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I Feel Overwhelmed....Please Help

Hello, all.

I have recently decided to begin upgrading to stereo components around the entry level audiophile range, and move away from home theater stuff. I need help, as I had no idea until I began recently researching modern amps, preamps, integrateds, etc, just how huge the selection there is available.

Currently, I have the following:

Harman Kardon AVR 235 A/V receiver
Front L&R channels:
50 Watts per channel
@ <0.07% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms

Harman Kardon FL 8385 CD Changer

Klipsch KG 5.5 Floorstanding Speakers
frequency response 34Hz-20kHz±3dB
power handling 100 watts maximum continuous (500 watts peak)
sensitivity 98dB @ 1watt/1meter
nominal impedance 8 ohms
tweeter K-85-K 1" (2.54cm) Polymer dome compression driver
high frequency horn 90°x60° Tractrix® Horn
woofer Two K-1023-K 10" (25.4cm) Injected Carbon Graphite cones
Bass reflex via front-mounted port

Grado Labs SR325 Headphones

I use the receiver strictly for stereo music playback with my HK CD changer, or I play .flac or .mp3 files via input to the receiver from my computer sound cards optical digital output.

I want to keep my Klipsch speakers for now, along with my Grado cans, which I love. OTOH, I have not been particularly happy with the two HK components. Although the sound is not totally bad, it is a tad too bright, and it is fatiguing to listen over long periods of time. My room acoustics are not ideal either, with hardwood floors and drywall throughout. The listening rooms dimensions are 14'x13', with speaker placement along and near the corners of the 13' wall. At present, I cannot afford any of the acoustic treatments I see on the various internet sites.

From what I have seen so far, I think I would favor the warm, rich, clear sound of tube components. My Klipsch speakers are highly efficient at 8 ohms, so I should not need higher power, but I don't want to lose bass response either. I have not had much experience listening to higher end audio, but I really loved the sound of a friends McIntosh receiver (late 70's vintage), and another friends 60's vintage tubed HH Scott receiver, both systems paired with matching speaker pairs of the same brands respectively. Those experiences are why I believe I should really consider tube amps.

Would someone please be so kind as to suggest components that would allow me to play CD, CD-R, and digital music files based upon what I stated above? I suppose I could do without the ability to directly play back the digital files, but a CD player is a must have. Oh yeah, my budget is up to $3000, but I want to get as much as I can for the best possible price under that ceiling. Thanks.
chap_cat
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
06-20-08: Steidlguitars said:

"As much as I hate to agree with Dcstep (joke! really!),"

Understood.

As I said, some people enjoy playing around with tubes and our Chap-cat seems to be one of those. Hopefully his experience with tubes will be as good as mine (no failures over several years within my system -- knock wood) and he'll only experience the best of the "tube experience."

Dave
blindjim
3,092 posts
 
ONe good thing to have now or soon will be a good source for tubes. I've had great success with aNDY AT Vintage Tubes and THE FOLKS AT AES (Antique Electronic supply in Az.), as well as some private sellers here on the 'gone.

RCA & Telefunken 12AT's will also be worth investigating, as they too are along the same warm smooth sounding tubes as the Orange Amperexs. Both the Orange & Green label Amperex will produce a smoother richer sound than the Russian or Chinese tubes, IMO. That being said I do own some Russian EL 34 tbess, 'CED Winged C'.

ON the isolation and acoustic treatment front this guy here has done a wealth of investigating there and offers much info which is most helpful....

http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/index.htm

...from this site there are links, instructions, and so on to DIY many if not all of your acoustic treatments. if time is an issue there are those too that provide kits you only need to asemble and place such as...

http://atsacoustics.com/

Loads of other room treatment info & DIY stuff abound on the web and are not hard to find. Quite simple things by way of home furnishings can prove a real benefit too, such as Drapes, Tapestries, Area Rugs, plants (real or fake), etc.

Enjoy.
phaelon
1,052 posts
 

"I've had great success with aNDY AT Vintage Tubes"

I can second that.
chap_cat OP
28 posts
 
Well folks, I finally received all my components and furniture and finished setting it up last night. In addition to the JoLida JD302BRC int amp and the JoLida JD100 CDP, I purchased an APC H10 power conditioner, Wireworld Oasis 5 speaker cables, and Wireworld Equinox 5 interconnects. For furniture, I selected Studio Tech HF3 TV stand and matching HF4 audio component rack with heavy gauge steel tubing.

The StudioTech furniture went together easier than any I have ever assembled, not even requiring a single tool, and is very sturdy with excellent fit and finish. Each shelf easily holds the weight of any of my components.

I set up the power center, then hooked up all the other components. All went without a hitch, but I had to use my old speaker cable, Monster Cable original clear jacket heavy guage. Unfortunately, the Wireworld speaker cable that Walter at Underworld HiFi recommended for my system and my Klipsch speakers was for bi-wiring, and my speakers do not have that capability. The large spade terminals on the cables would not fit on the Klipsch binding posts, as they are too close together. I suppose I will have to try and find a buyer for the cables on Audiogon.

I fired up the components and checked my tube bias, and then selected as my first CD to listen to, Open Canvas' s/t album on the Waveform label. Anyone who is familiar with this label knows how beautifully produced their recordings can be. I was blown away right from the start with the difference in this system and my old HK system. It was superior in every facet, with the exception of deep bass, although close. The bass was much tighter, but not felt quite as much. Mids and highs were rich and detailed, in fact about as good as I have ever heard with speakers in this price range. The harshness I experienced with my old system was gone.

I also played Charles Mingus' "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady", Robin Trower's "Essential Robin Trower", Kate Bush's "Sensual World," and Massive Attack's "Mezzanine". The latter sounded just incredible. My only wish would be just a little more low end, especially on recordings such as Kate Bush's "Sensual World".

To you tube enthusiasts, what would you recommend as far as a tweak to have a little more bass? Should I try tube rolling, or just buy a good sub-woofer? The amp has the stock Chinese tubes, 4-EL34's, 2-12AX7's and 2-12AT7's.

Overall, I am very pleased. One other question though. I know there is a burn-in period. Can anyone give me an idea of just how much the sound quality should increase after the burn-in?
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Great report, thanks for getting back to us.

You'll gain another 5% or so with burn-in, generally. Some systems sound horrible right out of the box and gain a bunch, but the ones that sound good out of the box usually only gain a little more.

If you'd wanted bass, you should have gone SS!! Just kidding, kind of... ;-) (The tube-hugging, tube-rollers will help you improve your sound with some different tubes, just don't expect ALL the bass).

Dave
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