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What would you upgrade in this system?

I am new to the audiophile world (and to Audiogon), I am on a limited budget (don’t want to spend more than $1000), and I am seeking advice on what I should think about upgrading next.

My room is small (10.5 feet X 10.5 feet) with a very tall ceiling (10-12 feet high). There are some built in bookshelves on one half of one side of the room (to the right of the listening position), and a large window currently covered by blinds on the other side, requiring me to tow in the speakers toward the listening position for the best sound. I can only put my system along the wall that the doorway is on. The room is carpeted. I am probably only about 6-7 feet from the speakers. Given the above and my equipment (described below), where do you think my money would be best spent? BTW, I prefer analog to digital (though I like both), and I listen to various kinds of music, including classical, jazz, hard rock/metal, and electronica. I would prefer getting the most out of my classical recordings in particular.

Here is what I have…..

-Nottingham Horizon SE with Rega RB250 Arm (and Clear Audio Turbo Counterweight)
-Benz Micro MC Gold Cartridge
- CEC 3300R CD player
-CEC Amp3300R integrated amp
-Project Tube Box SE phonostage
-Sound Dynamics 300TI speakers (one pair) on Omnimount 300-24” Stands
-Tara Labs Vector 1 balanced XLR interconnect for CD player to integrated amplifier
-Tara Labs RSC Prime Generation 2 -RCA Interconnects for phonostage and DVD player to integrated amplifier
-TARA Labs/SMA ESP speaker cable (with banana plugs) custom made
-PS Audio Quintet AC conditioner
onip
schipo
1,268 posts
 
I would upgrade the phono stage. Then a little down the road the 300ti speakers. I have them the 300ti but after listening to other offerings, they are somewhat rough around the edges.
dfhaleycko
178 posts
 
Your room is nearly a cube. That's going to give you some huge bass modes and holes. I'd spend a lot of time moving the speakers around (get rid of everything else in the room for a weekend). I had a room like that and ended up with the speakers firing diagonally across the room. Worked great for me. Room treatments might help too (I like RealTraps).

If you're committed to spending money on equipment, you'll get by far the biggest impact with different speakers. Your CEC amp should have enough guts to work with a set of Magneplanar MMG's, less than $600 factory-direct. One major advantage of planars is the way they load up bass in a room. They are also much less picky about sidewall reflections. Nearfield listening with MMG's is really special. They are spectacularly "real" sounding. You can take advantage of the factory free 30 day trial to see for yourself.

The Maggies will need to be out from the walls a bit, which may make them non-starters for you. In my similarly small room, it was dedicated to music, so I could get away with it. Read up on the MMG's. Hard to get much better sound for less than a grand! Eventually you can add a sub, some MYE stands, and you'll be in high-end heaven!

HTH!
tweak1
3,655 posts
 
Very nice system. I agree that the speakers are the weak link, though far from terrible. I am a Maggie owner, love that ribbon. But you can get ribbons elsewhere. The new Carver ribbon sat/sub system could well fit you room dimensions.
tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
Speakers,I would look at one with a first-order crossover or 1st order with none on the mids.This will allow better integration of the sound,over a shorter distance.
onip OP
2 posts
 
Thanks very much for all of the responses. I am leaning toward speakers or a phonostage, but I can't do maggies since I am not in a completely dedicated room. Any more suggestions on phonostages or speakers, even if it costs a little more than a grand?
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