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Suggestions on improvement

 I'm 78 with age related  hearing decline.My current system which I do enjoy is comprised of a  Marantz CD cd 60006,Technics integrated SUG700,Canton stand mounted 9k reference speakers, and  two SVS SB1000 pro subs, Subs interconnects are SVS. Stand mounted are connected by marker cables on upper frequencies and monster cables Powerline 2 for mids and bass. 

Speakers are placed 8 ft apart the listening position is also 8 ft.The  room is untouchable,that is to say wife has fixed my location,hey no smirks, I know where my beard is buttered.The room has vaulted ceiling 14 ft(at sitting position),has one open sidewall,another is 3 ft behinds the speakers and is covered in  floor to ceiling drapes on a 9 ft wall,the third wall on one side is all glass (glass door and full length window next to it ) the final wall behind the sitting position has glass covered photos and prints.On The sides of each speaker are over stuffed chairs with a couch facing the speakers.Hanging plants are in all corners.The room has wall to wall carpeting. For domestic tranquility I can only subtract components so bass traps and alike are verboten. I listen Stones, Beatles, Who,female solos, symphonies,and jazz(sax oriented).

Are there any cheap tweeks to improve current system given the above, max budget $1000.However if can improve my sound by selling off apiece of gear and adding that revenue I'd do it, just don't know what I'd get off the sale. 

scott22
signaforce's avatar
signaforce
207 posts
 

I have the Marantz CD6007 paired with a Chord Qutest DAC & am still not happy with my CD sound. It is infinitely better than using the internal Marantz DAC, but doesn’t compare to streaming or vinyl. So while a DAC upgrade is a definite improvement, I am not sure it will get you where you want to go. 

Perhaps a lower end Topping DAC paired with the Audiolab 6000CDT would be a great solution well within your budget… very similar to @audphile1 recommendation. 
 

Audphile1/others: which Audiolab do you recommend if I were to upgrade? I am a very infrequent CD listener, but that could change if I could get CD sound on par with vinyl and streaming. Or perhaps I just load all my CD’s to my Aurender and call it a day. 

vinylshadow
501 posts
 

I'd suggest upgrading components before any tweaks. 

2psyop's avatar
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2psyop
1,611 posts
 

Get some hearing aids. That will help you hear your system better. Start there.

mahler123
3,373 posts
 

For $1000 or less I would suggest Room Correction technology.  Basically these are computers in little boxes that look like audio components.  All the digital components-in your case that might just be the CD player-connect.  They come with a little microphone.  You will need either a computer or a mobile device to do the setup.  It takes about an hour.  You can generate different settings depending on what sounds best to you.  It analyzes the individual characteristics of your room and adjust accordingly.  It may perhaps help a little with the hearing loss.

  The technology is usually bundled into AV Receivers, so if you are looking to replace your integrated for any other reason you can go that route, or it can be purchased as a stand alone.  The two competing companies that I have used are Anthem ARC (as part of an Anthem AVR) and Dirac, which I have as a free standing box that cost around $300 a few years ago.  The Anthem was a bit easier to set up, but it has been a few years and since software gets updated frequently that may no longer be the case.

jetter
3,035 posts
 

If you decide to purchase a Schiit tone control, I recommend that you spend the extra $150 and purchase the 6 band Lokius for a whopping total of $300, versus the 4 band Loki.  The extra control is worth it.

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