Lol. For critical listening I have thrown blankets over the tv. Very slight difference but it makes me feel like I’m doing something.
Does an upgrade make sense?
I may be coming down with the upgrade bug, and I’m open to suggestions. I’m quite happy with what I have—excellent imaging, musicality, dynamics. Maybe I could use a little more depth (left right is fine and speakers truly disappear), and maybe a touch more dynamics.
Almost everything I listen to is Qobuz streaming or hi res and flac files from a NAS (hard drive). My system:
Cambridge 851 Streamer/DAC
Bel Canto Pre5
Bel Canto Ref 500 monoblocks
Dali Mentor 6 floorstanders
Everything sits on maple plinths, Gaia iiis, or pucks.
Cabling is mid range Morrows. I previously had Kimber KS1116s but sold them as the Morrows sounded just as good, on the current set up.
What do I need to get more of everything? Speakers? DAC, Streamer? Amp?
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+1 @socalml528 I have an original 1917 Victrola sitting on top of one of my speakers. Any time I feel as though my rig is not performing up to par, I check temps with an infrared gun. Visually inspect. Turn it all off. Go away and come back next day and put a 78 on the 'ol Victrola. Damn this thing plays loud. Listen to a side, goes by quick. Having warmed up the rig for an hour or so. I play something I'm very fond of. OMG this rig sounds fabulous!! Go down to Goodwill or some other "store" of the same ilk and purchase a POS cassette "boom-box" the smaller and cheaper the better, get a cassette to go with it. Maybe some nice shrill bag-pipe music is in order here. Listen to it for a nice little session. You get the drift. You'll forget about upgrading. The mind is a very strange place to live. You're welcome. Regards, barts
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If you like the DALI house sound, it's very possible that upgrading your speakers may scratch your upgrade itch. I have the Epicon 6's and love them. Even so, I use a pair of Rythmik 12" sealed subs to get the very low end. It makes a difference, and I fully agree with @soix regarding the improvements in soundstage and imaging. But echoing others, the point of diminishing returns is a deeply personal one. +1 @socalml528 as well... just listening with eyes closed vs. open, light levels, etc., make a huge difference; by removing some senses from the listening experience, you improve the sense of hearing. |
@sfgak +1. A long time ago I saw a Wilson Audio demo with BAT electronics at a show where David Wilson played a Sting song with full band live in concert, and he turned the lights down and it made a huge difference and was pretty incredible — and I didn’t even like Wilson speakers back then (it was some Watt Puppy version BTW). As soon as I got home I ordered the CD and I still never listen to that song with the lights on ever because it’s just a totally different experience. I find live recordings in general benefit more from low lighting than studio recordings, at least in my experience. BTW, if anyone’s interested in the track I’m talking about it’s “Fragile” from Sting’s Still be Love in the World CD released in 2001. In my system the entire stage and performers like four feet above my speakers and crowd noise like individual whistles and screams come from all around and way outside the speakers, and it really produces the feeling and experience of being in a stadium at a live concert. Really fun. FWIW. |
@soix Yeah, I forget which live jazz album I was listening to, but I got really annoyed at the table to the left of me making too much noise during the performance -- jostling and whispering... A great reminder of a great soundstage... |
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