What is wrong with my system?
Hi everyone -
I’m posting here because individually I think my components are all good, but together my system is not making music, rather is is making bright bass less noise. Honestly, I’m thinking it’s no one component, but the matching of components that is causing this issue. I would like to get everyone’s opinion as to what I’m hearing. My components are as follows:
B&W 802D (first generation diamond)
Audioquest bi-wired Indigo speaker cables
Classe CAM-200 monoblock amplifiers
Audioquest Water XLR interconnect
Bryston BP26 preamp
Audioquest Water XLR interconnect
Mark Levinson 5100 cd player (PCM slow minimum phase)
thanks in advance.
Mark Levinson 5100 CD player
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- 109 posts total
Here's an inexpensive experiment for you to try. Are you woofers putting out much sound? Years ago I had B&W N800's bi wired and bi-amped. Tubes on top, SS on the bottom. Eventually Killed it all as no sound benefit. Suggest you clear the air on connections, cable issues and a possible impedance miss-match to your amp from bi-wire. Get some old, regular speaker cables or even lamp cord and put the links back on your speakers. Hook the speakers up straight and listen for a bit. You may be pleasantly surprised at the increase in sound quality balance and can shop for some warmer regular speaker cables. Good luck. |
Get rid of the Bryston. Try a Classe preamp. Matched components matter.Utter nonsense. Bryston makes some of the most musical amplifiers and products extant. I don't own any, but I worked in great studios with a wall of Brystons. One of the worst systems I ever heard had Classe components. I've also heard Classe systems to die for. |
@kymanor1 - one line zingers are tiresome. This wiring is ILLEGAL: "I have 2 dedicated lines, each has its own breaker, they share only the ground wire. Electrician installed. Silent background." from Audiogon Discussion AC Dedicated Line. Please go away until you have something valid to contribute
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B&W are voiced for a ’noticeable’ top-end so in a demo against other speakers they stand out. Today the race is on for detail,detail and detail and you unfortunately have a system that is showcasing this. The advice to change caps can be ignored at this stage. I am big into the improvement caps can make but you need to get system balance first. Cables, vibration control, etc. all help and in some cases make huge differences and those too are for experimenting with after the system is performing to the point where you are enjoying it. There have been suggestions to change the pre-amp which I agree with but, again, later, after, after what? Your room. You have not described your room nor mentioned if you have any room treatments. I suspect you don’t. This is important: You will have no happiness unless you treat the room, FACT! People in the main simply can not conceptualise the importance and effect it has. I can assure you that a system worth 1/3 of yours in a correctly treated room will outperform it to the point your jaw will hit the floor. It was suggested you move the speakers. To prove my point leave the speakers where they are for now and go stand in a solid corner at the back wall and you will hear bass. Big B&W have bass and you are probably sitting in a null. Null? ... look it up. A DBA will also help with smoothing out peaks and nulls which not only cleans up bass but mids and tops as well. True story. Consider why you have been asked more than once to describe or post pics of your room. Does this not ring alarm bells that acoustics may be important? It is more than that, it is the sole determinant of good sound. |
- 109 posts total