I am a 21 year old music lover an audiophile. I have enjoyed music since i was very young. My first system was part hand-me-downs, and cheap low-fi electronics. The speakers were Acoustic Research Ar 3A, Walkman, and Klh reciever. My horizons lengthened and recently i was able to go audio shopping. I went to Audio Consultants (Evanston Il)and auditioned a few speakers. I fell in love with the Thiel 2.4's. I wanted to look around a little more so i decided to go to Saturday Audio Exchange (Evanston Il) I listened to Spendor S5e- they were amazing!
I felt that the Spendor's had a very "Organic" sound, which i loved. I then considered what music I listen to, which includes Classical, Baroque, Classic Rock, etc..., after this consideration i felt that the Thiels were better matched to my tastes. (Dont get me Wrong, I loved the Spendors, plus their less expensive)
Great Pre-Amp, Very detailed and transparent. I highly recommend it, it even has a remote for volume and mute!
Bryston 3B-SST
Great Amp, Very powerful, also very transparent. Lots of bass, and a very fluid midrange. Drives 4 Ohm speakers easily
Thiel Audio CS 2,4
Wonderful speakers, time and phase aligned, 87-88 dB efficent Needs lots of power. I fell in love with these speakers, great midrange, very quick. I am not dissapointed with them at all
Transparent Audio Link 100
basic interconnct, much better than generic stuff. i would highly suggest them if your on a budget.
Transparent Audio Wave 200
Speaker cables, better than generic. I would highly suggest. They lowered the noise floor and provided more bass than generic.
Transparent Audio Balanced Music Link
Between pre and power amps. Still breaking in the cable, but so far it sounds wonderful. It adds quickness and a new demension to the music.
Panamax Max 4310
Just a regular power conditioner, i just wanted some assurance because i have a 110 year old house with poor wiring. (Just to be safe)
Grado Prestige Gold
Good Beginner Cartridge, very natural sounding. Typical "Grado" sound, I highly suggest
welcome to our world. enjoy it and take your time.many of us have taken a life time to achieve what many will never understand, Audio Nirvana... pitty for them as they will never grasp what we do. we are a small yet elite group of people, and for that i am thankfull that audiogon exists. cherish and enjoy it with health and loved ones .
So after being away from these forums for almost 5 years I have a little update. Ive moved to a slightly better location with a room which allows the speakers to breathe more. Also, I have acquired a Rega P3 turntable (same Grado Gold cartridge). I still own all the same equipment but have added a Music Hall DAC (CD->DAC->Pre-amp) which really improves the system. I am still considering a tubed Pre-amp; around $2,300-2,800. I am considering Rogue Audio Perseus, HiFi Supply Tram Mk2 DHT OTL Preamplifier, Dared MC-7p. possibly splurge and look at the Manley Shrimp. I have not had the opportunity to audition any in home or at the local audio stores. I would love your thoughts and recommendations.
Pound for pound the Jolida's are some of the best bets around. I was just kidding around really, it's already a great system. I'm curious to see how the cleaning machine works.
Hello everyone, I apologise about not being able to be on Audiogon lately- I have been on vacation for a long time. In response to comments, I have not yet compleated the record cleaning machine (It is coming along, but i'll say its of proto-type quality) I will get pictures in a few weeks (still on vacation) Designing the cleaner head was very interesting, I decided to use a fabric which i used to re-grill my old AR3A's, it is very similer to the fabric used on Thiel speakers. I havent found a way to stop static electricity from getting on the record. I hope when i put wet cleaner (Last) on the record it shouldnt have a problem. If it does then i might as well get an anti-static gun.
I would still suggest you try a tube preamp- I orginally has a Jolida 102b- My first tube equipment, as well as first try at high end audio. The sound was great even for a product so cheap ($500.00) It was fairly powerful, but not enough for the AR3a's or the Thiel's, so i had to give it away. Keep in mind it was an integrated amp- but it did have a tube'd preamp section. If you look at VTL, Conrad Johnson, or BAT- all have very nice gear. I cant recommend model names, but if you have a chance to hear them, then do it.
Jack667- do you enjoy your system? I bet you do, so being 20(like myself) and having actual hifi is pretty damn good. i always think how fortunate i am for "getting" into this hobby now (i will thank my brother for that) and not ten years down the road. Just think what we will have then!!!
Hey, Im having fun tweaking everything. I wanted to try vinyl, so might as well start with what i already have, a solid vintage Dual. I will upgrade when i believe it is necessary. Now I just need more time to appreciate my system-I'd like to hear differnces between cables. cheers
I also had a dual when I was in high school at age 16...a 1248 handed down from my dad. Now, eight years later it is but a memory, but a good one at that.
Actually, I would say my silver Harmonic Tech's were worth the 200 bucks. It kills me to say it, but it's true. The hundred dollar ones were probably worth $80.
I would like to first spend some money on cables for my front end. I am thinking around $200, at most $325. Later on i will get on for my preamp, then i'll probably make a DIY cable for the amp (wattgate plugs, moderatly expensive cable from parts express : http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=100-790&raid=53&rak=100-790 Right now im just trying to improve my system on the cheap. considering my components I think it is right to at least enjoy it for what it is, and not change components each month. ...for now :-)
From your mini-review, yes i can tell you like them. I dont know of any dealers in my area, I much prefer to "try before you buy" - I havent yet convinced myself that a cable is worth 200 dollars, i need to hear it to believe it. (but yes, i have convinced myself that there is a difference in interconnects and speaker cables.
How much are you looking to spend on each cable and how many cables are you looking for? PS Audio is the only PC i have heard in my system so keep that in mind. the reason i went with my PS power cables was because of the huge improvement i heard from one of there Plasma power cables. The build quality of the cables looks very nice and even more so for their low price. Used and they are even more of a bargain in my opinion. If you do go the PS route i would recommend buying one that has the new softer jacket. I have three of the old harder jacket ones and one soft and its by far the best to work with and look at. Plus the removable ground pin is nice. Can you tell i like them? ha ha
I will try some different power cords, PS audio, shuntaya, nordost etc... I would like to hear the difference between them. I was looking at the general build of the Transparent audio cords, they didnt look that good of build quality. but i shouldnt judge a book by its cover. I normally do not listen to my records with the dust cover on. I put in the dust cover after every listen. thanks
i noticed you have the dust cover on your player. Do you keep it on all the time? if so try removing it and give a listen. You could be adding vibration by keeping it on during playback.
Actually pictures in frames (an irregular surface is good actually) will readily deflect, although fabric is best. You could put a throw carpet on the floor also - if you are in a larger building your power may actually be better as the step ups for the building are designed to meet much higher demand. I would maybe hunt around on the net for a power socket - partsconnexion or soniccraft have different types. All good choices, I personally would go with rhodium. With a good power cord or set of cords, it will be a much truer sounding system, but it may take going back to something else after a few weeks to really notice it - this was my experience with my first set of interconnects, and then they get hard to live without. Let us all know how it works out after you get everything tuned up. I sense you may be the next Rick Rubens...
Well, I cant really relocate my room, but our family is moving in 2 years. I have already chosen a room, about 14x20x9. It is downtown on a very quiet street (No traffic- can you imagine that downtown?) It is a new construction, but i didnt have them put in a dedicated line (didnt know i would be so into audio back then) I he no problem installing a new wall socket (PS audio, etc) Wall treatments will be a problem though, this will be very hard to get my parents to allow me to do this. the reason is they LOVE pictures, they hang so many pictures on the wall it makes the wall look ugly. If i can get my hands on some good quality sound absorbers that are swede and look nice, then this could be a possibility. typical egg foam, or stuff used in recording booths wont pass the "parent test" (including bass traps and the like...)
Good power is always a must - if you are really curious, go to where ever the fuse box is and see how many other appliances, etc., are on the same fuse as your system. Then see if you can get your system onto its own fuse. Tell your parents it's a safety feature, which btw, is true. That will help the most. Buying a rhodium or silver-plated socket for the actual wall terminal would be my next purchase. Then I would worry about "after the wall" power regulation; it's crazy to have a power monitor after the wall if you haven't prepped the house power supply before it exits the wall. But actually, I would go to Radioshack and buy a dB meter and get a couple of wall treatments. A good room should come next (first if possible but you may not be able to do this part since you aren't paying the rent I assume; my parents would never have gone for it) - there's a guy here on 'gon in "All Out Assualt" called "the room is the thing" - there's a link to an article he wrote on building a true listening room. GREAT article: LINK. I would also take a look at some of the little pamphlets, articles, manuals even on Manley Labs website. They do pro stuff as well as geek and it will give you a real sense of what will do you some good from a pro perspective. Basically flat reflective surfaces are your enemy, and a dB meter will tell you how badly the room reflections are damaging your primary imaging. It's a cool toy too for $20.; take it outside and see how noisy your neighborhood is, or which side of the house gets the most noise, figure out where your room should be for the quietest background. If you aren't already in that room, start by hanging protective wall treatments on that noisy side. Plus, if you have ever heard different speakers in an anechoic chamber, you would be surprised by how different they can sound in a natural environment - bad speakers sometimes sound halfway decent in an ok room; but good speakers, good room, then you are talking. And you have good speakers. You could spend two or three hundred bucks this way, assuming your parents don't mind, or will help you, with putting in a different power socket, and hanging the treatments. Otherwise, yes, a powercord would help. But first I would try the other bits.
When i purchased power cables it unlocked a whole level of bass response, transparency and increase in detail. i havent heard Transparents pc's but im very happy with my PS Audio cables. in my opinion though, i would go get a record cleaning brush so you can get rid of all the dust and junk thats in the grooves prior to playing. youll hear a large difference with just a dry brushing.
Well, my parents first cartridge was a Shure VN35HE- which i believe was a DJ cart. The stylus was non-existant when i minally looked at it. It was also out of alignment. I revamped everything when i got my new cartridge, tracking, anti-skateing, alignment, etc... I have two exact same Peter, Paul and Mary CD/LP's which I would like to try an AB comparison. From recordings which i have listened to, but do not own on CD;s but instead LP's- the difference is amazing. I am happy in every way.
On another note, I was talking to my friends at Audio Consultants, I asked them what the most cost effective upgrade to my system was. (Ayre CDP is NOT cost effective) they said a power cable, such as a Transparent Audio cable for around 200 dollars. do you guys believe this is the best upgrade? I did dampen the vibration on my cd player with a mod similer to cutting the tennis balls in half and sticking them under the cd player. I am thinking I will worry about tweaks like thouse, vibration dampening, etc later.
That kind of wear is sort of unusual - I would make sure if you are going to start playing new records that the cart, arm and plinth are in total alignment. There are tools or simple tricks if you read through 'gon. I often buy used records, and have only had the problem that once. If the records were worn on that table, I would be willing to bet it was a low quality cart or a slightly tilting shelf or rack, probably over years, not plays. The Grado shouldn't be a prob - I agree that Bryston's phono is top notch. Buy some new stuff and enjoy. Not anemic sounding or anything? Have you tried the CD v. Vinyl of the same issue recording yet?
