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Seeking help finding the weak link(s) in my system and offering suggestions please.

Hi! I recently paid a visit to a local audio salon and listened to a system that was so good I was "moved". However, I could never afford the price of entry to realize this kind of sound reproduction. I have spent the last couple of years assembling a system I could afford, focusing on components I felt were the best bang for the buck. I'm not trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, however with your help I am hoping to find where I may have a weak link or two. My budget makes this a challenge as I have only about 1K to invest. Thank you to all those in advance for your suggestions, my system is listed below. One more item, about 90% of my listening is Qobuz streaming.

System:
Dedicated/Isolated 20Amp AC source with PS Audio outlet.
Furman AC power conditioning.
Nordost Magus Power cords for source equipment and Kimber PK10 for Amp.
Ethernet cables all CAT7.
Kimber Silver Streak both balanced and SE throughout.
Speaker cables are Blue-Jeans 10AWG White - two 15' pair.
USB cable from PC to streamer is Audio Adviser Pangea SE 2 meter.
Canare/Have digital 1.5M coax from transport to Streamer.
Krell Vanguard Integrated Amp.
Cambridge Audio AZURE 851N Streamer/DAC.
Sonus Faber Electa monitors.
Sunfire HRS series subwoofer.
Sony SCD2000ES Transport/SACD player.
Luxman T117 Tuner (Best sounding component)?

Again, I appreciate your kind assistance, I am really looking forward to responses!

GRM

grm
andera's avatar
andera
37 posts
 
Hey GRM... lots of great suggestions here. I'm curious if you have a clear direction to pursue. Curious to know what changes you make... the results... and if the results are enough that you are content.My System sounded incredible... but I could always sense something was not quite right. It took better power cords $1,000 each replacing $400 cords, and interconnects. After that it was speaker position, room tuning, and tweaks. I figure that if a person does everything possible to make the system sound good but you are not happy... THEN start swapping out components.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
GRM, just add a second subwoofer and bring the crossover point up to about 100 Hz. Make sure you have a high pass filter on you main speakers. I am not sure if the sunfires provide this but it is critical for the best performance. This will improve your bass and give you another 6 dB 
or so of head room. The high pass filter will also lower the distortion levels in your main speakers. 

Mike
garypennstate's avatar
garypennstate
34 posts
 
Buy Jim Smiths' book and DVD's "Get Better Sound". Around $45 for both.
grm OP
149 posts
 
Dear andera and others,

At this point I am really confused, not sure what direction to take. I appreciate all of the good suggestions people have posted here. There are a number of suggestions that are consistent such as speaker cables, room treatment/optimization, DSP, etc.. Still trying to distill all of the feedback. Considering my budget, (1K) I'm going to dig into room optimization and speaker set-up, a common theme here that will cost me only time and effort. After that, not sure, maybe speaker cables and/or DSP. I'm going to try to find as many resources as I can regarding getting the most out of your system through proper set-up.

A big thank you to everybody!
grm OP
149 posts
 
Hello andera,

I followed your instructions regarding speaker placement. I felt my room acoustics to be decent but far from what my local dealer implemented, which I am convinced would make a significant improvement, however not practical for me.

With respect to speaker placement, it was a bit frustrating and took me hours to accomplish, however the results were worth it! The appearance of my system in the room looks a little odd now to the casual observer, but when you sit in my designated chair the speakers now vanish with a much deeper and wider sound stage. I was surprised how much an improvement was made through this effort, it sounds like I made a major upgrade to something?? Very happy now! At some point in the future my next tweak will be speaker cables, there are some great ones out there within my budget.

Thanks again for all of the help!
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