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ELECTROCOMPANIENT
- Thread starter Tin Bird
- Start date
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Tin Bird
Active Member
Hey there modal... If you've read through the thread (don't blame you if you haven't!), you'll see that I have a health condition that makes my ears kind've wonky...well, actually, really wonky. So, this has been a quest to get the best possible sound that they could tolerate. It hasn't been easy. As for the Electrocompanient (sp?) in the title, that was an amp I tried a while back due to the descriptions of it having a warm, tube-like sound. In all honesty, I thought it sounded terrible. Zero detail, boring, and lacking any sort of energy. Perhaps if I had given it more time it may have opened up, but return windows can sometimes be rather short. As for Rotel, I've had the A12 previously and it is a solid sounding amp. A bit low on power, but I'm really just trying to find something that sounds good that doesn't overpower me...plus, I knew it was available locally without all of the shipping and crap. When you say Rotel - How did I know...does that mean you think they suck? That's fine if you do, I'm just curious as to what you mean?
No not at all. It was some kind of stupid joke. Rotel are the only electronics I’ve owned for over 20 years. I had to retire my RA12 just this month cuz my Maggie LRSs practically shut it down. I love that amp and will promote it forever. Bluetooth connectivity, great remote, balance control, a bunch of other stuff I have no idea about. Giving it to my nephew along with my old B&W 686 S2s which were also a terrific value. I lived happily with them for 4 years. Thank you Best Buy.
Tin Bird
Active Member
Cool. It is a tad low powered, but I agree, i think it's a solid good sounding unit. Has a bit of a laid back sound to it, not ultra-detailed, and certainly not bright at all. Maybe ever so slightly lacking in bass heft, but it does have tone controls.
And more power to you for realizing that high price does not mean higher fidelity. Very often, reasonably priced components fit the bill perfectly. In all product categories.
Someone should start a thread not so much about underrated components but GREAT VALUE components. I would definitely nominate the RA12. I cannot do this because I put myself on a moratorium on starting threads for at least the rest of the week. But if you do it I'll respond for sure.
I replaced ROTELSKI with the highly regarded ROGUE SPHINX integrated amp. Short on features but high on power. 100 watts RMS into 8 ohms and 200 watts into 4 ohms. Its around $1500 an easily drives my Maggies. Maybe you should take a look at one. Comes in black or silver.
And if you have more money to spend (not much--just $2195), Rogue makes an all tube integrated (the Cronus Magnum) that looks very sweet.
http://rogueaudio.com/Products_Cronus_Magnum.htm
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Tin Bird
Active Member
Thanks for the suggestion! I have seen this amp over the years and have always heard good things for sure. Can't say I'm over the hills w the looks of it, but if it sounds good and my ears can hang...who cares? At this point, I think I am going to try to stick w the Rotel. I am expecting two pairs of speakers today to try to match w it...Wharfedale Denton bookshelf speakers (which I've owned and loved before) and Polk Audio S50 smallish floorstanding speakers which I'm hoping will provide a bit more bass response, but not too much! As always...we shall see!
I am still having fairly significant ear problems right now though, so the tryouts may have to wait for a week or so until everything calms down...
Tin Bird
Active Member
Change of plans...go figure! The Dentons arrived to me w a huge hole in the side of the box...even through the internal foam. I denied the delivery, so it is going back to dealer. No need to say who. I decided against the Polk S50's and instead have decided to go for the Q Acoustics 3050i floorstanding speakers. The specs look good. I think they will match well w my 60 wpc Rotel A12 and reviews consistenly review to them as full, warm, great soundstage, not the last word in high frequncy detail...sounds like my cup of tea. Plus, 30 day home trial! Should have them next week. Will start slow and quiet. btw I did pickup an Onkyo C 7030 CD player from Accesories for Less for really cheap. It seems to work perfectly. I used to have one of these units and it sounded great. Will be excited to have it in the system again and give the TEAC a break. I've been wondering if the TEAC was contributing some of the sibilance I have experienced. Let's find out! Peace.
Tin Bird
Active Member
Well good Lord...the Q Acoustics 3050i"s are freaking huge! Thought they were on the small side for floorstanders. Hooked them up anyway...initial thoughts are they sound sibilant and are too big for my room anyway. Will give them a few days, but not feeling warm and fizzy. I think I may try the Monitor Audio Monitor 100's again and perhaps mess w the tone controls a bit on the Rotel. +2 on the bass, - 1 on the treble might do it... Every time I try a floorstanding speaker I am reminded how much I prefer bookshelfs. It just is the way it is I guess....
You didn’t check the specs before you bought them?. There actually not that big T 40x12x12 but I guess if your used to bookshelves that can appear big to someone . Also it could be you just haven’t found the right floor stander as they have a distinct advantage over bookshelves if you have the room for them.
Audiofreak71
What does "sibilant" sound like Tinbird ?? Spitty ?? Over-etched ??
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I haven't read the whole thread but I've bounced in and out of it ..
Sounds to me like what you need is some help tuning the system ..
A lot can be done with cables, set-up and room treatment .. (and judicious selection of a new component)
Haven't read the whole thread but you've bounced through a lot of good gear that should have been able to get you where you were going ..
It can be hard to establish which component is contributing what characteristics to what you're hearing ..
If you keep replacing components you're creating new puzzles ..
Sounds to me like what you need is some help tuning the system ..
A lot can be done with cables, set-up and room treatment .. (and judicious selection of a new component)
Haven't read the whole thread but you've bounced through a lot of good gear that should have been able to get you where you were going ..
It can be hard to establish which component is contributing what characteristics to what you're hearing ..
If you keep replacing components you're creating new puzzles ..
Tin Bird
Active Member
Overemphasis of the "s", "z", "sh", "ch" sounds in vocals.
Tin Bird
Active Member
No question that I have had some good equipment at various times throughout this journey. Also, I think if I was a "true" audiophile, I would get some treatment going for the room. Honestly, my room is my den and I don't really have the option to go all out. Another issue is my problem ears. I think you are right that I have had some systems cooking over the past two years that were good and I enjoyed, but like many, I would then kind've get the itch to upgrade. Then I would bump into ear probs. So, now I am just trying to find the best possible system that sounds good that I can tolerate. I definitely have made some mistakes along the way though for sure.
DaveVoorhis
Addicted Member
From what I've seen here, I wouldn't call them mistakes. I'd call them experiments that successfully didn't provide evidence for your hypotheses. It's like testing a medicine that turns out not to cure a disease -- it's still good science and a useful result in terms of furthering knowledge, even though it didn't achieve an expected goal.
It's an interesting journey.
Your comment about your Den is also your stereo room and is why your not going all out and possibly not getting the room treatments doesn’t have to be that way . My family room is my stereo room and I have implemented room treatments that are decor friendly, you would never know they were acoustic treatments. I made my own but there are many companies that make them as well that fit just about all decor needs/wants.
Audiofreak71
Audiofreak71
Tin Bird
Active Member
I am sure that there could be ways to make it sound better in the room. No doubt about that. I guess I have just not really wanted to invest time/money into that avenue. I just wanted a simple, decent sounding system. I mean 90% of the units I've owned have been entry level anyway. It seems a bit silly IMO to go treating up the room for a $800 amp and $800 speakers ya know? Besides, I think the main issue that keeps me from going to the next level (of sound) is my ear probs anyway. Nevertheless, I take your point and that very well may be something I look into in the future. Right now, my biggest problem is the damn sibilance. Everything I am trying to match up w the Rotel is not working. The NAD D 3045 was better in the regard...not perfect mind you...but better. So, sibilance crushing is my current goal. Again, though, it may very much be my ears simply being overly sensitive to super clear high frequencies.
As evidence to support that, one of my fave artists is David Sylvian. I have listened to him for many many years and until I started down the audiophile-esque road, I had never noticed how sibilant his vocals are recorded. I've seen it confirmed in other online venues (Steve Hoffman forum being one of them) that others have heard the same thing and have trouble listening to some of his works now. Secrets of the Beehive is one of my all-time fave records but it is hard to listen to on a decent stereo.
As evidence to support that, one of my fave artists is David Sylvian. I have listened to him for many many years and until I started down the audiophile-esque road, I had never noticed how sibilant his vocals are recorded. I've seen it confirmed in other online venues (Steve Hoffman forum being one of them) that others have heard the same thing and have trouble listening to some of his works now. Secrets of the Beehive is one of my all-time fave records but it is hard to listen to on a decent stereo.
Treating a room has nothing to do with the cost of your system it has to do with exactly what it appears your having problems with , taming the reflections/echoes in your room . You might be hearing that sibilance from reflections and may be enhanced by the ear problems you have . If you can hammer a nail through wood and use a staple gun then you can make your own for a lot less money. I made all my panels for just under $200 , or if you really want to try something inexpensive you can use pillows and blankets that may be in your house , place them in the reflective areas and see if you hear a change .
Audiofreak71