What gives? CD’s, Solid State?


I have recently acquired Rega’s upper-end equipment (Saturn, R-7 speakers, Cursa Pre and Exon Monblocks) and am NOT that impressed with the overall listening experience when playing CDs.

Some years back I had Conrad Johnson Pre and Power and listened to vinyl. How sweet, full and warm that sounded. I realize that was tube equipment and now I’m with solid state, but still…

So, I’m trying to trouble shoot here – Is it the CD medium (I wish I had a turntable to do an A-B comparison) or is it the solid state components that sound a bit edgy, dry and less than full bodied? Would my listening experience improve much if I acquired Rega’s P7 or P9 TT and used that as my source?

Thanks,
Randy
rbschauman

Showing 2 responses by jult52

Randy - I'm starting to believe that first impressions about audio equipment are quite close to the final opinion. You are having a very negative reaction to what should be a good system. With that level of negative feelings, break-in isn't going to matter.

Here's my recommendation - there's a Nixon TD2 DAC (tube) for sale on Agon right now. Snap it up. A remarkable piece of equipment. The warmth and richness of this unit needs to be experienced.

But that would only be the first step in what looks like a system overhaul.
Mapman - ""I'm starting to believe that first impressions about audio equipment are quite close to the final opinion." I think that's debatable at best. Peoples impressions change over time with familiarity and so does the sound of new equipment.

I agree with you conceptually, of course, but in practice the question is a matter of degrees. Break-in and increased familiarity are marginal increases; the initial impression sets the baseline. If you hate a piece of equipment on first hearing, things aren't going to get enough better to make one enthusiastic.