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
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!!!
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 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.
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.
Please keep in mind i am new with vinyl as well. therefore i dont have any recommendations on cleaning fluid, sorry.The reason i went with the expensive Zerodust stylus cleaner is that i felt i could to the least harm to anything by just dipping the tip of the stylus in a gel and it seems to do a good job of cleaning.
Wwwrecords- Thanks for the recommendation for the DIY record cleaning machine. Would it be possible to see some pictures of yours?
do you have a record brush or stylus cleaner? You should pick those up, improve you sound and slow the wear on your brand new stylus. i like my "Decca" brush and i opted for the Zerodust stylus cleaner.
i agree with Biomimetic, get into vinyl. You wont be disappointed. My Project table is bottom of the barrel but has been the most satisfying purchase yet.
Thanks for the input. I beleive this weekend i will be able to demo the BAT. My local dealer is small so he dosent have alot on hand to audition. i am positive that i will find my sound, it may just take longer than i had imagined.
Nice system! I have a 2BSST paired with a PS Audio PCA-2 pre and i think its a little too bright. Im sitting in the nearfield which isnt helping things. My question is with your Bryston/Bryston combo do you think it sounds bright? Im trying to find synergy and dont know if the pre or the amp or both need to go to find the warmth i want. I will be demoing a BAT int. soon that should help me figure things out. Any opinions will be appreciated.
