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Got my very first system. What's my next move?

Hey everyone,

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who stopped me from selling my father's 10 year-old McIntosh components. I've talked to some other audiophiles and dealers as well, and it looks like I'll be keeping these babies for a long time.

My first system (mostly given by my father), consists of:

McIntosh MC7300 power amp
McIntosh C40 preamp
McIntosh MCD7008 CD player
McIntosh MR7083 Tuner
Totem Hawk floorstanding speakers
Siltech MXT London interconnects
MIT AVt3 bi-wire speaker cables

Also please keep in mind that my current room is pretty small (10' x 14').

My question was, what is my next move from here? I currently have about $1500 saved up for A/V spending, and if I wait until september, it'll be up to $2500. Many have suggested that I purchase a subwoofer (REL Strata 3 or 5) and some have suggested I invest the money in a good power conditioner (Shunyata something...). I'd like to hear some recommendations from the real audiophile group (the A'goners). Please help :)

Oh, I use the system mostly for music by the way. I'd say about 70/30 music/movies.

Thanks in advance,

Seong
spacekadet
cdc
1,820 posts
 
I like Sound Organisation rack for $300-$350 sold by Audio Advisor. It is black and unlike many racks, the shelves do not extend beyond the legs. You may not like glass because it rings so you can either switch out shelves or used sorbothane feet for the components. The glass is not a problem for me with lightweight components under 10 pounds.
Also I would HIGHLY recommend roller balls for feet under the CDP. This is the best tweak I ever did to my stereo.
bigjoe's avatar
bigjoe
693 posts
 
sean,your right on track about metal racks resonating, my last rack was a diy made from oak & my new rack is metal & mdf.

my diy rack seemed to absorb or deflect better, i couldnt get my cdp to skip no matter how loud i jammed but the new metal rack threw the cdp all outta whack.

i ended up filling my new metal rack's leg's with spray foam insulation & this has seemed to dampen the vibration's comming up thru the legs & i had to add isolation devices under the cdp.

so far it seems i have corrected the problem but only time will tell the whole story.

mike.
mikesinger
572 posts
 
enjoy the system...if you really,really feel the need to upgrade. i would suggest interconnect and speaker cables.

enjoy,

mike
gonglee3
304 posts
 
I would look into room conditioning.
Placing pillows behind the speakers will give you an idea of how much benefit there is to doing it right.

If you are handy with hands, there are internet sights that will teach you how to make stuff economically.

http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/a.htm

I do love the sound of Mac. When they break down, don't throw them away but try to fix them - half of all the macs are still playing after more than half a century!
Try not to leave them on over night - since they are old already.

If you get the itchy to upgrade, do experiment with room treatments before - I sold many components and later realised it was my room.
rja's avatar
rja
2,372 posts
 
Relax!!!
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