 22Hz - 35kHz +/- 3dB Impedance top terminal : 4 - 8 ohms Impedance lower terminal : 4 ohms Sensitivity : 88 dB/1 watt/1 meter Power Handling : 350 watts RMS Driver: Dual 4" carbon fiber midrange drivers Custom 10" dual voice coil bass driver CDT Tweeter: 300° dispersion 3kHz - 3kHz Midrange Driver Material: Hyperbolic carbon fiber Dimensions: 36.25" (H) x 8" (W) x 14" (D) with grill 35.5" (H) x 8" (W) x 14" (D) w/out grill Add 2 to 2.25" for spikes and spike protectors Weight: 47 lbs each Connections: Gold plated brass binding posts for secure wire connection Enclosure: Aluminum/Stainless Steel
You have a wonderful system. The tubes. Fantastic. Since you are in to floorstander speakers, you might wanna consider the B&W 704 or the B&W DM603 S3. Visit the website at http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/local.main to find out more about them. I suggest that you invest in something that will last you for a long period of time rather then you keep on changing. Since the current speakers are pretty good, you might wanna consider investing your money in Subwoofers instead. Active ones. Not passive. It will enhance your system alot. There is a huge variety of subwoofers available for you to carefully choose from. Trust your ears.
How about getting some Triangle Celius speakers for your system. You should be able to pick up a pair for about 1500 bucks on audiogon. They are awesome speakers that need very little power to drive them. They have great voiceing, mids and highs. They could stand to use a sub at some point but still awesome speakers regardless if you have a sub or not. Stereophile still rates them a Class A speaker.
Hello James,Looks like your putting together a nice system!I have to agree with your plans to upgrade your speakers.I have been searching for speakers to replace my Paradigm Studio 100s for about a year,good luck!Ray
