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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
jdwek
84 posts
 
I am not sure if it is the audio system that needs time to break in or perhaps it is us and our ears that do the breaking in. Sometimes, I have listened to a new component and been happy with it right away. Other times especially if like in this case itis the difference between bright and smooth, it takes a little time to appreciate it. I am not sure about this.
One thing I have been impressed with after reading these discussions for a bit now is how objectively complex as well as how subjectively complex the whole thing really is.
sean
6,231 posts
 
While i could be wrong about this, i think that the MF E-60 is actually a Marantz unit in terms of the actual "guts". Could be mistaken though, as i'm simply going on what someone else had mentioned somewhere down the line. Sean
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rmml's avatar
rmml
204 posts
 
I used to have the first Bel Canto Dac 1 and from memmory I remember that it sounds close to the warm and smooth side like somebody mentioned above. Partnered with a Theta Pearl transport and Sim Audio which also sounds towards the same warm and smooth camp, and a tiny bit rolled off highs, I can imagine how it sounds like it's lacking in detail and too laidback. I would agree with getting rid of the Cardas for starters,try some fast silver cables (Alpha Core Saphire,Siltech's). The D-60 is good I think. Brass points (the heavier the better,ie. Mapleshade tripple points) under the Theta Pearl will help also.I hope this helps.
gregm
3,404 posts
 
D-K: I use an "antistatic pistol" (the kind we used for LPs in the old times) on the casing and the cabling (including PCs) -- during system operation (low volume). But, my gear is ss: I would be wary of using the gun on the tubes during operation. There shouldn't be a problem on the cabling and the PCs, though.

Cheers!
gunbei OP
2,327 posts
 
Alright folks, I'm back. I appreciate all the great advice immensely.

Last night, I took out the Cardas L-15 and swapped it for the Illuminations D60. Before doing this I listened one more time with the Cardas still in the chain to make sure I wasn't imagining things. Yep, it still sounded like I was listening through a thick plastic bag. The Cardas were hard to remove, but the D60s as always, slid right and stopped with a positive click. No matter what I connect the D60 to, it always has that same perfect fit.

I fired up the same Diana Krall CD I had just listened to a minute ago with the L-15 and...Voila!! Clear, beautiful piano and that lovely voice of hers! My system never sounded this good. The overall presentation was still sometimes just slightly tipped up, but maybe it's because I was playing the dang thing so loud. I spent a couple hours playing with isolation tweaks, and I ended up with a completely different
scheme. The DAC 1.1 sounded much more open without the BrightStar Little rock beneath it. I ended the evening with Black Diamond Racing #3 Cones and Pucks under the Theta, which settled the sound some without deadening it. In the past, the BDR #3 Cones have always over-deadened the sound of my source or amp, but not the Theta.

This morning I fired up the same CD just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. And yes, it was just as nice. So I thought, "the D60 did the trick!" Just to be sure, I swapped the L-15 back into the system, and guess what? It sounded good too. So what does this tell you? Where did all that heavy sonic fog come from? Improperly installed digital cable? Freshly fired up component not quite up to speed? Static build up in shipping?

I'm sure somewhere within all the ideas posted here lies the reason[s] for what I experienced. The Theta Pearl with the Bel Canto is very much to my liking. I can only surmise that the reason for my experience was operator error. Or could it be that plugging and unplugging the cables helped to discharge any static build up in the coax plug? After all, the previous owner had this unit just sitting around.

What do you folks think? And thanks again for your very helpful suggestions.
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