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Lost - Your combined experience required

Over the past while, off and on, i've been thinking about upgrading my gear, wanting more open, airy and extended sound. I want to lose the slight veil currently existing in my setup that just takes away from the believability of the presentation. I'd like more dimension as well.

I've made threads about possible amp upgrades, speakers, source...all separate threads (over a period of time). But i've never made a thread asking your opinions on what you feel the weak link actually IS, in my case.

Gear:
CD - Rotel RCD 971/ Sony PS1 model 1001 (on its way)
Sugden a48b w/ upgrades including point to point wiring
Rega Ara speakers
Target sand filled metal stands
cheapo monster cable (i also have some ecosse cable, but that makes the system sound very flat, albeit somewhat more extended in the higher frequencies).

Room is small, one bedroom condo living room, open to kitchen. Living room area is approx 14 x 10 or so (maybe a bit longer)

The system is on the better-sounding long wall of the room (not the dividing wall). I have fussed around w/ speaker placement to no end, finding strengths and compromises in a variety of positions, but with no fully satisfying results.

I came to a quick conclusion that my speakers are the weak link here, but now i'm not so sure. After reading about the Ara's and how others describe them, it sounds like I may be wrong.

On a hunch, i started reading up more on that particular sugden model and I've come to realize that it's generally not considered the most transparent in the world. It IS a good amp, mind you - quality performance. But perhaps just a little too antiquated for the sound i'm looking for.

I'm not too concerned about the source at the moment, since I'll soon have two players to swap in and out.

But I'm really lost in terms of whether i should swap speakers or amp (or both!). I'm on a budget and I don't really want to fuss around and risk poor matching etc etc...

With all your combined experience, I'm bound to glean some sort of insight from some of you. Hopefully. Thoughts? Please? ha
loose
cmalak
681 posts
 
"...wanting more open, airy and extended sound. I want to lose the slight veil currently existing in my setup that just takes away from the believability of the presentation. I'd like more dimension as well."

Loose, a couple of questions. Are you able to borrow equipment from a local dealer or from friends? If you have a local dealer, audition some systems that get you closer to what your ideal sonic presentaion might be and then borrow the integrated amp or separates in that system and take them home and drive your speakers with them. If the top end becomes more extended and the soundstage opens up, then you know the problem is with the Sugden. If it does not, then you know the problem is with your speakers and then you can perhaps audition some speakers that are a better fit with your Sugdens.

What are the specs on your speakers (sensitivity and impedance) and on the Sugden (power)? I couldn't find anything on either of them. It could be that the Rega ARAs and the Sugden are just not good matches. Finally, depending on what your budget is, you can potentially scratch both items and start from scratch. A good place to start is The Absolute Sound as every year they have an issue where they put together complete systems (speaker, amplification, source and cabling) in the under $5K range and some are in the $1k-$2K range for the complete systems, so for just the speaker and amp that should come in considerably less. If you do not have these older issues from earlier this year or prior years, email me with your info and i can fax you or mail you copies of their suggested systems. It's a good place to start as any, as these systems at the very least are properly matched. Good luck.
loose OP
239 posts
 
'...maybe the Monster cable is good...'

No, i don't feel it's good cable, but it matches better than the ecosse cable that i also have. And I do agree - certain combos like certain cables a lot more than others.

Cmalak - I don't have any friends who are audiophiles and I cannot afford to buy new (not w/ my tastes, anyway). I don't want to waste any dealer's time either.

Therein lies my problem; I have no real way to compare products. I have to go on educated guesses.

by the way, the speakers are easy to drive and will play at a good volume before starting to break up/ compress, and beyond that, the amp is very conservatively rated at 50 or 60 wpc, but it's very robust sounding.

Maybe I was spoiled with my Unico from back in the day.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,213 posts
 

I'm guessing out of the gate that 50-60 watts from an integrated may be underpowered in terms of current delivery for those speakers which I'm reading like power/juice as surprisingly do many a smaller quality monitor speaker that appear easy to drive optimally but are not.

More power and current delivered consistently at all frequencies as better built amps can do can have the same effect in waking up a speaker that can handle it as a stiff breeze on a windsock at ground level compared to a similar flow at 30000 feet.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,579 posts
 
Two ideas:

1) go to The Cable Company http://www.thecableco.com/ and tell them what system you are using and whatever you think is a reasonable budget for interconnects and speaker wires. Ask to borrow at least two sets of each and try them for an extended period of time in your system, allowing for break-in/warm-up as needed till the sound doesn't change with subsequent listening. Does this make a noticeable difference?

2) Agree with Mapman, more power is a good thing with many smaller speakers (in order to grab a hold of those little woofers and show em who's the boss. Your amp is older and there are some better ones available used in the $300-750 range. Check on Agon and elsewhere for options. Spending less than this amount doesn't get you much if anything more than you have with the Sugden. Some amps to look at used in this price range include Rega Brio or Mira, NAD C-372 or 352, Cambridge Audio Azur 740A, 640A v2, Exposure 2010S (good luck!), Onkyo A-9555, Music Hall A25.2, Creek 5350SE.

If you buy used, you could resell at very little risk to you. If you find one you like better than your current amp - sell your Sugden to recover some costs.
millicurie999
57 posts
 
Have you considered Magnepan MMG?
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