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Newbie with "bright" system

I recently bought a new power amp, and for the first time, my system now hints at recreating a music "venue" rather than playing songs. For this long-time music fanatic, this is incredibly exciting (I now realize I'm hopelessly hooked). Pushing onward, my current system seems "bright" and "harsh," causing listening fatigue at moderate to high listening levels. It also lacks believable bass detail and extension. Looking for low to moderately priced ($300-1500) incremental, high-value upgrades - I suspect cabling and receiver as pre-amp - what to upgrade first?
Arcam Alpha 8SE - CD player
Nakamichi AV-10 as pre/pro
Bryston 4BST
B&W CDM 7SE
Bettercables IC's and biwire speaker cables
"Industrial" metal rack
Any insight/advice welcome. Thanks in advance for input. Mark
mraybeck
mraybeck OP
23 posts
 
Oh yeah, my amp. I bought the 4BST used here with an estimated 60hrs on it. I've since added about 40-50 hrs. Chstob, thanks for your input (noted after my last post). Do you have any recommendations re: a tube pre? How much of a role does isolation/dampening play in performance? One dealer thought my first move should be to get a proper rack (Of course his favorite was Sistrum, for which he is a dealer).
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docwarnock
63 posts
 
Musical Fidelity makes a tweak called the X10D that uses tubes to tame brassy sounding CD players. They are really inexpensive ($80-$115 is typical) and you could easily resell it if it didn't work for you. I've noticed that they sell very quickly. Hope this helps.
mcne
113 posts
 
I think that the Truthlinks are a good choice. Or maybe some Alpha Core Sapphire's. I don't think that I would recommend the X-10D. I does soften up the sound a bit but it muddles the clarity. It is a good fix for the cheapest CD players until you can afford a good. But yours is above that. Also, when I had some Acurus amps. the Harmonic Tech Pro-11N power cable did a nice job of taking the edge off without running the others too bad. How about a PS audio Power Plant 300? Just saw one used here with the multiwave for under $900.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,141 posts
 
Why is everybody so quick to spend this guy's money? Before purchasing anything you need to carefully setup your system. Pay particular attention to your speakers. Play around with toe-in and speaker height. Also be sure to always leave your equipment on, it tends to smooth out the sound. In the long run, you'll be better served by acquiring equipment that is neutral sounding rather than trying to "voice" various components. One last point, while I'm not familiar with Sistrum, a good equipment rack and speaker stands are essential for a quality system.
martice
103 posts
 
Oh yeah. How is your room treated? DO you have a lot of reflective walls and surfaces exposed? Before you buy anything please address your rooms surfaces and other related issues. If your room sucks don't even waste your money on any heavy duty purchases and infact, you may as well stay with the NAK!!
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