System Plateau - Ideas?

If the bass in the room has not been “managed” then everything else is a mere compromise as it will smear upstream frequencies and you chase an elusive demon. 

@dotchaos
"edge". That wasn’t the right word at all. I think what I’m missing is the fullness/roundness of the Line Magnetic. The slightly "thinner" sound of the current set up leaves me wanting a bit.

@audition__audio do you have a preferred brand you’d recommend, for cables? I’m using ICs from an Etsy outfit called Amplifier Surgery, Blue Jean speaker cables. All very low-budget. Forgot to mention that I’ve been looking to upgrade the turntable, as well. Haven’t seen a clear next choice, there (many options).

@dotchao
Looking back over a few of your comments and others. A few touched on this already, and I’ll add a few comments in support of this angle.

Yes, "cables" and and interconnects specifically may very well be one area to re-focus on as a next step with the "current (J2) setup" as you referred to in your last update. Yes, your LM518ia with 845s in Triode mode will have a lush and more rounded off sound with more fullness. You can tone-tune the J2 setup a bit with different ICs, for sure.

To save $ and prevent costly do-overs, you could reach out to TheCableCo and take advantage of their cable Loaner Program. Or, find a helpful local dealer who’ll let you take home 3-4 pairs of different "well used" interconnects to try for a few weeks. Ask for warm IC cables...

FYI, I’ve re-sold multiple pairs of older legacy high end Cardas ICs to Nelson amp owners trying to smooth out or fill-out the sound a bit more due to the leanness you referred to in your current setup. Root cause can be speakers/matching, but you can cheat some by trying and rolling some different interconnects with your J2 (IF) you plan to stay with your current SS amp and speakers. Will say an 845/Triode amp is pretty unique and hard to duplicate compared to most SS amps, yet the J2 is the one I'd pick if I were doing lower power FirstWatt SS.  Good luck.

Hello,
I just auditioned the Puritan PSM156 Surge protector. I could not believe a surge protector could change the sound of my system so much. That’s the beauty. It helps your whole system. It costs $2300 for this model but you should try it. The best way I can describe it is like I had a thick blanket over my speakers. Once you plug in your components the thick blanket is removed without any harshness. They do have a less expensive model for $1600 which I will be trying next before deciding which one is best for me. If you cannot find a dealer in the US try Holmaudio.com. This is not a slight change like a power cord has on your system. It is like upgrading your integrated amp by $10,000 over your old amp. 

Upgrade all of your AC cables, and don't be a cheapskate about it.

Lots of great feedback in the past couple of days. Attempting to respond below:

@three_easy_payments

Replacing the stock 805 tubes with NOS RCAs was an incredible upgrade. Just curious if you rolled the power and 300B tubes in your LM amp?

The 518is uses 845 tubes, couldn’t find reasonably priced NOS, settled on Psvane TII, the rest is NOS.

@bigkidz

DeHavilland preamp you have with the Dueland upgrades has the volume control been upgraded? AC filter choke? Resistors upgraded?

I’ll keep thinking about possible upgrades to the Ultraverve internals.

@jkevinoc

The Knight/Advent system is so much fun to listen to, involving, intimate, subtle. My advice to all: enjoy the music, forget the equipment.

I love this message. My take: when you find a sound you love, appreciate it and let it be.

@decooney

Thanks for all the feedback and ideas. Will be exploring. Would actually also love to chat more about your specific learnings. OK to DM you?

@arro222

I had a good exchange w Nelson about the Aleph J and dominant 2nd harmonics. One reason I purchased this amp is because it was built to mate with “ high efficiency loudspeakers and maybe a tube preamp”, and favors “naturalness and musicality”. It also comes with ~250k Ohm input impedance.

I did believe that mixing it with the DeHavilland would create the

"perfect balance" of "musical weight" to "crispness" of sound 

as you say so well. I think that’s what I’m pausing on now. I appreciate the way you actually articulated what I was trying hard to express :)

@soma70

It’s very hard to describe what you want from an upgrade when the margins are small.

Thanks for this, it was indeed hard, at least for me :) I’ll definitely keep considering cable upgrades, this seems like some of the most consistent advice in this thread.

@bigwave1

If the bass in the room has not been “managed” then everything else is a mere compromise

Room treatment is an admittedly neglected aspect of my system. I’m not in what I consider much of a permanent listening space so have been loath to invest too heavily in correcting a far less than ideal environment, and am suffering some consequence for sure.

@hshifi

I could not believe a surge protector could change the sound of my system so much.

I use all 3rd party power cables, and am employing a Furman PST-8 conditioner as my first step toward line treatment. Definitely higher gains to be made here.

@denverfred

Upgrade all of your AC cables, and don't be a cheapskate about it.

It seems this “hobby” accommodates all levels of investment – one person’s cheapskate is another person’s over-spending lunatic. Overall it seems that there’s a balance of investment at different levels of spending, and my take from your comment is that you feel the greatest current imbalance is in the cables between the specific equipment I've mentioned. Is that right?



Thanks all for the feedback. Lots for me to look into.