Suggested upgrade paths


So, I am looking at spending 5k to improve the sound of my very modest system. I currently have a Rotel 1592. Being fed by an Eversolo DMP A6. I’m using the Rotel DAC, as I didn’t like the ESS DAC. This feeds a pair of Wharfedale Super Lintons. 

While it sounds ok with the volume at 60-65. If I want it louder, the treble is shrill to my ears and the bass not as clear/punchy as I prefer. I run the bass at +3. I am considering purchasing a subwoofer, along with a DAC/DDC. 

The room is roughly 450 sq ft with 10’-12’ coved ceiling. Looking for upgrade path suggestions for the mentioned 5k investment. Thanks in advance.

nucleardog61

Not being familiar with your gear, I would start by reading reviews on my gear to see if the issue with sibilance or bass is common to any of my gear.

 

I would guess that the bass issue is speaker related.  Either placement, the speaker itself, or both. 

 

Sibilance drove me nuts for years. I tried different cables which kinda helped by rolling off the top end a bit, but it didn't solve my problem.  I just blamed it on poor recordings. Thinking my gear is now so revealing that all of the crap recordings are more noticeable. 

 

My problem turned out to be a well regarded tube preamp.  Replacing it pretty much fixed the problem.  Upgrading my dac also improved things. Now, I have a revealing system and I don't even think of sibilance. At one point, I had almost concluded that sibilance was just something that I'd have to live with.  I was wrong. 

since your complaint is about the sound quality when it’s louder, I would upgrade the amplifier to a seperate. You could still use the rotel as a preamp.

You’re getting distortion, and I assume “65” is out of 100, which sounds like you operate at max gas. So far its been my experience that amps distort before speakers do, assuming decent speakers which you have.

 

Next would be a speaker upgrade if the amp doesn’t help. Try a few.

I owned the Lintons. Both the Super Linton and the OG are terrific speakers, but they need careful setup to really shine. The A6 and the Rotel’s internal DAC are the weak links. I recommend replacing them with a good streamer and an R2R DAC, since you don’t like delta-sigma designs.

The Node ICON ($1,200 new) with the Teddy Pardo LPS mod ($485) is a highly regarded streamer option, and the Bluesound app runs smoothly. The ICON is even being praised by TAS as an easy alternative to a $35k Aurender N200 and a $28k DAC combo, though I think pairing it with an external R2R DAC would do it more justice.

A Harmony DAC ($2,700) with the Micro DDC ($850) would make a terrific combination. Altogether, the upgrade would run you just over $5k.

Is it your system or your brain & ears?  I hope it is a system component problem.

I have relatively mild tinnitus (I am 81 years old and a couple of years ago I was exposed to a lunatic DJ at a wedding, I had my -30dB ear plugs in but the spl was insane - the plates on the table bounced - I left, unfed, but the damage was done).

As a result of this the brain can develop a condition, hyperacusis, where it overcompensates for loss in the upper treble and overreacts, making certain frequencies, above a certain volume, become shrill, harsh and even painful.

This has happened to me and has changed my listening habits. Certain high treble frequencies, above 60dB or so, fire up the harshness.  All sound sources do this so it is not an artifact of my "entry level very high end" system (Esoteric K-01XDSE, Rockport Atria II etc.).

I am affected mainly by orchestral crescendos where the violins are going fff, Violins have a very large harmonic component to their sound, but the effect is still there with an a7 sin wave at 3520 Hz.

I wish you good fortune in the search for an answer whatever the cause.

 

I have owned the last series Lintons & I do not suspect that the tweeters are your problem. Unless there is a mechanical issue with them which would be rare for both speakers to have the problem..unless you damaged them with loud volume. 

I would start at the source. Do you use any PEQ or EQ on your Eversolo? Any boosted frequencies? How do you have the voltage output set up? Fixed output or Variable Gain (volume control)?

If you use any extra features on the streamer turn them off. Set the output to fixed. If still a shrill volume problem set the output on the streamer to volume control & set it around 75% of full volume. You want to rule out that maybe your streamer is sending a distorted or clipped signal to the dac. Or maybe the streamers output is too strong/hot & it's clipping the dac. I have encountered both of these problems in the past. Some of these devices have very poor DSP implementation...adding distortion that outweighs any tonal correction they may impart. 

Your integrated has plenty of power & low enough distortion that it should not be the culprit. The internal dac is no prize winner but it as well should not be causing any issues from a modest streamer like the A6. But if I was wanting to upgrade then the Dac is where I would start if digital streaming is my go-to source. You could go all out with a Venus 15th or a notch lower at the Pontus 15th & a new streamer. 

I am now a strong believer in the R2R topology. I find them to take a bigger step away from digital artifacts than the chip based dacs I've personally used. Laiv audio makes some quality R2R dacs as well. Halo audio is another popular choice. 

It would be nice to figure out your current issues first though. I just suspect some form of distortion or noise getting into what should be a clean enough signal from the components you have. Just for giggles throw a large sheet of tin foil over your streamer..your device may be picking some noise up that when it is really amplified you are hearing it. I can think of a few times I've covered my tube equipment with tin foil making me realize it's too close to a router or transformer component.