Lost - Your combined experience required

Thanks for your post, Phil, but i do not believe that the cables can fix the issues i'm having. I think i'm looking for a different overall sound, not just the fine tweaks of cable changes (although don't get me wrong - i know they can make dramatic differences, but I think i should be more 'in the ballpark' with my electronics/ speakers).

'...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 and knownothing: the previous owner of the sugden had it running a pair of totem model 1s without issue. The current reserve on tap is substantial on this amp, so I do not believe this to be the issue. When I mention 'breaking up at higher volumes', it's not distortion as a result of running out of juice, without a doubt. It's a speaker limitation. Having said that, the amp simply may not be my 'flavour' and yes, i agree, its age is definitely a factor, since current amps tend to be more revealing in general.

By the way, i failed to mention in my first post that my room is very dead sounding (unfortunately), which is definitely playing a major factor here.

Thanks for the cable co. link (never knew about that site).

Ddd1 - i've never actually consider Klipsch... Maybe I should at least do a little research...

All responses are very much appreciated, people. It just bugs me that I can't seem to approach the type of sound I USED to have w/ my former system. (and i used to nit pick about that one too, despite the fact that it was a lot better than this setup!)

Gunbei -

The Rotel is not particularly veiled, I'm certain of that. I used it directly with a Unico and Neat Mystiques in another room and it was just fine (better with the link dac III, but on its own, i had no complaints). I will also have a PS1 on hand (the one reviewers rave about), so I'm not ready to point the finger at the source at the moment. Again, this is primarily because the Rotel worked with the Unico / Neat combo.

Having said that, I may try to coax my friendly, neighbourhood, audio store to lend me a decent unit of some sort. I'm thinking a naim cd5i2, a cyrus 6se or 8se or a cambridge 740 or 840. At least I'd get a good comparison there. (I wonder if a 640c would work for me? does it approach the 740 or 840, even?)

The monster cables, although better-sounding than the ecosse in this particular case, i agree, will need to be removed from the equation.

With respect to those who mention cable changes- once again, i agree that cables make a difference, but I'm looking for an altogether change - a drastic sort of change in sound.
Acknowledging that cables make a difference, I'm looking to alter the current 'house sound' i'm getting from my existing combination of components.

There is much to be said for system synergy, for sure, and a lot of people on here tout certain brands work very well together: naim amp and cd, cyrus products, rega products..

I wonder, then, if a rega brio or mira would open the aras up?

Conversely, if the aras are inherently warm-sounding (which i don't really know, since i've only paired them with my sugden and my nad 3020a, both of which are warm, maybe the overall 'colour' is just too dark. Therefore, a livelier, brighter speaker with a slightly wider frequency range would get me at least more in the realm of where I want to be sonically-speaking. ...Maybe? ...possibly? ...Hopefully?

Do i have a bald spot on my head yet?

I have installed an energy esw v8 into the system (which i don't normally use for two channel audio). I have it dialed in perfectly to round out the bottom.

No doubt, it adds some dimension to the music; it, however, doesn't solve my problem of 'lack of air'.

Hi guys!

PHil, you're right - my head's SPINNING now! ...and I thought i was confused before!

Knownothing - thank you for your suggestions regarding component isolation. I have tried a wide variety of tweaks in this regard. I currently have my amp and cd player sitting on squash balls cut in half (works well, shock and surprise!). I also have weight on top of the cd player to minimize vibration as much as possible. These tweaks definitely sharpen up the sound to some degree. I'll try a few more for fun.

Thanks for the info on the Cambridge. I like what i've read about the 840c, but it's out of my price league for sure at this time. I'll have a look at the 640c and do some reading when i get home from work later.

Rockadanny - trust me - i don't believe that 'wire is wire' and I'll have a look at Gregg's cables too.

Shadorne - never heard of Audio Engine 5's, but again, i'll read up on them tonight.

Pubul57 - You have a really great point here; No, i have never heard these speakers in a different context, save for when i purchased them used. The gentleman from whom i bought them demoed them briefly with a mira, but used a dvd music video as an audio sourse. Therefore, the sound was quite a bit better than standard CD.

I wish i had audiophile friends... I don't really know anyone with good gear. All of my friends are 'boom- tizz' kind of listeners, only impressed with initial flash and not even taking the time to appreciate finer sound.

I've never understood this, because I've been into audio since i was a kid and realized very early on that the difference between an 'ok' sounding system and a great sounding one can bring soooo much enjoyment, peace and serve as an escape...but only when the music is natural and effortless. Music heals my soul, so i want it to be as good as it can get within my meagre budget.

I really, truly wish i would have kept my Unico (and yes, it had tubes in the preamp stage). It really was (is) a great piece. To me, at a local audio store, it handily bettered a CYRUS 8 int amp and a Nait 5i for sheer musicality and realism. I really appreciated it when I took home several other amps at the time for comparison (Kandy III, Caspian, Classe CAP151 and a couple of others).

The Unico outclassed them all with its oh so smooth layering, dynamics, extension, sweetness, width, depth and overall tasty goodness. Everything else seemed far less refined, by comparison.

(sorry...didn't mean to re-live old glory days when I had cash for good gear).