2. amps-preamps
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upgrade advice for budget-minded beginner

I was looking for some advice on possible upgrade paths. I'm new to this A'gon community and want to get the most out of my "investments" since I'm a college student with limited funds. Currently, I have B&W 602s with an old Denon DCD1000, Yamaha M-60, and a Kenwood pre that needs to go. My noise floor is just awful, the highs are very forward and bright, and alot of music sounds lifeless and overtly digital.
I was considering the Onix reference 1/SP3/XCD88 combo for $1500, but wasn't sure if the Ref1's would be a huge step up from my 602s thus justifying the purchase. Also, I've never heard a tube amp, and although the characteristic naturalness and soundstage abilities seem to be what I'm looking for the supposed lack of woofer control and low wattage make me a bit nervous.
Another option I was toying with was keeping the Yamaha M-60 and adding an Eastern Electric Minimax preamp and possibly CDP to my setup hoping to take the edge off the highs, open up my soundstage, and eliminate background noise.
Basically, I was wondering what people that have more experience with this hobby think would yield the most "bang for the buck" in my situation. I want a deep and broad soundstage, natural sounding mids, musical highs, and authoritative bass but don't want to spend an arm and a leg to get it (like everyone else, I'm sure!). I'd appreciate any input, and am sorry about the length of the post.
ethanh

Showing 2 responses by ewha

ewha
80 posts
 
ethan--

i believe the onix cd player you are considering is mechanically the same as the music hall cd-25. i can tell you from my own experience that the gear put out by onix is really excellent. if you are concerned about budget, the onix solid state integrateds are also excellent bargains. you can get a b-stock a60 for $299 at av123.com. the a60 is as good as or better than alot of the more popular "budget" integrateds out there (audio refinement, nad, etc.). i also second the recommendations for jolida integrateds... very good sound, and excellent resale should you want to upgrade or change in the future.

if av123.com has an in home trial available, i would go for the package. i've read nothing but good things about each of those components, and my experiences with onix equipment has been resoundingly positive.
ewha
80 posts
 
Ethan--

The Onix is not cheap, Chinese crap, at least not any more so than the dozens of other well regarded companies that have their manufacturing done overseas. Onix used to be a very well regarded British outfit, and made some really great gear, including the A60 and an almost legendary tuner. I believe the company went bankrupt, and the name and product designs were later purchased by av123. Obviously, the A60 and A120 still exist, but the other products are new designs by various people. The tube integrateds are actually manufacture and designed in Australia by Melody (the solid state integrateds are, I believe, still made in China), and I can't tell you about the speakers. However, if build quality is your concern, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I've seen and heard a few Onix pieces, and they are great bargains, simple as that.

On a final note, cables will definitely make a difference, particularly when you upgrade your components as you are planning to do. It would be a shame to get great performing products, only to limit them by using inferior cables! There are, again, quite a few sources for excellent, budget cables. Signal Cables are available here for very reasonable prices, and Paul Speltz's Anti-Cables seem to be getting very favorable reviews. You could wire your entire system for less than $100 from these two sources.

Actually, one more final note... I have no affiliation with the above products and/or vendors. I've been a budget audiophile for several years now, and just passing on some of my positive experiences with these products.

Good luck, Ethan, and happy listening.

-Eric
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