Good thoughts here.Chances are you like your friends better cause of the room not equipment.That being said do ,as some say and try out diff components.Its all about synergy and the room.Good luck,Bob
Please help me improve my system - next steps?
Hello,
I have only recently been introduced to the world of high quality music, and I must say, listening to good tunes on a nice system is a revelation. I am by no means an audiophile (and if anything am inclined to be skeptical of some claims), but I have begun to get better at differentiating good sounding music from bad (eg, low bit-rate MP3).
I first noticed how good music could sound at a buddy's place. He had a nicely put together beginner system - nothing too crazy. Because of a limited budget, and less than stellar help from a local audio store, I ended up just getting some of the same stuff as my buddy. However, we do have some key differences.
One very important thing to me was to have a computer based audio set-up. The convenience of it is unparalled, and while I really enjoy the sound of vinyl, starting a vinyl collection is just not a practical step for me right now (maybe down the road). I do the right things with my digital audio - I rip with Exact Audio Copy (with error correction) and I encode as FLAC (lossless).
So, here is what I have (most of this I got from the good people here at Audiogon): Simaudio i-5 integrated receiver, Totem Acoustic Hawks, Logitech Transporter (digital front-end and built-in DAC), Blue Jeans Cable speaker wires (14 gauge, bi-wired) and interconnects, and Richard Gray 400Pro power conditioner. I am using all the stock power cords I received. The Transporter is hooked up to a music server via Cat6 ethernet cable. Like I said, I play mostly FLACs.
On the whole, I really like what I have. Things sound good (friends give unsolicited compliments). However, I have noticed that I like the sound of my friend's system a little more. Whereas my system sounds a bit "bright" and "clinical", his sounds a bit warmer and softer and just overall nicer. (I admit that I may not be using these terms correctly, but it's the best I can describer it.)
Here is his system: Simaudio i5.3 integrated receiver, Totem Acoustic Hawks, Mac Mini with a Wavelength Brick (USB DAC), Straightwire Octave speaker wire (not bi-wired, uses jumpers), and Chang Lightspeed line conditioner. I'm not sure of the brand of his interconnects, but they're $100-$150 each. He listens to Apple Lossless files (which should be identical technologically to the FLAC files - both lossless).
I would prefer to avoid being completely unoriginal and simply copying the rest of what he has. So my dilemma is what should I focus on?
I was thinking as a first step to change up my speaker wire, if not to the Straightwire Octave then to something similar.
I was also thinking about maybe getting a ModWright modification to the Transporter, but I don't know if that kind of improvement would be noticed/appreciated given the rest of my gear. I would prefer not to go down the Wavelength Brick route because I like the functionality of the Transporter (I have other items from Slim Devices in my house). However, I wonder if the Brick is really what's giving my friend warmer music.
Thanks for reading this far! Any help/comments/insights would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Chirag
I have only recently been introduced to the world of high quality music, and I must say, listening to good tunes on a nice system is a revelation. I am by no means an audiophile (and if anything am inclined to be skeptical of some claims), but I have begun to get better at differentiating good sounding music from bad (eg, low bit-rate MP3).
I first noticed how good music could sound at a buddy's place. He had a nicely put together beginner system - nothing too crazy. Because of a limited budget, and less than stellar help from a local audio store, I ended up just getting some of the same stuff as my buddy. However, we do have some key differences.
One very important thing to me was to have a computer based audio set-up. The convenience of it is unparalled, and while I really enjoy the sound of vinyl, starting a vinyl collection is just not a practical step for me right now (maybe down the road). I do the right things with my digital audio - I rip with Exact Audio Copy (with error correction) and I encode as FLAC (lossless).
So, here is what I have (most of this I got from the good people here at Audiogon): Simaudio i-5 integrated receiver, Totem Acoustic Hawks, Logitech Transporter (digital front-end and built-in DAC), Blue Jeans Cable speaker wires (14 gauge, bi-wired) and interconnects, and Richard Gray 400Pro power conditioner. I am using all the stock power cords I received. The Transporter is hooked up to a music server via Cat6 ethernet cable. Like I said, I play mostly FLACs.
On the whole, I really like what I have. Things sound good (friends give unsolicited compliments). However, I have noticed that I like the sound of my friend's system a little more. Whereas my system sounds a bit "bright" and "clinical", his sounds a bit warmer and softer and just overall nicer. (I admit that I may not be using these terms correctly, but it's the best I can describer it.)
Here is his system: Simaudio i5.3 integrated receiver, Totem Acoustic Hawks, Mac Mini with a Wavelength Brick (USB DAC), Straightwire Octave speaker wire (not bi-wired, uses jumpers), and Chang Lightspeed line conditioner. I'm not sure of the brand of his interconnects, but they're $100-$150 each. He listens to Apple Lossless files (which should be identical technologically to the FLAC files - both lossless).
I would prefer to avoid being completely unoriginal and simply copying the rest of what he has. So my dilemma is what should I focus on?
I was thinking as a first step to change up my speaker wire, if not to the Straightwire Octave then to something similar.
I was also thinking about maybe getting a ModWright modification to the Transporter, but I don't know if that kind of improvement would be noticed/appreciated given the rest of my gear. I would prefer not to go down the Wavelength Brick route because I like the functionality of the Transporter (I have other items from Slim Devices in my house). However, I wonder if the Brick is really what's giving my friend warmer music.
Thanks for reading this far! Any help/comments/insights would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Chirag