What is wrong with my system?


Hi everyone -

I’m posting here because individually I think my components are all good, but together my system is not making music, rather is is making bright bass less noise. Honestly, I’m thinking it’s no one component, but the matching of components that is causing this issue. I would like to get everyone’s opinion as to what I’m hearing. My components are as follows:

B&W 802D (first generation diamond)
Audioquest bi-wired Indigo speaker cables

Classe CAM-200 monoblock amplifiers
Audioquest Water XLR interconnect

Bryston BP26 preamp
Audioquest Water XLR interconnect

Mark Levinson 5100 cd player (PCM slow minimum phase)

thanks in advance.

Mark Levinson 5100 CD player


onehorsepony
Great system!  

B&W 802D are great speakers when pulled forward out into the room away from the back wall, and they would benefit greatly from a musical pair of subwoofers.  If you want to keep those speakers for the long run then I would take seriously audioman58's offer to help you upgrade the caps before doing anything else.

I can't wait to hear what you come up with.
It's probably the amplifier that doesn't pair well with your speakers. But I don't know.

When you say there is very little or no bass, what are you playing on the system?

There are many styles of bass with unique attack, decay, and textural resolve. Play a song that you are familiar with. It could be that your system is just resolving and therefore excellent at highlighting details in a recording.
op

perhaps post some pics of your room showing speaker placement, furniture/flooring, and provide dimensions?
Try a small tube buffer relay between amp and pre, or pre and source. 
   Cut small tshirt squares, place over tweeter, or on inside of speaker grill cloth, helps very well!

  Great system, 200W is good power, maybe you need more power

 I went from 200 to 300, then to 600WPC/rms, huge difference. 
The only 200WPC I still have are the odyssey kismet amps, they do  about 350WPC-ish  into 4 ohms. They seem to have more juice than advertised, they drive my older modded Vega D-9’s to great levels, and sound/bass/mids, etc....

bought a 15-18 year old stratos pair maybe 7-10 years ago, hooked up, the D-9’s drained the older stratos pair, the sound became harsh, and bass and mids became mushy, and distorted.
   Took me years to save for the upgrade, called Klaus, he was so cool, he was at a Chicago audio show, he swung by my house, chatted a bit, picked up the older stratos pair, upgraded to the kismet with large caps, and goodies, etc etc.......

we met almost halfway between Indianapolis and where we live,..
   such a good dude, brought home, let sit 24 hours to get room temp, plugged in, powered on, played source for 3-4 months continuously, they are amazing, and Klaus is a super good/nice dude. With only a rated 200WPC at 8 Ohm' they kick some serious arse, not sure why, they drive the modded D-9’s to great levels with NO show of being drained, or distortion.
   They dip to about 3.5 Ohms at some bass/music guitar crescendos.  The Odysseys keep trucking, as do my brothers McCormack dna-750 amps.   The Odysseys keep up with the McCormack amps, how,.....
I don’t know, but they do......

 the Odysseys hammered the Emotiva 1000W monos, but to keep up with the McCormack dna-750s’ is astonishing, not better, but they keep up.
mccormacks bass is tighter, guitars are more natural and highs have more and longer decay than the Odysseys. 
 The price difference is huge.      The Odysseys are great, hoping to have them for 20 years, or pass down to family.  
   McCormack stuff is simply sublime, and damn near flawless, Odysseys are very close behind. 
 Yes they are bridged stereo amps, according to Klaus, they are bridged in a way to keep specs, and power amazing. 
   Usually bridged amps will double output,  not the Odysseys, they keep the 180-200 WPC output and retain amazing specs.
so some people who ridicule bridged amps, should try these odyssey amps. 
     My brother said, those amps are wicked good, as they do keep up with his McCormack dna-750 amps.  
   The Sunfire does sound a bit thicker, and have a crunchier guitar tone.    Anyway, I love my gear, it’s great stuff. The pioneer elite dv79-avi is great through the Odysseys, with a Sanders sound “the preamp” and I swap out with the Onkyo P-308 preamp. 
      Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, etc sound so good, it’s scary!

 Rock on!,!
\,,/ 
Audioquests was lifeless in my system too… I never was satisfied with the sound till replaced all of them one by one.