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Confused By A Transport Upgrade

Dear Forum Members:

I just got a used Theta Pearl CD transport on monday. The change in sound from my previous transport[CD player actually] is so dramatic, I don't know what to make of it. In the course of trying to building a nice musical system I've experimented with different speaker cables and interconnects and isolation tweaks, but nothing has made such a dramatic change as adding this transport.

My system is comprised of Sim Audio Moon I-5 integrated, Musical Fidelity E60 CD player, Bel Canto DAC 1.1, Sonus Faber Concertinos and ProAc Tablette Signature 50s. I have added these pieces incrementally starting with the MF E60 three years ago, then the Concertinos a year and a half ago. The Moon I-5 arrived last August. I just received the Bel Canto and the ProAcs last month.

Since the beginning my system has always been on the bright side. In order to combat this characteristic I have experimented with different interconnects and digital cables eventually settling on the relaxing Cardas Golden Cross and L-15. I also upgraded DH Labs Silversonic T14 speaker cables to Analysis Plus Oval Nines. These changes have helped somewhat, but still the occasional nasties remained.

The Theta Pearl is a solid piece of gear using the Pioneer stabile platter mechanism with the CDs inserted label side down. Before hooking it up, I played 3 CDs I'm pretty familiar with through the MF just so I could have a fresh taste of the 'ol transport before getting down to business with my new toy. When I started playing the first CD in the Theta I was shocked at the Jekyll and Hyde difference between the two players. In comparison to my MF E60, the Theta is leagues softer, and fuller in the midrange, almost to the point of sounding muffled. CD after CD I kept thinking to myself that I had lost a ton of detail and information.

Now here's my question. Have I become so accustomed to a thin sounding, overly bright, and falsely detailed system so much so, that a well regarded transport such as the Theta Pearl sounds, dare I say wrong to me? I've been searching for a non-fatiguing system for so long, and now that I have it, I yearn for the lifelike energy that some of my CDs exhibited when played through my $500 MF. While it was often thin and bright sounding, it sometimes created spookily real instrumentation and voices.

I'm now contemplating a reverse change in my interconnects, speaker and digital cables. I have a run of Kimber Illuminations D60, so I'll see what that does. Will it restore some life in my system? Maybe all the Cardas are wrong in this setup. Should I change the AP Oval 9s to Silver Ovals?

What have I done wrong? Help!!
gunbei

Showing 5 responses by whatjd

whatjd
1,139 posts
 
My guess is that the Theta is doing a great job..and the
rest of your system has been made a bit soft by some of the
other choices. You might want to try just one change at
a time with some cables..and see where that takes things.
I have had excellent results with the Nordost Silver Shadow
and a stable platter transport. Other thoughts would be
trying Nirvana SL or SX or Wireworld Gold Eclipse
interconnects. A question, did you have the DAC-1.1 from
the start or did you have a DAC-1 upgraded?
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
The cable need not be part of your stereo to cause sonic
problems. If the cable has DC voltage on it's ground..and
they use your AC systems ground..usually a conduit or
sometimes a water pipe...it can place this DC voltage on
every AC plug ground in you home..so, all you have to do
is plug an item in to a socket..to then have this DC voltage
in your system... Again, get help...wish I was there to help
but I'm not...so don't do anything that you are unsure of..
but it is worth checking. Easiest way is to have someone
that knows what they are doing check the ground of your
wall plugs to see if there is DC present..using a VTVM..
but AGAIN,...have someone qualified do it. VTVM stands
for vacuum tube volt meter....
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
Well guys (and gals?), this will be a bit of a tangent..but
stay with me. We have all had our differences of thought
and even, sometimes, ruffled feathers. But when someone
has a problem, the members of this site treat it as a
problem of their own..and come to the aid of a friend,
Bravo!
I want to suggest something that may improve some systems
out there more, much more, than any upgrade can. If you
have cable TV comming into your home, odds are that your
AC ground has DC voltage on it. Most cable TV installers
run a ground wire to your AC pipe that is on the outside
of your home rather than running an earth-ground. The
problem is that my (and I think most) cable feeds have real
problems attached to the ground..and putting this "mess"
on your AC ground has changed the sound (and possibilities)
of your system for ever..unless you change it.
To prove it..., listen to a favorite song, then go to where
your cable comes into you home and disconnect the coax lead
AND take the cable companies ground wire off of the pipe
they have attached it to. Now go and listen to the same
song again. See.
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
For anyone that read my comments...do proceed with caution.
Star grounding, and other thoughts that have been mentioned
on grounding, are all trying to take care of system ground
noise(or worse), or trying to get rid of ground loop
problems. The concern, however, is to not cause a different
ground potential between components that could result in
a shock potential. So, what to do? Even though I have
a background in consumer electronics..and electrical repair
in the Air Force...I cannot, via internet long distance,
make sure that anything anyone does is safe. My problem
in my system was that the cable feed was grounded to my
electrical conduit comming into my house..and that my cable,
like many, had quite a bit of DC voltage on it. I removed
their grounding strap...ran a real earth ground for the
cable input..and installed the Mondial Magic behind my
TV for good measure..and my Stereo(there's an old term)
sounds much, much better for it. For David and all above,
do proceed with caution and/or get some advice/help from
someone that understands....ie: find an electrician that's
into the high-end...if you can. The only advice that I
think is proper....deal with getting ground concerns taken
care of before they are attached to your electical feed..not
after...ie: get that cable feed or satelite feed earth
grounded to bleed off any DC or other noise before it is
introduced to your electrical system...rather than the
"cableguy" just attatching it to your electrical..all that
is doing is making sure there is a common ground..and no
difference of potential..ie: shock concern..but it is not
addressing if or if not the cable or satelite has anything
on it's ground that should not be there/or bleed off before
the feed is introduced to your system in the first place...
But...and that's a BIG BUTT...I cannot over state how many
of you out there have systems that sound a GREAT deal poorer
than they should because of ground noise/DC voltages on the
circuits you have your system connected to.
whatjd
1,139 posts
 
For what it's worth I had started a thread some time back
warning about the concern of cable ground DC voltage getting
into/on your sound system..didn't go much of anywhere, which
is too bad. The advent of all of these home theater systems
and cable and dish receivers..etc.. has seriously degraded
the sound of many(most?) peoples systems..and they don't
even know it. I believe many people spend much time and
money trying to get better sound...and are swimming upstream
because of a large system handicap.. It may be worth some
other member(s) to try to spread the word...
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