TROUBAUDIOR
Active Member
So, if you read my (hopefully entertaining) intro post, you know that I have been dabbling in 2-channel high-end, mid-level and budget audio for nearly 40 years. I have come full circle and am ready to build a new budget-minded system.
But where was I to begin?
So much had changed! We'd gone from .wav music filed to lossless... from CDPs to music servers....from phono, aux and line inputs to Bluetooth and USB... from bi-wiring your sub to dedicated Sub outs. And don't even get me started on internet radio and streaming services! So much for the erection-inducing days of yesteryear. Viagra anyone?
Okay, so I began with a list of what useful items I had left over from the Glory Days, and what source material I wanted to enjoy moving forward. And I gave myself a budget of $1500US.
When my CAL died and the company had been sold, I replaced it with the legendary Technics A10 DVD-A / CD player thinking DVD-A would rule! LOL.
When SACD began to make a splash, I scored a great deal on a mid-level Sony SACD / CD player. thinking SACD would rule! LOL.
When I divorced, the ex wanted the cheap-ass HT system. Good riddance. But she hated the loud, thundering bass and passed on the 12" powered Sony sub. Apparently to her, it wasn't all about the bass, 'bout the bass, 'bout the bass. I was able to hide the DVD-A and SACD players in the divorce, and subsequently, all 3 items...the 2 digital players and the sub went into storage for 2 decades, waiting for someone to show them some love again. That time had come.
I knew I wanted to use these 3 components in my system (since I had a collection of over 500 CDs, DVD-As and SACDs), and because budget was paramount. But, I also wanted to be able to listen to my hundreds of MP3 downloads stored on my laptop and phone. And I knew I wanted to enjoy the occassional streaming music service. But all those years in the "high-end" (note...no twitch now), had given me the (in?)famous "golden ears". I could easily tell that MP3 files and free, streaming music sites sounded terrible! So I knew that if I was going to listen to my MP3s and streaming internet radio through a new system, I was going to have to improve their sound so that I could live with it.
I decided to spend the majority of my $1500US on speakers and amplification, breaking up the rest between a table and DAC for downloads/streaming. I knew that this time, I wanted vinyl, even if it was entry-level. And if possible, I wanted some tubes in my system. I knew it was a tall order for $1500US, but I was also pleasantly surprised at how, um... accessible... tubes, vinyl and even DACs had become for every day music enthusiasts! Seemed even the non-audiophiles were picking up on what sounded good! So maybe $1500US was not unreasonable, I thought! And I knew for sure that if I spent more than a reasonable amount on high-resolution components, my AN would take over and the vicious cycle would begin again.
The struggle is real. LOL.
So, in the last 6 months, I've re-emerged as a "budget audiophile". I picked up a Dayton Audio integrated amp for $200 - a solid state power amp with a tube pre, along with all the inputs for phono, line levels, bluetooth, USB & sub. Then, I tepidly began visiting high end audio shops. But where were they? The times they are a changin. The high-end audio store landscape was dessimated. Where once there stood a 30-year business now stood a sub shop. Another was a gym. And yet a third had converted completed to mid-level HT gear – Jamo being their "premier" line. I was just about to give up on finding worthy speakers in my budget when a chance visit with an old audiophile friend introduced me to the PSB Alpha P5s. For the first time in nearly 2 decades, I felt something while listening to Fiona Apple's "Slow Like Honey"!! LOL. It was the same feeling I felt years earlier upon discovering the Spicas! I made my second purchase. I then turned my attention to a turntable, and I almost bit on an entry-level Pro-ject. But when emails went unanswered, I turned my attention to U-Turn. They listened to my goals and suggested their entry-level table with basic AT cartridge. Purchase #3 was complete. Lastly, I began researching DACs and almost settled on the AQ Dragonfly but - like the DA amp - I decided to take a chance on a relatively unknown Topping DAC for half the cost. The DAC would handle the MP3s and streaming music coming from a spare laptop. The divorce attorneys didn't even think about cabling, so I was able to retain all of the quality cabling from NBS, AQ and Kimber to use throughout. In the last 6 months and in anticipation of The Big Vinyl Moment, I began purchasing vinyl from local record shops. And oh what fun my 19-year old special needs son and I have looking at all the album covers! That smell of vinyl upon entering the shop! That experience alone has almost been worth the price of the turntable!
With vinyl, my intent was to not duplicate my digital collection. My first purchase was a new, 180g copy of Fleetwood Mac Rumours (of course). I followed that up with new copies of Lennon's Imagine, Toto's Live In Amsterdam and Beck's heartwrenching Sea Change. From the used bin, I scored mint copies of AWB, Peggy Lee, Boz Scaggs, Robert Plant, Alan Parsons and Van Morrison. And this is only the beginning.
I got rid of the "guest" bedroom that was never used and turned it into my listening room "sanctuary". The room is approximately 12x12x8 with the P5s four feet from the wall behind them and spaced about 6 feet apart. I'm sitting equidistant from them in an old-fasioned rocking chair (fitting, eh?). The speakers are on spikes, sitting on 2 ft stands. The speakers are angled upwards and toed in 10 degrees or so. The tweeter (which in the P5 sits below the woofer) is pointing directly at my ears. The rack is in the corner of the room behind me to my right. There is no other furniture in the room.
So, my first listening impression? Viagra anyone?
Seriously, I was underwhelmed. I took a deep breath and gave the system a week to burn in. It slowly improved. But after a week, something still sounded..."constricted". At this point, I had not yet pulled the sub from storage, and I almost didn't bother. Dejected, I pulled the sub out, cleaned it up, hooked it up and listened again. And this time?
Boooiiiiing!!!! And with no pill!!
The veil lifted from the midrange, and the highs sweet as a songbird! Imaging snapped into focus as did the soundstage. I could suddenly FEEL Beck's anguish on vinyl! And on the Fiona CD I stole....er, borrowed....from my friend, I felt like I needed a cigarette after listening to her very breathy, very sulty voice on "Slow Like Honey". And this time, on MY system.
Is my system perfect? Heck no. Here are the problems I'm immediately noticing....
There is that proverbial hum in the phono stage (by all accounts probably at 60Hz). It was audibly present with no signal at around 11 o'clock on my volume dial BEFORE the sub was in line. After the sub, the hum becomes audible at around 2 o'clock. I'm still working on eliminating the hum: I've troubleshooted and ruled out the turntable (tried diff one), interconnects, grounding or the power conditioner. I am reluctant to replace an essentially brand new cartridge, but I may just do that next. The table came standard with a $40 (?) AT cartridge that only delivers 2.5mV or so of output. So output level on vinyl is very, very low, in addition to the hum. If a new cartridge does not improve the hum and/or the output level of my vinyl, then I suspect the phono section of the amp is the culprit. I can almost live with the hum if I can improve the output level.
Secondly, the amp clicks on and off, almost as if there is a fan in it. I don't ever recall hearing a sound like this with ANY amp I've previously owned, including the Threshold T-200 which doubled as a space-heater. If cooling fans existed, they were inaudible. In the DA amp now, I can hear the "fan-like" sound during quiet passages of music or if a song comes to an abrupt end. It clicks on and off depending on whether a signal is present or not. While I don't necessarily hear it while music is playing, it's much louder than the hum. I'm also concerned that it could be an indication that I'm driving the amp too hard?
Thirdly, the amp is rated 50 wpc at 4 ohms. Yeah, I know...4 ohms. Not standard measurment reporting, right? My ADHD (LOL) made me miss that little nugget, so I suspect the amp probably puts out more like 35-40 at 8 ohms, where the P5s are nominally rated. And the PSB Alpha P5's sensitivity is also not the greatest at 89dB so that's not helping either. I think the amp might be struggling?
Fourthly, while the sub is still alive and kicking after 20 or so years, it's definitely a weak link. I prefer my subwoofer to be non-existent until really needed, and then, I want my bass quick and taut. I think the low frequencies can be improved immensely, but replacing the sub over the first 3 previous issues would be giving in to my AN. The mediocre bass is not a priority...yet. LOL.
So, at $950US spent so far, I still have about $550US in my budget, maybe even a few hundred beyond that. My internal debate at the moment is do I spend $100 on an Ortofon Red with 5.5mV of output? Or, do I live with the AT cartridge and put the $100 toward a new, better quality, more powerful amp? I have been researching amps and truthfully, the choices at $500-$700 are slim...very. I've relaxed my requirements from all tube to hybrid to even all solid state if the amp "speaks" to me like the Threshold (which retailed for about $5k new). LOL. Right now, the leading contender in the amp race is a first or second generation Rogue Sphinx, although I've not ever heard the amp, yet.
Any suggestions, opinions, recommendations with the amp, cartridge or otherwise are welcomed!!!
In the meantime, the twitch is in check, the family unit in tact, and I'm back in Rebecca's good graces. Smile wide; toe tapping.
Thanks for reading.
Troubaudior
But where was I to begin?
So much had changed! We'd gone from .wav music filed to lossless... from CDPs to music servers....from phono, aux and line inputs to Bluetooth and USB... from bi-wiring your sub to dedicated Sub outs. And don't even get me started on internet radio and streaming services! So much for the erection-inducing days of yesteryear. Viagra anyone?
Okay, so I began with a list of what useful items I had left over from the Glory Days, and what source material I wanted to enjoy moving forward. And I gave myself a budget of $1500US.
When my CAL died and the company had been sold, I replaced it with the legendary Technics A10 DVD-A / CD player thinking DVD-A would rule! LOL.
When SACD began to make a splash, I scored a great deal on a mid-level Sony SACD / CD player. thinking SACD would rule! LOL.
When I divorced, the ex wanted the cheap-ass HT system. Good riddance. But she hated the loud, thundering bass and passed on the 12" powered Sony sub. Apparently to her, it wasn't all about the bass, 'bout the bass, 'bout the bass. I was able to hide the DVD-A and SACD players in the divorce, and subsequently, all 3 items...the 2 digital players and the sub went into storage for 2 decades, waiting for someone to show them some love again. That time had come.
I knew I wanted to use these 3 components in my system (since I had a collection of over 500 CDs, DVD-As and SACDs), and because budget was paramount. But, I also wanted to be able to listen to my hundreds of MP3 downloads stored on my laptop and phone. And I knew I wanted to enjoy the occassional streaming music service. But all those years in the "high-end" (note...no twitch now), had given me the (in?)famous "golden ears". I could easily tell that MP3 files and free, streaming music sites sounded terrible! So I knew that if I was going to listen to my MP3s and streaming internet radio through a new system, I was going to have to improve their sound so that I could live with it.
I decided to spend the majority of my $1500US on speakers and amplification, breaking up the rest between a table and DAC for downloads/streaming. I knew that this time, I wanted vinyl, even if it was entry-level. And if possible, I wanted some tubes in my system. I knew it was a tall order for $1500US, but I was also pleasantly surprised at how, um... accessible... tubes, vinyl and even DACs had become for every day music enthusiasts! Seemed even the non-audiophiles were picking up on what sounded good! So maybe $1500US was not unreasonable, I thought! And I knew for sure that if I spent more than a reasonable amount on high-resolution components, my AN would take over and the vicious cycle would begin again.
The struggle is real. LOL.
So, in the last 6 months, I've re-emerged as a "budget audiophile". I picked up a Dayton Audio integrated amp for $200 - a solid state power amp with a tube pre, along with all the inputs for phono, line levels, bluetooth, USB & sub. Then, I tepidly began visiting high end audio shops. But where were they? The times they are a changin. The high-end audio store landscape was dessimated. Where once there stood a 30-year business now stood a sub shop. Another was a gym. And yet a third had converted completed to mid-level HT gear – Jamo being their "premier" line. I was just about to give up on finding worthy speakers in my budget when a chance visit with an old audiophile friend introduced me to the PSB Alpha P5s. For the first time in nearly 2 decades, I felt something while listening to Fiona Apple's "Slow Like Honey"!! LOL. It was the same feeling I felt years earlier upon discovering the Spicas! I made my second purchase. I then turned my attention to a turntable, and I almost bit on an entry-level Pro-ject. But when emails went unanswered, I turned my attention to U-Turn. They listened to my goals and suggested their entry-level table with basic AT cartridge. Purchase #3 was complete. Lastly, I began researching DACs and almost settled on the AQ Dragonfly but - like the DA amp - I decided to take a chance on a relatively unknown Topping DAC for half the cost. The DAC would handle the MP3s and streaming music coming from a spare laptop. The divorce attorneys didn't even think about cabling, so I was able to retain all of the quality cabling from NBS, AQ and Kimber to use throughout. In the last 6 months and in anticipation of The Big Vinyl Moment, I began purchasing vinyl from local record shops. And oh what fun my 19-year old special needs son and I have looking at all the album covers! That smell of vinyl upon entering the shop! That experience alone has almost been worth the price of the turntable!
With vinyl, my intent was to not duplicate my digital collection. My first purchase was a new, 180g copy of Fleetwood Mac Rumours (of course). I followed that up with new copies of Lennon's Imagine, Toto's Live In Amsterdam and Beck's heartwrenching Sea Change. From the used bin, I scored mint copies of AWB, Peggy Lee, Boz Scaggs, Robert Plant, Alan Parsons and Van Morrison. And this is only the beginning.
I got rid of the "guest" bedroom that was never used and turned it into my listening room "sanctuary". The room is approximately 12x12x8 with the P5s four feet from the wall behind them and spaced about 6 feet apart. I'm sitting equidistant from them in an old-fasioned rocking chair (fitting, eh?). The speakers are on spikes, sitting on 2 ft stands. The speakers are angled upwards and toed in 10 degrees or so. The tweeter (which in the P5 sits below the woofer) is pointing directly at my ears. The rack is in the corner of the room behind me to my right. There is no other furniture in the room.
So, my first listening impression? Viagra anyone?
Seriously, I was underwhelmed. I took a deep breath and gave the system a week to burn in. It slowly improved. But after a week, something still sounded..."constricted". At this point, I had not yet pulled the sub from storage, and I almost didn't bother. Dejected, I pulled the sub out, cleaned it up, hooked it up and listened again. And this time?
Boooiiiiing!!!! And with no pill!!
The veil lifted from the midrange, and the highs sweet as a songbird! Imaging snapped into focus as did the soundstage. I could suddenly FEEL Beck's anguish on vinyl! And on the Fiona CD I stole....er, borrowed....from my friend, I felt like I needed a cigarette after listening to her very breathy, very sulty voice on "Slow Like Honey". And this time, on MY system.
Is my system perfect? Heck no. Here are the problems I'm immediately noticing....
There is that proverbial hum in the phono stage (by all accounts probably at 60Hz). It was audibly present with no signal at around 11 o'clock on my volume dial BEFORE the sub was in line. After the sub, the hum becomes audible at around 2 o'clock. I'm still working on eliminating the hum: I've troubleshooted and ruled out the turntable (tried diff one), interconnects, grounding or the power conditioner. I am reluctant to replace an essentially brand new cartridge, but I may just do that next. The table came standard with a $40 (?) AT cartridge that only delivers 2.5mV or so of output. So output level on vinyl is very, very low, in addition to the hum. If a new cartridge does not improve the hum and/or the output level of my vinyl, then I suspect the phono section of the amp is the culprit. I can almost live with the hum if I can improve the output level.
Secondly, the amp clicks on and off, almost as if there is a fan in it. I don't ever recall hearing a sound like this with ANY amp I've previously owned, including the Threshold T-200 which doubled as a space-heater. If cooling fans existed, they were inaudible. In the DA amp now, I can hear the "fan-like" sound during quiet passages of music or if a song comes to an abrupt end. It clicks on and off depending on whether a signal is present or not. While I don't necessarily hear it while music is playing, it's much louder than the hum. I'm also concerned that it could be an indication that I'm driving the amp too hard?
Thirdly, the amp is rated 50 wpc at 4 ohms. Yeah, I know...4 ohms. Not standard measurment reporting, right? My ADHD (LOL) made me miss that little nugget, so I suspect the amp probably puts out more like 35-40 at 8 ohms, where the P5s are nominally rated. And the PSB Alpha P5's sensitivity is also not the greatest at 89dB so that's not helping either. I think the amp might be struggling?
Fourthly, while the sub is still alive and kicking after 20 or so years, it's definitely a weak link. I prefer my subwoofer to be non-existent until really needed, and then, I want my bass quick and taut. I think the low frequencies can be improved immensely, but replacing the sub over the first 3 previous issues would be giving in to my AN. The mediocre bass is not a priority...yet. LOL.
So, at $950US spent so far, I still have about $550US in my budget, maybe even a few hundred beyond that. My internal debate at the moment is do I spend $100 on an Ortofon Red with 5.5mV of output? Or, do I live with the AT cartridge and put the $100 toward a new, better quality, more powerful amp? I have been researching amps and truthfully, the choices at $500-$700 are slim...very. I've relaxed my requirements from all tube to hybrid to even all solid state if the amp "speaks" to me like the Threshold (which retailed for about $5k new). LOL. Right now, the leading contender in the amp race is a first or second generation Rogue Sphinx, although I've not ever heard the amp, yet.
Any suggestions, opinions, recommendations with the amp, cartridge or otherwise are welcomed!!!
In the meantime, the twitch is in check, the family unit in tact, and I'm back in Rebecca's good graces. Smile wide; toe tapping.
Thanks for reading.
Troubaudior
