You could get a new DAC like a Topping D30 and use the Yamaha CD player as a transport. The Project TT is an entry-level product. Even the Pioneer PLX 1000 ($699) is significantly better! Cartridge choice is quite important here, along with the phono stage. An easy recommendation is a Hana SL ($700) mc into a Schiit Mani 2 ($160) plugged into an aux input on the Rotel preamp.
I am looking to upgrade - looking for advice
So I am the guy who recently asked if a Rotel 1572 preamp would work with a Parasound A21+ amp. So I was asking because I was thinking of upgrading my current amp which is a Rotel 1552. The rest of my system is Yamaha CD player and project turntable (both approx $400 each), Bluesound Node, and B&W 705 S2 speakers. Right now I primarily stream my music through the node. So I was interested in the next step to improvement and I thought it would be what the amplifier. After reading some of the posts on my original question (would the A21 work well with my Rotel preamp I am now thinking that I need to look at both the preamp and amp. Of course that is you agree with my assessment. Here are a few of the amps I was looking at: A21, Vincent SP-332, and Bryson 3b3. The preamps that were suggested all look outstanding: Benchmark LA4, Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3 and the Audionet Pre 1 G3. It looks like with these I would need to also get a DAC, not sure about the phono stage. Any advice is appreciated. I am knee to this.
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There are a lot of ways to go here and budget and component matching are going to be extremely important. I agree with @jasonbourne71 , your speakers may be your limiting step right now. B&W have a strong house sound and that sound, to me, is on the extremely revealing/bright side. Many B&W owners temper this by using a tubey sounding tube amp like a McIntosh. The biggest single contributed to how your system sounds is going to be good speakers. I might spend some time going around and listening to different speakers. Don't just listen for 5 minutes either, listen for as long as they'll let you. Speakers are like TVs at Best buy. They turn the brightness and contrast all the way up on those TVs to make them pop on the wall, but when you get them home you realize this hurts your eyes and adjust the settings. The brightest most detailed speakers will pop in the store but then when you return them home you may realize they are fatiguing. I say all this to say that make sure you have the right speakers before you go spending thousands on electronics that will never fix the problem. If you find you do like the speakers then what is your budget? I agree that changing your preamp would be the next step. There are lots of great units on the used market and that's where I'd look to get best bang for buck but first need to know how much you want to spend.
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Speakers are the most flawed devices. Yet offer the biggest improvement when changed. None of them sound exactly like real instruments and voices! Not even the $200K Wilson Chronosonics. With speakers it is often what you can tolerate over time. We all hear differently and have preferences for different aspects of frequency response, timbre and dynamic range. So the marketplace provides such a variety of speakers - from small shoe boxes to towering monoliths! |
I’m always amazed how many are devoted to the concept that spending (significantly) more money equals improved SQ. We all tend to agree that SQ is a perceptive concept, not an empirical one. Yet many espouse that the bigger hit to your credit card will automatically result in jaw dropping improvements. I respectfully and adamantly disagree. No one can tell you what to buy. Or what to spend to achieve your objectives. Only you can. Heck, most will suggest you buy what they have. Bottom line, your best bet is to try equipment of interest and decide for yourself. But don’t let the price tag be a basis for anticipated improvement. Sorry for being a grouch this morning. We ran out of coffee so I’m stuck with decaf. |
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