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Realism in instruments how to achieve it?

Hi all,

Based on the recommendations of this forum I added a BAT VK3i Preamp to my system a few months ago and it lifted my whole system, before that I was going from SMSL RAW MDA1 DAC directly to Apollon Purifi Amp, now the BAT is in between and it gave me that warmth and analog sound I was looking for. Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Nat King Cole all sound real and "In the Room" feeling. On the analog side which I don't use as often I added a Lector tube phono preamp and it made a massive impact more than on the digital side. The thing I noticed on the digital side is that voices mainly sound so real more than instruments which have body and textures but not yet reaches that realism I feel from hearing voices mainly and when I play a record instruments are just more live and real. Guitars specifically sound much better with the BAT preamp in the signal but other instruments like in classical symphonies are not quite there yet.

Is it the speakers that gives that realism to instruments?

I cycle between Totem Arro and Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home speakers. Also, have a JBL 530 in storage but needs a speaker stand.

Two upgrade path I thought of: Push pull power tube amp or a single ended amp. The issue that my setup is in a modest bedroom and heat is a concern. Another thing I thought to add is a R2R DAC with a tube buffer like the upcoming Fiio Warmer Dac.

Another upgrade I considered is going for British bookshelf speakers like Spendor, Harbeth, Graham Audio.

What do you think is that realism in instruments can be achieved more with speakers or with a tube amp in the chain? should I just be pleased with what I have and ignore upgrades for now?

Thanks and sorry for the long post.

sheri2022
zlone
1,337 posts
 

From my perspective, your gear is starting to outclass your speakers. I would make some efforts to hear some other speakers and establish a budget for replacement. Short term, you might try going up a notch on your DAC, R2R might be a good bet based on your goals. You did not mention what you are using as your digital source/streamer. This can make a big difference as well.

tomrk
158 posts
 

The way the producer mic's the instrument and records it is probably 80-90% of it.  If it's not recorded properly, the gear that reproduces it can't bring out something that not in the recording.

ronboco
1,114 posts
 

@sheri2022 

Floorstanders will definitely work in your space if you take care of the room. Of you want the best performance you can get in your space but aren’t sure how consult an acoustician. Jeff at HDacoustics is very good with rooms your size and can design what would work best. He designed my room and it sounds fantastic ! Good luck! 

052rc
78 posts
 

Everything in the system contributes to what you are talking about. My advice would be to not upgrade your system for a while. Get used to what you have. It easy to get caught up in all the big changes that came with your recent upgrades. Once the newness wears off, you'll start to evaluate your system in a more realistic way. For your next upgrade, you should have some clearly defined improvements that you're looking to achieve. Otherwise, its just gambling. 

cey's avatar
cey
345 posts
 

some of it is geometry and physics at the speaker level. 

consider the shape of a horn and how it oushes sound. perhaps that sound is best replicated by a horn speaker. electric guitars make sound thru amps pushing paper cones back n forth, so maybe paper cones moving back and forth are best for electric guitar. 

my brother has some magnepans, which replicate acoustic instruments like double bass, acoustic guiltar and others with such texture and realism its astonishing at times. well,  think its a bunch of wires virbating and those vibrations resonating, so that makes sense to me. 

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