System improvement - please advise

I was using my SL-1310 mk2 with a CA651 preamp. I upgraded the phonostage and noticed a big improvement. I went with Simaudio LP5.3RS but there are many nice ones out there.

 

I'm in agreement with the general thrust. An adjustable phono stage is going to allow you to get the best out of the cartridges that you have. That's going to occupy you for a while. Look at the Phonomena II. It is not an op amp phono stage.

Check out wireworld Oasisis 7 ICs and their Solstice speaker cable.

I think either of these directions would open a window for you.

 

Room Treatment(s).

Biggest bang for the buck. How YOUR speakers interact with YOUR Room is by far the biggest thing that affects the sound.

 

I tried the Klipsch RP-160M in a small room and didn't fall in love. They sounded good, but I just felt like they were too loud before the amp got a chance to reach it's potential. Almost like they were compressed. It may have just been a taste preference issue. I don't think they would be an upgrade from what you have.

 

Room Treatments

 

Z likes JBL

 

I think the JBL 530 is discontinued.

 

How do you feel about the sound now? Klipsch or JBL will sound quite different. So if you basically like the sound, stick with Dali, maybe go bigger up front as you suggested.

I'd also observe that your REL subwoofer looks nice however there is a limit to how much bass one 8" cone can move-consider adding a second sub for more output and smoother sound. I'd also experiment with placement if you can, and gentle EQ which your NAD could accommodate. Er, how exactly do you have the sub connected? You should somehow have a highpass filter for the most dynamic range. I think the NAD has as much power as you are likely to need, especially if highpassed.

 

Not much I can do because of the room organization. I used to have the Concepts in front and the Zensors in the back, and that setup didn’t sound right, I mean it sounded ok, but only ok. Then I switched them so that Concepts are in the back and Zensors in the front now, and there's a major upgrade in the sound. I don't know maybe Zensors are simply superior to Concepts, or it' acoustics, both.

 

How about one of the inexpensive ultrasonic record cleaners?

 

I already have Okki Nokki RCM Record Cleaning Machine plus Onzow: ZeroDust - Stylus Cleaner

 

I consider Zensors 3 as an upgrade. My plan would be to replace Concepts 2 with Zensors 3. Still not 100% positive. Can you help me to pinpoint the major, meaningful build differences between Zensors 3 and Concepts 2 that can translate to SQ? I put a chart of specs. Thank you!

 

To be honest I stopped using REL because I begin to like the natural sound I get from the speakers, it seems they give me more details without sub on, the question of proper setup I suppose, would like to chceck it again, need to turn those REL's knobs to set it right.

There's very little room to experiment with placement: this is the only place where it can stand:



By the way I experimented with bass and trebles at my NAD but returned to tone defeat mode.

This is exactly how I have my REL connected:

 

Best advice I can give is to listen to different speakers or system to get a sense of sound. Especially good if speakers can be auditioned at home. At least then you can get a perspective of what you have now and make descisions for switching speakers or not.

 

The preamp has arrived, so that's done. Now onto new speakers (maybe).

 

Well, how does it sound?

 

Hi, gonna unbox it on my birhday on 30.09.

 

Speakers upgrade:

The Concepts 2 were originaly my only speakers. When I upgraded my system I decided to get another monitors for backround sound. Got Zensors 1. My logic was to put bigger, "better" Concepts 2 speakers up front, and use smaller ones "worse" Zensors 1 as rear speakers. I did not work. Zensors 1 were barely audible being buried by the Concepts 2. Wasn't happy with Concepts 2 as fronts either. I decided to compare Zensors 1 to Concepts 2 and to my big suprise they did sound better. So I made the switch and Zensors 1 are my main (front) speakers now, Concepts 2 are rear spekers. Zensors 1 hang just above my desk in the corners at about 1 meter distance from my head as I sit behind the desk. It was exactly the same placement of Concepts 2. Now Zensors 1 are fully audible, while Concepts 2 fill the background nicely. Such combination semm to work pretty well with my small room size (2,6 m x 2,5 m), shape and acoustics, plus I think SQ of Zensors 1 is superior to Concepts 2.

Upgrade?

Upgrade option would be replacing Zensors 1 with something "better/different" that's gonna be efficient near field (I mean near my head ). Watched demos online, and narrowed the choice to:

• Dali Zensor 3 (HxWxD: 35.1 cm x 20.5 cm x 29.3 cm)
• Klipsch RP-150M (37.0 cm x 19.5 cm x 27.1 cm)
• Klipsch RP-160M (42.4 cm x 22.4 cm x 32.7 cm)

Dimensions of my current speakers:

Zensor 1: 27.4 cm x 16.2 cm x 22.0 cm
Concept 2: 39.0 cm x 20.0 cm x 26.0 cm

I link demos in next posts.

What do you think? Thank you!

 

Dali Zensor 3:

 

Klipsch RP-150M:

 

Klipsch RP-160M:

 

Klipsch RP-150M:

 

Get a nice Record cleaner. Never mind just saw you have one. The next step would be upgrading the phonostage. That may be a tad more expensive. You could look at used and your money will go further. The battery powered Sutherland would be nice.

 

Thanks.