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want to upgrade music performance in HT syst.

First the system:

Pioneer Elite DVC-36(odvious weak link for music but love video performance and conveniance of 5 discs.)
Krell HTS1
Plinius SA-250mkIV
Aragon 8008x3b
Dynaudio Contour 3.0
Dyn Contour cntr ch
Dyn 1.3mkII
Rel Storm III sub

I'm not getting the performance that I feel I should be getting, for music, from this system. I cannot afford a separate music only system and I know someone will mention getting rid of the HTS. Sorry, but I love the performance I get from this piece overall and I will not let it go. I've looked into getting a dedicated cdp and have rounded up the usual suspects. Budget; Music Hall MMF cd-25, Rega Planet 2000, top of the line Rotel, various Sony sacd players but I'm not interested in multi-ch music formats at all. The more pricier suspects; Rega Jupiter, Accuphase, Electrocompaniet, Wadia, Levinson, ext. The dealer I purchased my Krell HTS from mentioned that the dacs in the HTS are state of the art, so I could run a good transport and have the processor do the upsampling. I'm so confused. I just want to enjoy my music and I know I'm not getting everything I can from my dvd player. I would like to keep the cost down, $750-$1500. I would greatly appreciate any help you guys & gals could give me. I'm running a Goldmond digital cable (RCA to RCA terminated) and I've had my doubts about that purchase. If you have any thoughts on this cable or any ideas for an upgrade I would love to hear from you as well. Thanks in advance for your help.....John
jrwr7
jrwr7 OP
211 posts
 
Hello folks,

Thanks for the responses. It is hard to put my finger on just what it is that's missing. I get, what I feel, is decent bass and the high end is crisp and extended w/out being harsh or tizzy. But I think there is still room for improvement in every area in the music playback. I'm looking for what everybody seems to be looking for. I want to feel the music. I think the soundstage can be better, broader, wider, more detailed and focussed. I've heard it in audio shops and have read about these incredibly deep, wide and three dimensional experiences that people are having w/there systems and I feel I should be able to achieve this w/my system. I truly think that it has something to do w/the lack of performance I'm getting from my DVD player, the digital cable or both. Again I hope this helps shed more light on the answers I'm seeking to aleviate these concerns I have w/the music playback of my system. Pls keep the comments comming. Thanks.....John
kthomas
911 posts
 
Any chance you're located in STL? Your system looks like one that would be put together by one of the local shops here.

It's not clear if you're using the DVD player as a full blown CD player or just as a transport, but definitely don't use it as a CD player. If you are, change to using it just as a transport and feed the digital signal to the HTS. The HTS doesn't have analog pass-thru, so you're going through two conversions you don't need if you're using the DVD player as a CD player into the HTS. Because of that lack of pass-thru, I'm doubting that any CD player purchase will change the performance of your system. If you have one of the HTS2 that do have that feature, then I'd most definitely recommend a good CD player in lieu of a transport into the Krell. I'd recommend a used Arcam FMJ23 or, for a bit more, a Muse Model 9 (regular or Signature). I have a very similar system to yours (same basic speaker setup, similar amplification quality) and recently added the Muse to my great satisfaction.

You don't mention your room - perhaps setup is an issue? Also - run a couple (few?) dedicated 20amp circuits to your setup if you haven't already. -Kirk

bwhite
807 posts
 
Jrwr7, My close friend has owned a system which was almost exactly like yours - except his front speakers are the Dynaudio Consequence which were the flagship Dynaudio speaker prior to the Evidence. The HTS-1 is a good pre/pro but we have had some trouble with the way it handles Super Audio CD and therefore do not recommend SACD machines as long as you have the original HTS. IF you upgrade to the HTS-2, SACD through-put is better - but still not optimal.

Instead - here is what you should do:

Keep the HTS (use its DAC) and use an EAD T-7000 Transport (or Theta Data II). Connect with a Kimber AGDL or better digital coax. NOTE - please do not even think of trying any other EAD or Theta transport (newer or older) they will NOT perform at the level as the T-7000 or the Data II.

The EAD T-7000 is a laserdisk transport and sounds VERY analog. HUGE soundstage - warm - and detailed... Amazing!

The combo I just suggested will cost less than your budget and will be absolutely marvelous. My friends setup has embarrassed my Audiomeca Mephisto, Electrocompaniet EMC-1 and yes - the Audio Aero Capitole by sounding nearly as good but without spending $$$$.
jrwr7 OP
211 posts
 
Hello again folks,
As you can see I'm monitoring this closely, it has become an obsession. To address Kirk. How would I go about getting the DVD players dac out of the loop and using it just as a transport? My room is 22'x 13'x 9' and it is a sunken LR. I have the system facing the long way. The spkrs are 42" from the back wall and 30 1/2" from side walls about 7' apart. The idea of dedicated 20 amp circuits is not an option. I'm in an aprtment bldg. As for Bwhite, I think I mentioned that I have no desire to upgrade to any multi ch music format. But I will have to investigate your suggestions on the players you mentioned. Thank you all for your comments/suggestions. Pls keep them coming......John
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Have Dan Wright or Stan Warren upgrade your Pioneer for music??
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