2. cables
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Need cable to soften brightness just a little?

Would appreciate some hand holding on solving a small problem. I think a different cable interconnect might be what I need. Right now I am using Blue Jeans interconnects.

Have three new variables in our TV Stereo system.
New Oppo UDP-205
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp
Pioneer SX-1050 Stereo Receiver (bypassing it’s preamp)

Still in use is the Arcam SR250 AV Receiver.
Speakers are floor standing Spendor FL-6.

I am an opera lover and classical music devotee and like really good audio. The Arcam SR250 is just perfect for ordinary tv watching, but I soon found out it can’t equal the musicality of a good stereo receiver, so I rigged up a way of using my Audiomat Arpege tube amp for musical program listening.   But  I just found a better use for the Arpege and decided to replace it with the Musical Fidelity Preamp and the Pioneer Receiver.   The Oppo is just a few days old as well, replacing an Oppo BDP-83SE.

There is a big improvement in clarity of spoken dialogue.
Everything sounds brighter and clearer and there is an unmistakable sense of power from the much more powerful Pioneer.
Musically it is harder to evaluate. At first there was a feeling of “wow, major improvement”, but on further listening it feels a little bright. Might be the sort of brightness that causes music fatigue.

How do I take just a little of the edge off the brightness without losing the wonderful clarity I’m getting?

And how to go about figuring out which of the three is causing that little bit of edginess.


128x128echolane
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,351 posts
 
I agree with others to give things a some time, however if you want to try a different cable, I suggest getting a pair of Mogami cables, using either the w2534 or w2549. The w2549 is a twisted pair and the w2534 is a star quad design. Your Blue Jeans cable is a coaxial design. From working in the audio industry for ~25 years, I definitely gained experience with many different cables, and the twisted pair and star quad designs, regardless of brand, have always been my preference. The Mogami cables are available for custom build in many places on the internet, custom lengths, custom color cable or connector. Splitting hairs, but I prefer the w2534, seems to be a slight bit more relaxed. Price should be less than $50/pair including shipping, but make sure you are getting a pair. If you see $15-$20, that's likely a single cable. Being in this hobby, it's always a good idea to have a spare cable, and the Mogami is a good one.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@echolane Agree on the long break in for the 205, but I am surprised no one has brought up the difference in sound between your 83SE to the 205. It's a significant change. 

Also, your HDMI cable may be contributing factor, and not in a positive way.
echolane's avatar
echolane OP
111 posts
 
The one I’ve always had problems understanding is the mystery of  burning in. Maybe  it helps to have an EE degree,which I certainly dont have, Or just some deeper knowledge of the behavior of electronic parts at the electron level.  

It doesn’t help when you read stories about how inconclusive are the results of double blind listening tests of interconnects. 

 Nevertheless, I became a “can’t hurt to try” believer reading posts about Yggdrasil DACs.  When you read over and over again how awful they sound straight out of the new box they come in and how dramatic is their improvement with just a few days of burning in, it’s hard not to lose one’s skepticism .  I have a friend who was a notorious skeptic about power conditioners.  Until he tried one.  It wasn’t even one of the ultra expensive ones.  In his system, which he knows very very well, he was blown away by the dramatic difference.  I’ve yet to experience that sort of a dramatic epiphany, but perhaps it’s because I’ve done very little experimenting that way.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@echolane  To clarify, you should have a sense of what the Oppo 205 is about within two days of run time. You bring up the Yggdrasil, which in my opinion requires a really long break in. Just want to be sure you know that the 205 doesn't require anything like that.
echolane's avatar
echolane OP
111 posts
 
I’m listening now after about 48 hours of continuous play.  Too soon to be sure, but my first impression is there has been some improvement, though I’m not sure how much.  I need much more time for listening to a range of familiar music programming.

david-ten pointed out one of the more significant changes, moving out the Oppo 83SE in favor of the Oppo 205.  I would be horribly disappointed if there weren’t a big change!  I was probably too impatient as  I should have waited to move in the Pioneer and the Musical Fidelity until I had listened to the new Oppo.

As an aside, I learned something important after I bought the SE.  It was much touted for its special analog section (the SE part), and it was the reason I paid its premium price, but when my audio guy opened it up to put in the all region kit for me, he almost sneered when he saw the power supply, a switch mode instead of the superior linear power supply.  I was pleased to learn the 205 does not have an inferior power supply - it surely ought to sound better.
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