Shelf Material - Neuance

Hmmm...still enjoying Neuance under my CDP, but am finding nirvana elusive. Whereas top end distortions seem mitigated, and PRAT is superb, I'm still bothered by leanness, especially noticeable on massed strings. I notice that when I pay attention I can successfully dismiss it, but find that it calls attention to itself more obviously when my sensoria are multiplexed (such as when reading). I originally attributed this stingy stringiness (say five times fast!) to the software, but then was disappointed by massed strings on Ref Rec's Respighi (Bravura) disc. Maybe I still need to chase a warmer IC for my CDP (still Red Dawn)?.........Ken mentioned a 2-3 day break-in requirement; sometimes I just want to go shake the damned thing into final-fractal-residual-resolution, and hope it fattens up a bit! So interesting that other instruments are timbrally more honest than before, however.
I'll try to get back to critical listening. Bought a few other recent Ref Recs: whereas the dynamics and horn choirs on the Copeland/Oue are stupendous, again the massed strings are pretty searing...anybody else notice this? Bonsoir.
Note that Neuance is REALLY light. Mark: I'm using a smaller
Mark IV mounted on 3 spikes tightly screwed through my shelf (per Ken's instructions). I tried cones under the CDP, but couldn't really hear an apparent difference compared to the Rotel's stock HARD feet. Interesting that I STRONGLY prefer
old Rotel 855 and Neuance to Bel Canto and DVD, eh?
.......PS Anyone got a favorite Mahler 8? I'm actually a bit disappointed in the remastered 24/96 Solti on Decca. If that's the best they can do I can't imagine how bad the original was! I hear there's a Chailly/Concertgebouw debuting in March that's impressive...oops!--sorry to fall off-thread.

Hi Ernie,
Try moving your speakers an inch or two closer to the wall.In may need to optimize for the tauter presentation that Neuance provides as "bloom" and "overhang" are reduced.
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Another posibility is that your present IC's were chosen to compensate for missing detail and air that the platform is now allowing to be revealed.
I'd recommend,for starters, that you investigate Harmonic Tech Truthlinks,Cabletalk Monitor 2.1's or other brands of pacey interconnects that do not feature an upward tilt in the high registers to give the *illusion* of speed/air/detail.
Best,
Ken

Subaruguru: Did you use the Bel Canto with the Neuance shelf, or are your comments in regard to the unit without this isolation component? Just curious as I will be trying the Canto with Neuance shelving and a CAL player/transport shortly. I am hoping to eliminate the use of cone points by using the Neuance shelving, which sounds promising so far from both your comments and those of RedKiwi. I live in LA and using cone points is too precarious for me and my equipment considering how the "earth move(s) under my feet" on occasion (bad song and bad joke).

Hi Dekay. No, I demoed the 'Canto before the Neuance. My disappointment with the DAC motivated me to improve my old CDP via isolation/coupling schemes. Isn't BC redesigning the DAC with a quieter power supply or something? I'm curious to see if you find the 'Canto "whitish" up top. Y'know, like a bright fog. The Rotel 991 seemed to mimic that coloration when its adjustable dither was maxed. I don't know how else to describe it. Maybe the Neuance will sort out its details more cleanly so that it doesn't sound lean and ill-focused up top. Good luck.

Hi Ernie: Thanks for the quick response. I read in an online pro review that the Canto sounded best when placed directly on MDF. Well, not in my world as this was the worst sound that I had with it. I have found it to sound best (from what I have avaialable) on Mapleshade cone points with a top weight but have had a hell of a time keeping it positioned on them due to a heavy PC, the recent space shuttle sonic boom, me being clumbsy, etc. Today I received and assembled a Studio Tech rack from Audio Advisor and just need to take it to my mechanic to have the shelf brackets mig welded to the posts. This rack is not on the Neuance "hit" list but once welded into a one piece frame should work very nicely as it already has upturned spikes for the shelves to rest on. The rack was only $150 on closeout and I coudn't see spending $250-$350 more for similar one piece racks (without the spikes that I would have had to retro fit) when all that this shelf needed was 32 mig welds (8 per shelf). The next step will be the Neauance shelves (just two to start as I am low on funds). I had hoped to place both my small tube amp and the DAC on the top shelf together, but don't know if this is a good idea. The second from the top shelf will be for the transport/player. I was quite amazed by the quality of the Studio Tech rack as all of the shelves meet metal to metal with the support posts except for one edge (out of 32 edges) that is off by 1/32nd of an inch, which will still weld nicely. As far as I know though the racks are completely sold out. It's from the PA series if anyone is interested and can still find them somewhere. Sam mentioned this rack in a post a long time ago which is where I picked up on it. Oh, and yes Bel Canto has a mod now per some of the other posts that I have read (mine is stock). I don't notice the HF sound that you mention, though I have to think that what you are describing is what I do not like about a lot (make that most) digital gear. I kept the Canto because it did not glare or sound metalic (I think "metalic" describes the sound that I don't care for), so it may be system dependent (strings , brushes and cymbals sound very realistic with mine). I also run the Canto from a power conditoner and upgraded the stock PC which made it sound limp in my system (didn't care for the sound at all until I switched out the stock power cord. I read that the Neuance shelves take a couple weeks or so to ship which is fine with me as I still have to gut a closet that the gear is going into and remove a pocket door as well. Maybe in a month or so I'll have some feedback on the shelving.