I have a similar system: REGA ISIS VALVE / REGA OSIRIS / new HARBETH 30.2XD’s.
If its a “warmer” audio presentation you are looking for, here’s my take:
(1) The ISIS Valve cdp/DAC is option 1. Having A-B’d the valve vs non-valve ….there is that tube-preamp like difference …. The tubes are my preference.
(2) With the new HARBETH’s, I never bought into Alan Shaw’s professed agnosticism that cables don’t matter. My incumbent all-NORDOST FREY cables loom were still good but that silver plated cables array now had a certain “edge” and “brightness” that I sought to now tame.
(A) My incumbent NORDOST FREY XLR IC cables still sounded good, but an upgrade to the CARDAS CLEAR XLR interconnect was a welcomed 1st step in both added dynamics, added bass slam, and that ethereral elusive added warmth without any sacrifice on the top end.
(B) I’m not fully “there” yet. I’m in the process of upgrading to new CARDAS CLEAR REFLECTION speaker cables as an upgrade to the NORDOST shotgunned FREYs. I considered the matched CLEAR model but at twice the price of the CR, my dealer talked me out of them as an excess without the bang-fer-yer-buck payoff. His experience was that the CR had that desired added warmth presentation . In his experience. The CLEAR REFLECTION was a better match for MY system especially with the CLEAR XLRs ( the ICs had a bigger change than speaker cables overall) in his opinion. The CLEAR could be still a tad more bright .
(C) Even though I have good FURUTECH and OYAIDE power cables (the REGA PC models supplied with your system are OK but you can do better …) a further upgrade to CLEARs as my budget permits is the next box to check.
(D) HARBETH recommends open-form speaker stands that permit the HARBETHs cabinets to resonate like a violin. They suggest TonTragers from Germany but these are crazy money at about $1600 plus taxes new. I had exact clones made for me by a pro woodworker at $530 taxes included. They DO work as advertised including an overall warmer presentation. They were a welcome added further upgrade to my expensive TARGET steel stands. PM me if you want the plans and further comments.
(E) Contemporaneously, I had him clone a high-end UK dealer audio rack in all-walnut with the requisite isolation shelf. Instead of $3500 to buy it, I paid $1100 all-in for a bespoke unit that bested my prior TARGET steel unit. It was another further warmth step.
FWIW ….
If its a “warmer” audio presentation you are looking for, here’s my take:
(1) The ISIS Valve cdp/DAC is option 1. Having A-B’d the valve vs non-valve ….there is that tube-preamp like difference …. The tubes are my preference.
(2) With the new HARBETH’s, I never bought into Alan Shaw’s professed agnosticism that cables don’t matter. My incumbent all-NORDOST FREY cables loom were still good but that silver plated cables array now had a certain “edge” and “brightness” that I sought to now tame.
(A) My incumbent NORDOST FREY XLR IC cables still sounded good, but an upgrade to the CARDAS CLEAR XLR interconnect was a welcomed 1st step in both added dynamics, added bass slam, and that ethereral elusive added warmth without any sacrifice on the top end.
(B) I’m not fully “there” yet. I’m in the process of upgrading to new CARDAS CLEAR REFLECTION speaker cables as an upgrade to the NORDOST shotgunned FREYs. I considered the matched CLEAR model but at twice the price of the CR, my dealer talked me out of them as an excess without the bang-fer-yer-buck payoff. His experience was that the CR had that desired added warmth presentation . In his experience. The CLEAR REFLECTION was a better match for MY system especially with the CLEAR XLRs ( the ICs had a bigger change than speaker cables overall) in his opinion. The CLEAR could be still a tad more bright .
(C) Even though I have good FURUTECH and OYAIDE power cables (the REGA PC models supplied with your system are OK but you can do better …) a further upgrade to CLEARs as my budget permits is the next box to check.
(D) HARBETH recommends open-form speaker stands that permit the HARBETHs cabinets to resonate like a violin. They suggest TonTragers from Germany but these are crazy money at about $1600 plus taxes new. I had exact clones made for me by a pro woodworker at $530 taxes included. They DO work as advertised including an overall warmer presentation. They were a welcome added further upgrade to my expensive TARGET steel stands. PM me if you want the plans and further comments.
(E) Contemporaneously, I had him clone a high-end UK dealer audio rack in all-walnut with the requisite isolation shelf. Instead of $3500 to buy it, I paid $1100 all-in for a bespoke unit that bested my prior TARGET steel unit. It was another further warmth step.
FWIW ….