2. amps-preamps
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New to this. How do I stack my stuff?

I'm new to hifi. I've asked a lot of questions here and some of you may already know my situation but I got the following by chance and for free: Audio Research LS16 tube pre-amp, Arcam CD92 cd player, Madrigal Proceed HPA2 amp. 

It is all up and running and I'm loving it. Now just trying to maximize the little things that I can. For instance, speakers had spike stands but spikes were missing so I made a set.

Now I read in the CD manual that it recommends sorbothane feet and says sound quality will be better.

I'm now figuring out that placement of components is important and that proper stands, expensive ones, are best. Well, expensive stands are not going to happen. But I can try to make accommodations that are cheap and won't turn the room upside down.

Here is how it is all situated now...let the ridicule flow, but keep in mind that I am space limited to a serious extent. Was not sure I'd get the system in my house at all:

The (very) heavy Proceed amp is sitting on a carpeted floor on strips of wood which raise the bottom of it well above the carpet. It is higher above the carpet than it would be above a hard surface just on its own feet.

The CD player is sitting on a small, simple, wooden, antique side table. It is sturdy. The pre-amp is on top of the CD player. I have no idea what this might mean in terms of SQ but the CD player actually puts out a fair amount to heat which rises up into the pre-amp of course. That concerns me.

So other than getting some sorbothane feet for the CD player, what else would be a priority here?

Finally are there issues with which cables contact which cables, how much speaker cables are looped, etc. (Most of the cabling is Transparent Super Bi-wire.)

Thanks for any assistance.
n80
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
273 posts
 
Looking at your photo, my advice is to buy a cheap but solid audio rack to replace that little table in the middle.  The turntable can go on top, and the preamp will have its own shelf.  You will appreciate not having to bend over to operate your pre and turntable, and everything will look nice and tidy.

You can experiment with different feet, etc., but until you can get your speakers away from the walls there is not much point to investing anything more (perhaps digital room correction).


wloeb
43 posts
 
As far as long XLR cables these are a bit expensive but are great quality:
https://www.amazon.com/Canare-L-4E6S-Microphone-Cable-Neutrik/dp/B01HHIW8QG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&...


I use them in my main system:
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5395

Unlike most hi-end cables these were designed by actual engineers.  There are a some cheaper options if you want to experiment but I find that some are not as well built.  Overall , I wouldn't get too hung up on "high end" cables.

Wayne
celander's avatar
celander
1,503 posts
 
@wloeb agreed. ☝🏻☝🏻
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
kahlenz, I have done just that. The amp is too big and heavy for it so it will stay on the floor on the feet I made for it.

As far as speaker position, I spent a lot of time last night moving them around (and I am sore for the effort). There isn't room to move them way out from the side walls but I found a bit of a sweet spot moving them out a ways from the back wall. Any further than that an bass seemed to fall off more than I wanted.

I also used some of the online speaker tests and they were okay. I had my wife listen to them (her hearing is better than mine) and she confirmed. So from the standpoint of speaker position I feel it is optimized as much as reasonably possible.

wloeb, thanks for the link. I may consider this at a later time but for now I'm probably not going to spend any more on this system. For those who don't remember, I more or less inherited this system for free. I am not an audiophile. I got it to replace a low end system that was failing and out of curiosity. So I have nothing in this and am not in pursuit of perfection. I'm mostly working on the easy and inexpensive ways to maximize what I have in the room that I have. I do appreciate all the excellent advice though. It has made a big difference and I'm becoming an audiophile even though I never had the intent to.
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
273 posts
 
From the Urban Dictionary:

audiophilia nervosa

Audiophilia nervosa describes the anxiety resulting from the never-ending quest to obtain the ultimate performance from one's stereo system by means of employing state-of-the-art components, cables, and the use of certain "tweaks."

Although the goal is supposedly to achieve maximum appreciation of the music, those afflicted with this condition are merely obsesed with their electronics.

Sample script:

"Todd had spent well over $100,000 in speakers,monoblock amplifiers, fiber optic cables, Shakti stones, pre-amolifiers, and other equipment and tweaks. And yet he still wasn't convinced that Diana Krall's voice sounded "silky" enough".

"Todd was in deep denial concerning his audiophilia nervosa, and his wife was on the verge of calling a divorce lawyer."
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