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Heard my friend's system, thinking of leaving hifi

I asked a friend to come over and listen to my system which consists of a Cary 303/200 CD player, Plinius 8200 integrated and Soliloquy 6.2 speakers with Acoustic Zen cabling all around, most of which was purchased from this site. He politely told me to gather my best music and invited me to go to his place and listen to his system.

He has some type of Meridian arrangement where the CD player goes directly to internally powered fullrange speakers. Oh my, the first 10 seconds and I wanted to cry! It was all there: imaging, soundstage, naturalness to all instruments, non-fatigue, front row... I've been to alot of trade shows and dealers in my area so I know what a great system sounds like and where my modest system stands in comparison, but geez that Meridian system sounded amazing! I mean it dwarfed all by comparison. (The only flaw that I could find was that in the systems current state it didn't allow for the addition of an FM tuner.)

Naturally most of us can't afford to drop that kind of money on a passtime. Certainly, I really can't afford to drop $50k on a system like that, but jeez it sounded great! I mean I came home and wanted to give my system away and find another hobby!

Does anyone have any suggestions about any changes I could make to my system to start working towards getting to that sound? I would say that first the speakers would have to go. Something "fuller" than the 2-ways I currently have. Perhaps something with powered woofers? His sytem seemed to present all frequencies in a balanced manner. Mine seems a bit thin in comparison and certainly lacks the lower end. Any suggestions would be appreciated...
portugal11

Showing 2 responses by aball

aball
2,016 posts
 
Lacking bottom end changes everything - for the worse IMO. I think a big part of what you heard was due to that.

Also, I know your speakers and never really cared for them all that much. Everything seems dedicated to the midrange - which is excellent - but you want a more balanced sound than that. How large is your room? Larger speakers with a cleaner top end would help a lot. Maybe even adding a sub for a potentially cheaper and more flexible alternative.

But don't despair. I have heard many fancy systems that I would never trade mine in for - although I admit there are a couple exceptions but I don't miss them. Sometimes it doesn't take very much to make a huge improvement in your own setup. I personally feel your speakers are your main limitation. Detailed info about your room, as Dave suggests, is needed. You want to make certain that your next pair of speakers are properly sized and designed to work with your room.

Arthur
aball
2,016 posts
 
Soliloquy 6.2 in a 20x30 foot room is your problem. You need bass to create a soundstage and that will change everything. If you are on a tight budget, try getting a sub first. They are very flexible for adjustment, you won't have to get rid of your current speakers, and it can disappear in the room without difficulty. If you can afford getting new speakers altogether, go for it - but do your homework first and make sure you get a model that works with your room.

Arthur
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