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
hegelsjh
16 posts
 
Echolane, I'm having a difficult time envisioning how all the components in your system are being swapped out and interacting without first drawing a massive diagram on my wall ; )

Let's go back to David's point about the differences between the two Oppos. Do you still have the 83 so that  you can see how it works with the Pioneer?  And secondly, is there a standalone DAC anywhere in your system, or is/was everything played through one of the Oppos?  If you don't have a standalone DAC, then the Oppo switch is a major sonic  change for your system and could very well be the source of the brightness.  For a DAC, I use a Metrum Onyx and before that an MHDT Havana, both of which are non-oversampling, since my ears are very prickly in response to to certain types of digital processing.   If you do isolate the Oppo as the problem area, then you might want to consider a good power cable rather than the stock one and then swap in some smooth ICs for your preamp and amps.  
echolane's avatar
echolane OP
104 posts
 
I must agree. My system setup is confusing!

Just to turn things on I have to follow this routine. All but the last two steps have their own remote control to pick up and put down.  I’ve wanted to invest in a Neeo for some time.

  • Turn on TV
  • Turn on Arcam
  • Turn on DISH DVR.

If I prefer to bypass the Arcam for audio (which so far I do)
  • Turn on Musical Fidelity
  • Turn on Pioneer
  • Mute Arcam

In the background are these sources.
Arcam can switch between all of them, mostly via HDMI
All sources (except Roku) have RCA Audio interconnects to Musical Fidelity Preamp
  • Oppo DVD UDP-205
  • DISH DVR
  • ROKU Ultra
  • Pioneer Laser Disc CLD-99
  • Panasonic VHS/DVD

echolane's avatar
echolane OP
104 posts
 
I think it’s time to just listen for awhile.  A couple of weeks at least.  Become more familiar with how  the new components are sounding and let them settle in.  

Just last night, listening to the music of Tosca via satellite TV I felt the extra brightness had gone.  I also felt there was considerably less difference between the Arcam and the Pioneer.  That suggests the Oppo was responsible for the brightness.  But I need to listen more.

Eventually, I could bring the older Oppo back for comparison. 
Eventually, I could bring back my tube amp, the Audiomat Arpege, for comparison.

Then, and only then, should I consider making any changes in cable, or speaker wire or conditioners, etc.




hegelsjh
16 posts
 
That's a sensible approach, but I was just trying to pinpoint where the digital-analog conversion process was taking place in your various watching/listening scenarios.  Since there doesn't seem to be a standalone DAC, the sound is likely to change depending upon which piece of equipment is being used to convert the digital signal. 
echolane's avatar
echolane OP
104 posts
 
Hegelsjh, you are addressing my weakest area. I’ve almost no experience with a stand-alone DAC. Let’s see if I see your point: which I think is that if all digital audio passed through a common DAC it would all sound much more similar. Is that right? I confess, if I had one, I. wouldn’t know even how to use it in my TV system.

I do own one standalone DAC, an Audio Alchemy DDP-1 that I’m using for my computer audio system via SPDIF instead of USB. In buying it, I discovered an extremely complicated world that taxes my aging brain considerably! I need a second one for my living room system and I absolutely dread the prospect of choosing one. I must say that I don’t feel at all prepared to think about one for the complicated TV system!


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