Are more watts or tubes the answer?

[Lavane]

I know it controversial, but good cables (both speaker and IC) can make at least some difference in the sound of your system.

Without getting into the whole cable debate that gets threads closed. I agree to a point. Really cheap cables will and do introduce noise due to poor shielding.

 

[Engel]

^Personally, I have always liked Velodyne. I’ve had excellent luck buying used Velodyne’s for $100 that retailed for over a $1,000 in the 90s.

REL, Rythmik and HSU are others I’ve heard that are very musical.

Thank you. Will keep an eye out!

 

[Engel]

Without getting into the whole cable debate that gets threads closed. I agree to a point. Really cheap cables will and do introduce noise due to poor shielding.

Yep, this too. I'm middle of the road in the cable debate. Maybe what I'm using could be improved without having to take out a bank loan to buy some cables.

 

[Lavane]

Get a sub and use the high pass crossover to your mains. This will free up your Castles to shine on the mids and highs. Not all subs have a high pass, so you may have to get separately.

A tube preamp can be added if you wanna add some of that color. One of those Maverick Tube DAC/pre is one cheap option to consider.

This is something often missed or ignored. Crossing over your mains. I haven't done it yet myself. But I need to. I was given three Crown power amplifiers with DSP built in. I plan to use one as a sub amp. But then I got to thinking, what if I used a second one for my main speakers adjusting the response with the DSP circuit. That just might give me an idea of the frequency range I need to adjust a filter to for in my speakers in my main system.

 

[BMC]

Thank you. Will keep an eye out!

You’re welcome and good luck!

 

[BMC]

@Lavane - I have had good results doing this with Magnepans, Advents, Elacs, Triangle and many others. I let the Velodyne high pass at 80 hz. The clarity, dynamics, imaging, soundstage and overall musicality are much improved on the mains. Also allows a wider range of amps to use.

Level matching can take a while to dial in.

 

[ernieb1536]

If you've done all you can with speaker placement and room treatment and still want something different, I would be looking at new speakers. I'm sure the Castles are detailed and stunning in their own right, but if I were wanting a more expansive sound, I'd be looking at speakers with something bigger than those 5" cones... JBL L82, Klipsch Heresy, Wharfedale Linton, KLH Model 5...better yet, save up a few more bucks and look at something like Tannoy Cheviot.

^Personally, I have always liked Velodyne. I’ve had excellent luck buying used Velodyne’s for $100 that retailed for over a $1,000 in the 90s.

REL, Rythmik and HSU are others I’ve heard that are very musical.

80

 

[Lavane]

@Lavane - I have had good results doing this with Magnepans, Advents, Elacs, Triangle and many others. I let the Velodyne high pass at 80 hz. The clarity, dynamics, imaging, soundstage and overall musicality are much improved on the mains. Also allows a wider range of amps to use.

Level matching can take a while to dial in.

My plan is to build a 15" or 18" sub and use the big crown amp bridged t9 power the sub. So I will have to filter the Mains separately. I'm still looking into that part though.

 

[ernieb1536]

80

I agree maybe a larger classic speaker would give the sound you are looking ,for 80 watts rms is a decent amount of power with the right speakers could give you a good wall of sound !

 

[BMC]

My plan is to build a 15" or 18" sub and use the big crown amp bridged t9 power the sub. So I will have to filter the Mains separately. I'm still looking into that part though.

Wow I bet that will sound incredible with that setup.

 

[mjw21a]

As suggested above, try adding a sub. I've had fantastic results with the Queenway QS-10 with SVS Soundpath wireless kit. The QS-10 being a sealed unit with a second 10" passive radiator is quite fast and works very well indeed for music. Very competitive pricewise for those of us here in Australia. If you're fine spending a bit more though then the RSL Speedwoofer-10S deserves a look.

 

[Bodyblue]

I know it controversial, but good cables (both speaker and IC) can make at least some difference in the sound of your system.

IF the old cables are oxidized or damaged in some way there certainly can be a difference. Solid connections are a big deal for sure.

 

[Engel]

So I have found a Castle active subwoofer and it's in the ballpark for price. 10” driver And 150W amplifier. Also matches the speakers aesthetically, maybe sonically too. Might have to give the store a call and see if they are OK with home audition. Can also borrow a friend's Sherwood sub to experiment and see what that does. Now also thinking is it time to up my cable game? Yes, slippery slopes! Not in a massive rush because I enjoy what I have but am curious about how much more I can extract. As @Bodyblue mentioned above, solid connections make a difference and it's probably something I can work on fairly economically. I hope.

 

[twiiii]

If you have good 60 watts you would need 200 to make a real difference in quantity. I doubt your speakers will handle that . But it seems to me you are having quality issues even though you say other wise. If its quality that means it is speaker auditioning time. That is the most serious under taking you will ever face. You just can't do it with one brief audition either.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Try adding a powered subwoofer.

According to HiFi Review, they are light in the bass. A pair of 5" woofers is not ever going to be able to provide true foundation bass.

Try a sub of at least 10". Anything smaller isn't going to go much deeper than the 5" woofers.

+1

 

[whoaru99]

Without getting into the whole cable debate that gets threads closed. I agree to a point. Really cheap cables will and do introduce noise due to poor shielding.

I suggest "could" rather than will and do.

In one of my systems I use cables between DAC to pre and pre to power amp that have no shielding at all, just two 24ga wires harvested from Cat5 cable. It is no more noisy with those cables than with well-shielded cables.

I built them specifically to test this point. And, yes, I had fully expected some sort of hum or whatever and to swap back the shielded cables. But, the unshielded ones worked perfectly fine so I've never bothered to swap them out for shielded cables.

Obviously, YMMV. The point is it's not for sure that even no shielding will be a problem.

 

[rickb119]

IF the old cables are oxidized or damaged in some way there certainly can be a difference. Solid connections are a big deal for sure.

That too.

 

[Lavane]

I suggest "could" rather than will and do.

In one of my systems I use cables between DAC to pre and pre to power amp that have no shielding at all, just two 24ga wires harvested from Cat5 cable. It is no more noisy with those cables than with well-shielded cables.

I built them specifically to test this point. And, yes, I had fully expected some sort of hum or whatever and to swap back the shielded cables. But, the unshielded ones worked perfectly fine so I've never bothered to swap them out for shielded cables.

Obviously, YMMV. The point is it's not for sure that even no shielding will be a problem.

True.

 

[RunOutGroove]

A subwoofer designed for music, not a surround system is a good idea.
10" to 15" is a good choice. Maybe a sealed cabinet design?

I like the sealed design as well. I have a SVS SB-2000 12" sub and it's by far my favorite of the three subs that I've owned... and the only sealed one. The last sub that I owned was a kind of mid-line JBL, that also was 12" and had a port. The JBL seemed to have slightly lower bass, but at the expensive of less clarity (it could be a bit boomy) and in a much bigger (unwieldy!) cabinet.

All that being said though, as much as I like to hear the bass, I'm don't really need something that goes all the way down to 20hz. If I had speakers that got close to that (if I had room for floor speakers) and were really strong all the way to the bottom of the spectrum, I think that I'd be fine with it and not even bother with a sub... so unless the OP is really attached to those speakers, I feel like it might be wise to explore options for a new pair that check all of the boxes and also go down low enough that one might not miss a sub.

 

[Lavane]

I like the sealed design as well. I have a SVS SB-200 12" sub and it's by far my favorite of the three subs that I've owned... and the only sealed one. The Last sub that I owned was a kind of mid-line JBL, that also was 12" and had a port. The JBL seemed to have slightly lower bass, but at the expensive of less clarity (it could be a bit boomy) and in a much bigger (unwieldy!) cabinet.

All that being said though, as much as I like to hear the bass, I'm don't really need something that goes all the way down to 20hz. If I had speakers that got close to that (if I had room for floor speakers) and were really strong all the way to the bottom of the spectrum, I think that I'd be fine with it and not even bother with a sub... so unless the OP is really attached to those speakers, I feel like it might be wise to explore options for a new pair that check all of the boxes and also go down low enough that one might not miss a sub.

I think some ported subs seem to sound like they go lower, but the port just makes them sound boomy. Sealed subs sound tighter with better clarity. I like bass, but not when it's loose. There is a lot to be said for better impact from a sealed sub, or even some with a passive radiator. When it come to mains though I've almost always preferred 2way ported cabinets or passive radiators over sealed designs. Most of my speakers start rolling off between 40 to 80hz. I like a sub just to fill it down to the mid 30's or so. There isn't much under 40hz anyway. I have a pair of speakers that will dig down into the 30hz range and just don't need a sub.