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Confused By A Transport Upgrade

Dear Forum Members:

I just got a used Theta Pearl CD transport on monday. The change in sound from my previous transport[CD player actually] is so dramatic, I don't know what to make of it. In the course of trying to building a nice musical system I've experimented with different speaker cables and interconnects and isolation tweaks, but nothing has made such a dramatic change as adding this transport.

My system is comprised of Sim Audio Moon I-5 integrated, Musical Fidelity E60 CD player, Bel Canto DAC 1.1, Sonus Faber Concertinos and ProAc Tablette Signature 50s. I have added these pieces incrementally starting with the MF E60 three years ago, then the Concertinos a year and a half ago. The Moon I-5 arrived last August. I just received the Bel Canto and the ProAcs last month.

Since the beginning my system has always been on the bright side. In order to combat this characteristic I have experimented with different interconnects and digital cables eventually settling on the relaxing Cardas Golden Cross and L-15. I also upgraded DH Labs Silversonic T14 speaker cables to Analysis Plus Oval Nines. These changes have helped somewhat, but still the occasional nasties remained.

The Theta Pearl is a solid piece of gear using the Pioneer stabile platter mechanism with the CDs inserted label side down. Before hooking it up, I played 3 CDs I'm pretty familiar with through the MF just so I could have a fresh taste of the 'ol transport before getting down to business with my new toy. When I started playing the first CD in the Theta I was shocked at the Jekyll and Hyde difference between the two players. In comparison to my MF E60, the Theta is leagues softer, and fuller in the midrange, almost to the point of sounding muffled. CD after CD I kept thinking to myself that I had lost a ton of detail and information.

Now here's my question. Have I become so accustomed to a thin sounding, overly bright, and falsely detailed system so much so, that a well regarded transport such as the Theta Pearl sounds, dare I say wrong to me? I've been searching for a non-fatiguing system for so long, and now that I have it, I yearn for the lifelike energy that some of my CDs exhibited when played through my $500 MF. While it was often thin and bright sounding, it sometimes created spookily real instrumentation and voices.

I'm now contemplating a reverse change in my interconnects, speaker and digital cables. I have a run of Kimber Illuminations D60, so I'll see what that does. Will it restore some life in my system? Maybe all the Cardas are wrong in this setup. Should I change the AP Oval 9s to Silver Ovals?

What have I done wrong? Help!!
gunbei
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
My guess is that the Theta is doing a great job..and the
rest of your system has been made a bit soft by some of the
other choices. You might want to try just one change at
a time with some cables..and see where that takes things.
I have had excellent results with the Nordost Silver Shadow
and a stable platter transport. Other thoughts would be
trying Nirvana SL or SX or Wireworld Gold Eclipse
interconnects. A question, did you have the DAC-1.1 from
the start or did you have a DAC-1 upgraded?
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,598 posts
 
Hi Gunbei: The D60 should certainly liven things up a bit (probably a good thing that you held on to it). All of my digital equipment also sounds a bit muted (less detail) when it comes up from a cold start and offers more detail in approx. 3 days (though it does sound better in just 24 hours). I just mentioned, because of this, in the "CA Power" thread, that I always keep the digital stuff powered up (even when changing IC's - I am just very careful when doing so). Perhaps by Thursday or Friday (keep it powered up 7/24) you will be experiencing more detail. Another odd thing about equipment that has recently been shipped is that it seems to arrive with some type of charge to it (maybe static). This is very noticeable to me on recently acquired tubes (which attract dust like a magnet for a few days and then it wears off). Maybe this charge is generated by all of the machinery, sorting belts and scanners involved in transportation (I really don't know) but it is a real phenomena as when I clean the outside of the tubes with anti static wipes (that I also use on my eye glasses) it cuts the startup noise (created by the charge?) almost in half.
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Ditto, D-K on the static and regarding the 7/24 power on. With me however, the more beneficial results of power on have been with the DAC rather than the transport... Maybe there's a transport -- DAC mismatch.

You'll know, playing with cables and giving the Pearl time to optimise operation.

Good luck!
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