System edited: Today, I finally had some free time and the chance to go black friday shopping. But I didn't go to best buy or circuit city.. I went to home depot to go buy some sand! (I came home with a 50lb bag of gravel instead because I thought it would make less of a mess) Overall changed for today: - I filled my atlantis speaker stands with the gravel/sand - blu tack between the speakers and stands - moved my isonodes to my cdp and tube pre WOW ... These changes made a HUGE difference in the sound. It opened up the sound, made everything sound more lively (especially cymbals, high-pitched horns, etc.), made the bass tighter, and basically fixed most of the problems I've been seeing in my system. Lately I've been doubting my older cdp and little-known ic's.. thinking they caused the more closed-in, small room and even a little darker sound. But now I know they were not to blame, and I just needed to solidify my stands, couple my speakers to the stands, and put some vibration control under my components. I'm glad I took the time and EFFORT to finally get some $2.50/50lb gravel, instead of spend big bucks on a new cdp and cables that probably wouldn't have even fixed the flaws in my system. Ok.. now back to studying :)

jefftan November 23, 2007 22:08

hey joey, sorry it took so long to respond.. i just got through my first 2 rounds of exams. whew!

thanks for the comments and it is nice to see another med student. can i ask what's in your system? and how long have you been working on it?

jefftan November 10, 2007 17:59

System edited: i have now gotten to the point where i just want the music to sound live and real. i thought my old system was close, but i recently attended a bunch of live performances (small and large venues) and realized how far my system really is from the real thing. i used to look for a certain sound that sounded "pleasing", but nothing beats what the instruments and voices should really sound like. so now, with an even tighter budget and a much busier schedule, i am hoping i can make some changes to bring my system closer to real live music.

jefftan October 09, 2007 07:15

thanks a lot bruce. you're such a great help.

jefftan January 25, 2007 06:59

trouble... i recently borrowed my uncle's tube components (conrad johnson mv-52 tube amp and canary audio ca-801 tube preamp), and i love the tube sound.

i had been looking to make my solid state system sound more musical, natural, and less-fatiguing.. and all i kept doing was upgrade to more expensive equipment (which got me more analytical sound, the reverse of what i was looking for). but when i switched over to the tube amp, everything sounded thin at first. however, as i listened more, i began to enjoy the sound more and more.. and now i have decided to go tube with at least the amp.

the mv-52 actually has suprisingly good bass (almost comparable to the nu-vista m3, probably because of my room setup too). i actually like the "warm, lush" sound of older cj equipment.

can anyone suggest me some tube amps and preamps that keep that liquid, warm, lush midrange of the mv-52, but add a little more power and dynamics? thanks a lot

jefftan January 23, 2007 07:57

Thanks a lot for the comments. I'm actually suprised that my system doesn't experience much bass problems and that it sounds pretty solid and not bloated from my listening position. The panels on the front, side, and back walls helped a little with the megaphone effect, butＩcan't make the room seem "not small", so Bman your help and comments are greatly appreciated. I'm going to try them as soon as I get home from vacation.
And Garry, the broken speaker driver on top of my cd player was actually FROM a party a year ago on my old energy veritas bookshelfs :)

Hope you guys have a great new year.

jefftan January 04, 2007 03:48