Mixed Results from My Hifi


Hi all, I'm looking to get a more consistent sound from my system. Some CD's sound great. No complaints, others pretty mediocre. Most Jazz and smaller production CD’s sound wonderful, detailed, airy, all that audiophile stuff. But mass produced pop and rock are almost unlistenable. I call it the “wall of sound” syndrome, compressed, digital, bleah. The latest releases from Sheryl Crow, U2 and Coldplay sound awful (not withstanding anyone’s taste in music).

What can I do to improve the overall sound in my system so I can listen to all of my music? Add tubes, a new DAC?

I’m listening.
hammergjh
Aw, now Timrhu, this stuff's supposed to be very serious. You're having WAY too much fun there...what do you reccomend for a snack to improve sound staging?

No clue as to how tubes might lessen/modify the effects of compression, but then again I wasn't one to make that suggestion. I would like to know more about that desert topping myself. I do think that tubes do tend to take the edges off the harshness of some rock, or music with extreme dynamics, but I don't know if that's what folks who appreciate that type of music really want. In general, tubes tend to sound a bit lagging in speed while, in general, SS keeps up with fast, congested, complex music a bit better to my ears, which leaves me tending to prefer SS when listening to the limited amount of that type of material I enjoy. Otherwise I like the softer edge of tubes for most of my musical tastes. I imagine it has something to do with the way the two handle clipping and add certain types of distortion and feedback to the signal. One only need look at a sine wave produced by each to note a marked difference in how each handle a signal. But what I really understand about the physics of all of it can fit on the tip of a stylus. My guess'd be that the tube advocates here are ignoring the very specific hurdle of the compressed signal / wall of sound, and focusing on the kinder, gentler, take-the-edge-off school of thought that might suggest that listening to music with lots of extremes densely packed into a Tazmo / Whirling Dervish package is easier on the ears with tubes.

Now I'm just waiting for the cable camp to chime in! The discussion's just not complete without a good hearty debate on power cords and speaker cable....ohhh and let's not forget power conditioning! You guys are slipping!

Marco
Had you considered a digital EQ,to EQ the bad recordings and run bypassed on the good ones?
Tpsonic, not sure what you're referring to. "Digital EQ to EQ". What devices do you have in mind.

To update a bit, I went to Spearitsound in Boston and listened to a handful of CDP's. A nice alternative I found was the McCormack UDP-1. I con't care about the SCD and DVD-A playback, but the CD playback was smooth and detailed. Sibilance was reduced to near insignificance. Sounded pretty damn good for a mere 2500 bucks on close out. Conrad Johnson owns McCormack now. The updated UDP-1 is 4 grand.
I changed from SS to Tubes, because all the music just sounded kind of harsh. I have tried KT66 SE, 2A3 SET, a 5881 push pull but have become hooked on a EL34 based unit. They all sounded quite different, but the EL34s just sound so gutsy. I have regained my love for listening again. Now that I have gotten older, 47, tubes just sound less harsh to me.

Audiogon has allowed me to try out equipment and find what was right for me. I still recommend changing your room, more damping material.
"Audiogon has allowed me to try out equipment and find what was right for me." AYe-men, Brah!