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Warm Sounding Power Amp or MHDT Havana DAC?

My system is a little bright and I'd like opinions on what is the best way to warm up the sound. I have MB Quart QLS-830 floorstanders powered by a Marantz SR5002 AVR. In general I like the sound...just a little crispy on top. I'd like to keep the AVR functionality, as I do occasionally watch movies with the system, so I was thinking about adding a power amp or DAC.

I've read great things about the MHDT Havana DAC and also heard that B&K power amps are warm and tubey. I'm wondering which would have a bigger/better impact on my system's sound, or if there are better options. I'd like to keep it under $1000.

Thanks a lot!
ryanmartinson
8 responses Add your response
ryanmartinson OP
34 posts
 
All right, all right...I GET IT!

No really, thanks for all the advice. That does sound smarter. Not as easy to convince my wife....but smarter. I'll try to hold out for some better speakers.
mimberman
299 posts
 
I second Tvad's advice. Yeah, The Havana can help on the top-end, but in the long run, if you change speakers you may end up changing other gear to suit. Just be patient, save, and get the speakers you like.
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,681 posts
 
Cheaper fixes will cost you more in the long run.Just my opinion.
Post removed 
ryanmartinson OP
34 posts
 
Thanks for the responses. I've played around with toe in, speaker placement, and room treatments, so I think I've got it narrowed down to my equipment.

Yeah, my speakers are probably the biggest problem, but I'm trying to find a cheaper fix to get me through until I can upgrade them. The main thing I'd like to know from people that have experience is how much of a difference a DAC can make versus a warm sounding power amp. Any thoughts?
tpreaves's avatar
tpreaves
2,681 posts
 
Think about different speakers.The Q's have a titanium dome tweeter than can be a bit "bright" sounding.I had the same basic problem(different equipment)and switched to a speaker with a soft dome tweeter.Not only did the "brightness" go away but I started hearing things in the highs that the other speaker was not producing.Just a thought.Good luck.
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,366 posts
 
Personally if you had 1000 bucks to spend I'd get a lot cheaper DAC and put the rest of it into a nice integrated amp. Then maybe later upgrade your speakers. You can get a great sounding DAC for cheap these days. The Cambridge DAC magic is very good. The Havana is better but it might not be worth it with the system you've got. Just my opinion. I'd ditch that amp and get something better.
cmalak
681 posts
 
Before spending any casheesh Ryan, have you played around with speaker toe in. The first line of defense against a hot top end is to toe the speakers in towards you so that the tweeters are firing at you. You may lose a bit of soundstage width that way in which case, you can play around with the toe in angle (from 0 to 45 degrees) until you hit a decent balance between soundstage width and tempering the treble frequency. Give that a try first.
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