Getting into audio for around 3500$...problems...


I recently made a jump from a pair of NHT SuperTwos powered by a Denon 1801 receiver and a Pioneer Elite DVC36 DVD player
to
A set of Tyler Ref monitors (1325$)
CAL CL15 cd player (750$)
Rogue Magnum 88 amp (1325$) direct from the cd player, and tried running it though the Denon receiver.
Wiring = shotgun biwire from SignalCable, JPS ultra conductor interconnects

In any case, the jump from my 400$ NHT SuperTwo speakers to the Tylers was huge and well worth the price difference. However the change of the amp and cd player for 1900$ has provided only a marginal improvement, slightly more detail, warmth, soundstage. I was expecting as big a jump as the speaker change...but it wasn't there.

Based on what I've experienced so far I'm leaning towards
selling the amp, cd player and speakers and taking that 3200$ and upgrading the speakers which would run off the denon receiver and the dvd player.
Possibly:
SF Electa Amator II
Merlin VSMs
Audio Physics Virgo 2 or 3's
Aerial Acoustics 10t's
Dyn Countour 3.3's
Vienna Acoustics Beethovens

How many people think I'm smoking crack? *LOL*
After all the research and auditioning I did I was sooo sure I'd be able to hear a BIGGER difference. I suppose in my auditions from now on I should make sure to get at home demos!

What are peoples opinions on me just changing speakers like this? Do you think I'll get the sonic improvement I'm looking for? or do you think going from a 1300$ set of tylers to a 3300$ish set of speakers will only provide a minimal increase in sound quality.

Of course in a year or two I'm sure I'll have more funds and I may try out an integrated with whatever setup I'm running at that point...

and yes, I've tried repositioning my speakers a bunch of times, and I've a/b'ed about a zillion times, yes everything is fully broken in, the room is about 14x18, speakers are about 2ft from back wall, 6ft apart from each other, and I sit about 7 ft from the speakers
geoffgarcia
I found the Cal amps a little dry. I highly reccomend the sony 555es cd/sacd player. Great tonal balance. I also agree that your Denon could be improved on with a preamp.
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I'd push for analogue. Less investment for Greater sound even with your current amp/speakers. You could get phono with volume control and play your digital stuff through the receiver in the bedroom. That is basically what I've done.

I wouldn't smoke crack since it's like lo-fi compared to the good coke or weed and other more pricey substances so Marty is wrong as this habbit can get extreamly expencive especially when every buck getting right into the brains on freequent consumption bases with following later-on consequences(if ones will ever take place during one's life)...
I'm wondering if perhaps I've over-budgeted for amp/preamp then
adding on a preamp that meets my needs will probably be in the 1200-1300$ range bringing the amp/pre total to about 2600$ while my speakers were only 1200$

would I be better off selling the amp and picking up a used integrated in the 750-1300$ ballpark and saving up for a few months and making the jump to one of the less power hungry speakers from my list above? (ie not Aerial or Dyns!)
Well, where do i begin. The largest sound change i got from my system was when i upgraded my cd player to an audio aero capitole. Before this i never really thought cd players added that much to a system. So now one might think that cd players are the most important part etc ... really i know that if the level of my system wasnt already incredibly high, much higher than when i bought my amp or speakers than the difference would have been much smaller. If you were to upgrade to merlins and run it with the denon you might get better sound, probably actually, but its almost a waste of money as you could only realize their full potential through higher quality equipment. Amps and cd players do make a difference but i find that with lower end auxilliary equipment the differences would be masked. If you are considering buying the merlins or other higherend speakers and stopping your system probably will sound better but you are depriving your self of slowly maturing your system through small component changes. So to end this diatribe, if you intend to only spend 3500 on your system total the merlins wouldn't be a bad idea, but if you have aspirations to further upgrades than i would keep what you have and slowly upgrade your weakest link. In audio the whole is greater than the sum of the parts of your system.