Lost on next upgrade from SME 20/2 + IV.Vi arm ...

Hi all,

Raul: I guess what I'm after is a little more soul and dynamics. I have all the micro dynamics, detail, imaging, musicalality if you will. My vinyl front end is just effortless. My cd player (esoteric dv50s) only does one thing better, it's plays with a soul. Music is more forward and jumps. It's a hard thing for me to describe. Other than that, I listen to my vinyl set up 99% of the time. Digital just doesn't do it for me...my BAT phono stage is pretty darn good, I don't know what else to go for except maybe a Aesthetix Io. Then I am back to 2 boxes and I don't have a lot of room on my rack.

Strapper211, I hear you on the Walker. I have 2 good friends with Walkers in Dallas. Didn't you used to have a Basis?

Jonathon: I'll try that on the suspension, I am a little higher than that the spacer allows, so if it's 3mm, I may be at 4-5 already. I do have the tonearm damping thing all the way out of the fluid. It helped liven it up.

I do have the BAT phono set on the defaults for cartridge loading and capicitance. I haven't played with that to much. I had my previous Helicon loaded down two steps, tamed the top a little with my then WP 6's. Maybe that's a suspect here as well.

Thanks for the comments so far !!

Hi Jfrech, From your system pics it appears that you still have the old power supply unit for your 20. I upgraded mine and was very happy with the result. Maybe that would give you what you want. The new power supply increases the torque of the motor giving a sound which is bigger and more powerful. Works well with Lyra because I was running a Helikon at the time therefore the Skala should be more than enough,

Jonathan.

Dear John: +++++ " My system is posted. I'll appreciate all thoughts and comments. " +++++ and then:
+++++ " is a little more soul and dynamics " ++++++.

Looking to your very nice audio system IMHO you can/could have two ( different ) " weak " links ( nothing is perfect ): your separate line and phono stage and your amps.
John I'm not saying that the BAT electronics are not good ones because they are, no I'm trying to help you in some serious way:

your Wilson 8 impedance curve tell us that goes below 4 Ohms and near 2 Ohms from 150 Hz and below that and that its electrical impedance curve goes from 2 Ohms to 10 Ohms ( a lot of swing ), this means that those speakers needs an amplifier with very low output impedance ( I can say no more than 0.1 Ohms ) for can match the speakers own impedance and play together " efortless " and colorless with the dynamic that you are missing today. Your amps has at 4 Ohm taps around 1.4 Ohms: too high for those Wilson, this is a severe mistmatch.
IMHO you have at least two options: change the amps is one of them and other one could be to add a pair of subwoofers ( in true stereo fashion ) that not only can/could give you all its inherent advantages ( clean-up your bass and mid bass response, better image/soundstage, deeper and tight low bass, better high frequency response, etc, etc, ) but that can/could liberate your today amps for that frequency range where the Wilsons goes too low ( impedance )and where your amps are in more serious trouble.

Now, you state +++++ " I listen to my vinyl set up 99% of the time... " ++++++

this means to me that your first step should/could be to get the best quality Phonolinepreamp out there, it does not matters what you do elsewhere your system if the cartridge signal is degraded through the Phonolinepreamp ( stay aways from additional cables/connectors, these devices are additional veils to the cartridge signal! ) that is where that delicate/critical/exposed low level signal " suffer " a heavy/hard process where could loose its integrity and true due to distortions/inaccuracies/colorations/noises/etc on the Phonolinepreamp, so this analog audio link is of paramount importance to achieve your music/sound reproduction goals in your very nice system.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Yes,I had a basis Debut sig with a graham phantom and the Walker is in a league of its own even from that,I kid you not.
Robert

JRManders: I just took my suspension up...maybe at 5-6 mm now. It does open it up some, a little more energy, detail, depth - especially on top, but nothing grainy still effortless, subtle but noticable. I need to listen it this way for a bit, not sure I lost anything at first listen, seems like a step in the direction!