Can’t believe anyone


Has anyone else had this experience? First I should say that like many people I have a busy schedule and I don’t have unlimited time to audition gear, so I try rely on dealers to steer me in he right direction to narrow down choices.

I am in the middle of trying to upgrade my system. When I went to a dealer in the Chicago area and told him what kind of gear I had, he immediately by system was "uneven "and I HAD TO upgrade my CD player (from Arcam 7se to 8se or 9). A few days ago I went to a different dealer. As before I mentioned my system, this time it was amp that needed to be upgraded. As for my CD player, he does not feel that the move form the 7se to the 9 is really an upgrade.

So, whom do I believe? Yes, I know—listen for myself and then decide, but then what the hell good are dealers for?

By the way, my current system is:

Integrated Amp: Arcam alpha 10
CDP: Arcam 7se
Speakers: Dynaudio 1.3 Mk II
Interconnects: Nordost Blue Heaven
Speaker wire: MIT T2
xmore
Thank All,

I appreciate the advice. In response to some questions, for serious listening, I listen to mostly jazz (mostly small combos). For casual listening, I listen to pop and rock. Once I got the Dynaudios, the system seemed under powered in the dynamics seemed compressed and a sound was bit less refined (cymbals and brass was off were a bit more rough).

I thought of moving to a plinuis (sp?) amp or an Odyssey stratos with a Rouge 66 or 99 preamp. My office/listing room is small. It is about 11x13. So I have done a bit of homework but I could use all the help can get.

I also want to get rid of my MIT’s but I will do that last.

Thanks again.
dear mr.X man, the place to start is at the wall! 75% of your problem is coming through your wall socket. check out the "Ensemble" swiss power products. your equipment has much more potencial than your hearing!!
X,

Based on what I've read above, there is some sound advise here. You mention that you want to upgrade your system. What aspect of it are you currently unhappy with? Perhaps that would narrow it down a bit.....

In my experience, the amplifier makes the biggest change. Add lots of high quality power, and your system will come alive....not from a loudness perspective but rather like having veils lifted from the speakers....the will grab your attention even at low power...

As also mentioned above, room placement is critical. Experiment with this if you can; you can change the character of your whole system this way....

Finally, I also strongly agree with the post above regarding take home demos. If your current dealers won't allow this, find new ones that do. The only way to get an accurate idea of how a piece is going to sound is to try it in your system.....

Finally, keep an eye on your interconnects and cables. Again, try different combos from your dealer on loan. Often, the tweaky cables actually harm system performance rather than enhance it. Folks seem allow the cost of these items to color their perception of what they are hearing. Keep the capacitance low.....

Remember, this should be fun!!!!

Good Luck!
I have heard the Arcam cd players. My experience is that the 7SE is better than the 8, and pretty close to the 9. I don't beleive that upgrade would solve your problems.
Hi Xmore,
there's a really cool dealer off Lincoln Avenue. It's called Audio Image. give him a call at 773-334-2400.