2. amps-preamps
  3. 1362551378

Whats my weak link?

Classe ssp-25 pre amp, classr ca-150, musical fidelity a3.2cd, parasound z dac, mostly stock power cords.

I picked up some new speakers today (kef qx5's) and they sounded a good 15% better at his house than mine. He was running a modded rotel pre amp, bryston 3b-st, arcam transport, older parasound dac, upgraded power cords.

I have a feeling that it was his pre-amp mostly. His set-up had that certain sound that I'm looking for, hard to explain but it sounded sooo good. Any suggestions?
128x128b_limo
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Slow down B_limo, you move too fast.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,091 posts
 
In addition to what Almarg said, see if your buddy will let you try his power conditioner. Plug source gear and pre-amp into it, not power amp. I suspect some power conditioning might make an improvement. Need not be expensive (unless for a power amp). I use a very modest Monster power strip with my source gear and it was a nice step in the direction you seek when applied.
b_limo's avatar
b_limo OP
2,273 posts
 
Lol Jmcgrogan, I know I move too fast alot of the time, but I don't know that I'll ever enjoy that song.

Thanks Mapman! I think I'm going to try some powercords first and I will try a power conditioner for everything except my amp also.
b_limo's avatar
b_limo OP
2,273 posts
 
Ps, again, Jmcgrogan, what pre amp would you recommend? I can probably try my buddies to see if that's partly responsible. I've read reviews stating that the classe ssp 25 isn't that great for a 2 ch. pre.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Power cords? Power conditioner?
A quick look at your system page leads me to suggest some room treatments. If the rest of your walls are as bare as the wall behind the speakers, an absolute for decent sound.
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