Recently I swapped out my Arcam CD73 for a Mac Mini after conducting some A/B comparisons between the two. Naturally, the Mac Mini caused my jaw to drop when I realised there was absolutely no audible difference in sound. So next, A/B comparison time with a slightly more expensive spinner - this time a Roksan Kandy cd player. Again, no audible difference. So I've thrown it all out, cleared up a lot of space, and now I have 50,000 songs on a box the size of 5 Cds.
I've been into audio for around 5 years now and this is the best it's been.
Listed as my first and most important component. This brings everything together. And let's be honest, it's all about the music, and I have 50,000 tracks worth. Mac mini Intel Core Duo attached to a 320gb external running Front Row. Absolutely priceless! On board DAC sounds incredible. A/B comparison to previous Arcam CD73 shows Mac Mini come up on top!
Advantage S101
The most dramatic change to my system. Perfect. 175w per channel.
Monitor Audio Gold Ref 20
2 x 6.5" drivers. Metal dome tweeter. Pretty good for the money. Sometimes can sound a little forward, although I think this is down to my listening room (aka living room)
Nordost Blue Heaven
Picked up for $60, this has to be one of the best bargains I have come across during my time in hifi. Incredibly open and detailed, although only 60cm in length.
Chord Odyssey
4 - 2 Bi-wire. Very cheap considering the change it made to my system. Worth every penny. 2 x 2.5
Isotek Isol-8
Currently connected to the Arcam. Really does put this budget player on another level.
Merlin Tarantula
Not bad considering the price, although I plan to replace this very soon. Currently connected to my integrated.
Yeah I know, tell me about it- I'm spoilt for choice!
I honestly couldn't trade my audio server for the world - not only do I not have to worry about storing 5000 cds somewhere, but I don't have to worry about the dust either! ;)
Of course, there have been some big changes, so I'll go into a little more depth.
In my old house, the room was always the problem - the ceiling was very high (4m) and the room always sounded slightly bright (wood floors). But, doing my best to tame the sound, the MA's never really suited my tastes. I always found the midrange very muffled and clouded. Vocals always sounded poorly recorded, regardless of the genre of music.
I moved the speakers to my kitchen to test, where the ceiling is much lower, and there is almost no audible echo when I clapped my hands in the room. I tried them length ways and width ways in the room, both sounding absolutely dreadful. So after 18 months with them, I knew it was time to move on. I feel I am not alone with this problem with MA speakers. Sure, MA are very successful and do have some great speakers on the market, but I have read about people feeling exactly the same as me, about them lacking that musicality that other speakers offer for the same price, or less. So after selling, I started looking around.
I heard about the new B&W 600 series, and I always loved my old pair of 601S3s, so I went to audition speakers for around $1000, because I didn't have much money to spend this time, due to house move etc.
I went to my dealers, and listened to Epos M5s, B&W 685, Quad 12L2, Spendor S3.
The winner was clear for me, as I listen to so many different genres of music - one of them fit the bill so perfectly. The 685. I have never heard such musicality at this price - absolutely blew my old MA GR20s out of the water.
So after spending a month or so with the 685s, and selling some of the junk after my house move, I had the opportunity to "upgrade". I couldn't really imagine what I would buy, because my budget had only doubled - to around $2000.
I've heard the 703 and 804. Both great speakers, but out of my price range. I knew I wanted to go for a "full range" speaker again, so I set my sights on the 683.
I can tell you now, the 683 truly isn't far behind the 703 to my ears. Infact, even with my warm amp, the 703 still sounds harsh and not suitable for when I want to play the latest metal record! So all along I knew the 683 would be better suited to my tastes.
So now I have the 683. The bass is unreal, deep and powerful, but never loses control. Bass guitar especially is so prominent now, I can clearly here individual notes in the mid and upper frequencies, as well as getting the low end power. At first, I have to be honest - I didn't really notice the FST midrange as anything special. Sure, everything sounded great, but I guess I was just expecting too much from a $1400 speaker. Well, I think I was wrong, recently, they have come to life. Especially since the room has changed shape a little.
What can I say? I never liked the MA GR20s, no matter how hard I tried to. The B&Ws are in another league for me, better clarity and emotion. Vocals sound so real it hurts! It will play my entire music collection, and each time it makes me believe in the music.
I've lived for so long avoiding certain artists or genres of music, because the MAs made my music collection sound so terrible. Those days are gone, and I can forget about the Hifi, and enjoy the music.
Thanks for clearing things up for me. I now understand where you are coming from. I will let you know soon how I get on will vibration tweaking.
Justin,
You're probably right, the Vinyl player I've been looking to add to my system is the Pro-Ject RPM 5 - a slightly better than entry-level turntable, for a reasonable price (around $800 I believe?), although to be honest, I haven't really done my research on this yet, as until I move, I just don't have the space for a Vinyl player right now.
Wow, thanks for your reply. I think I will definitely invest in some cones, how do they actually attach to the player though? Always confused me... I will report back and let you know how I get on.
I'm not quite sure what you mean about laying out my cables, avoiding parallel wiring. Be interested to hear more of what you have to say..
System edited: I now have over 400 cds, continuing to focus on my music collection rather than spending any more on upgrades right now. The only component I'd be looking to replace are my Monitor Audio GR20's, however I've found myself getting on with them A LOT better recently, possibly due to the new Arcam cd spinner, or just general wearing in. Comments appreciated!
Oh and Chadnliz - I pulled the speakers out away from the wall (around 8 inches) with great results. I have now removed the foam bungs, which made a huge difference also.
Ok the Roksan is gone, replaced with an Arcam CD73T with FANTASTIC results. I know the Roksan player I bought had issues, therefore did not sonically match the most recent MKIII player, but wow, the Arcam's improvement in soundstage, depth, clarity - is mind blowing, all from a $700 player!
Also added - Isol-8 mains cable, hooked up to the player.
Oh, also - the Cambridge Audio 640c V2 - although this is considerably cheaper than both of the other players I have been looking at, which makes me worry!
Thanks for the advice. Re: Nordost cabling - I think for now I will stick, I really enjoy the sound of their interconnects, and on my budget, I don't think I will find anything better for the money.
Right now, all I can think of is the new Rotel RCD06 or the Arcam CD73 - both semi-good players, although I have not heard either yet. I plan to audition both at the weekend. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!
Chadnliz - your DIY rack looks great, and I will definitely try covering my TV when listening.
Agreed - I have the ports filled with foam bungs, as they do sit (dangerously) close to the wall. The port sits directly in alignment with the tweeter on the rear.
I see where you're coming from now - and although I do appreciate your input, this is something I cannot achieve right now. It's quite hard to see from the pictures, but the room just wouldn't work in this layout.
I tried putting my player underneath the amp and actually found that it was receiving greater vibrations than before, possibly because my floor is wooden, and slightly uneven. What I did learn though, is that, given I only have 1 decent mains cable, using it on the CD player makes a MUCH bigger difference than using it on the amp. I plan to replace both mains cables soon anyway.
I am also returning my CD player as this model was a misprinted version from Roksan, that was sold to me as a MKIII version.
Any advice on new Cd players for around about £450 ($700 - $1000) would be greatly appreciated
Thank you very much for your input, the first step for me is to put my amp on top of the player, I will let you know how I get on with this.
I'm a little confused about moving things around - the speakers are already on either side of the nook (not that clear from the pictures though!) - as I say, I'm kinda stuck when it comes to moving things around - as we don't have tonnes of space to use!
