Looking for help on choosing gear/knowing when to upgrade

[jesse71]

Alright,
After reading a ton of posts on here I finally decided to create my own and hopefully get some feedback.
This is the gear I am currently using which I think sounds pretty good but trying to figure out how it could be better:

Marantz 2220b
polk audio monitor 7b's
pioneer pl-7 turntable
shure m97xe cartridge

I listen to a variety of styles of music. Lots of 60's psychedelic rock/pop, jazz(hard bop), 60's and 70's r&b/soul, funk, folk, folk/rock, blues, some classic rock, a little rock, some hip-hop(mostly 90's that samples jazz).

Is this a good set-up?
Are there any reasons why this equipment shouldn't pair well with one another?
Does the marantz provide enough power for the polks?
Should I look for a more efficient speaker? Or a more powerful amp?
Is upgrading my turntable the next step and would it provide a significant increase in overall sound quality?
Is there any upgrade that seems obvious?
Am I getting into territory where I need to spend a lot more money in order to get better sound quality?
Tube pre-amp?

Here are some things I noticed.
-When I first got the marantz I was blown away by the sweet, rich sound and I would like gear that accentuates that.
-Sometimes I think the imaging in the polks could sound more complete. Though they have a great overall sound and I love that they are not fatiguing at all. Also, it seems that the bass could be more well defined.

Gear I have tried switching to in the past:
Kenwood kr-5400, I think the marantz sounds better
wharfdale w70, I think the polk audio's sound better as well

One more thing:
I found the polk audios at goodwill so they may need some tlc. There seems to be what looks like a little corrosion on the tweeter and on the fuses in the back.
Will replacing the fuses and cleaning the corrosion improve the sound quality?
Should I get them re-capped or do any other upgrades that might make the polks sound a little bit more alive?

If anybody has any thoughts on this or any of my gear I would appreciate it.

Thanks for reading!

 

[RTally]

The first thing to do, and one that will produce immediate results, is to work on your speakers. Your Polks would sound better with a recap. I have several polks, including the Monitor 7B, and they all sound better when recapped. Also, inspect the fuse. Often the leads from the fuse on Polks are corroded. Pull the terminal cover and inspect the back of the fuse.

Also, the mid-drivers should have a bead of epoxy applied to the magnet to prevent magnet shift. That is a known problem with that vintage Polk.

A search here will turn up many mods that you can do to your Polks. I am usually happy with just cleaning them up and recapping them.

 

[jesse71]

The first thing to do, and one that will produce immediate results, is to work on your speakers. Your Polks would sound better with a recap. I have several polks, including the Monitor 7B, and they all sound better when recapped. Also, inspect the fuse. Often the leads from the fuse on Polks are corroded. Pull the terminal cover and inspect the back of the fuse.

Also, the mid-drivers should have a bead of epoxy applied to the magnet to prevent magnet shift. That is a known problem with that vintage Polk.

A search here will turn up many mods that you can do to your Polks. I am usually happy with just cleaning them up and recapping them.

Great, thanks alot for your input. Unfortunately, I am starting to realize how much I have to learn. I just took the tweeter off one of the speakers attempting to remove some of the corrosion and removed the magnet. I screwed the magnet back on and screwed the tweeter back in but now it sounds muffled compared to the other speaker that I didn't work on. Do you think I broke it by taking it apart?
Anyways, I will do some research on how to recap and look into those mid-drivers but I am reluctant to go too far cause I'm kind of new at this. Thanks though I will probably try to get a pro to look at them.

 

[RTally]

Polk used several different tweeters. Pics will help to identify the tweeter. Pics should also show the corrosion, before and after you messed with it.

As for damaging the tweeter, it depends on how much you disassembled it and exactly what you did. Other than removing the tweeter from the baffle, I would not attempt to further disassemble the tweeter.

 

[Guest159]

What kind of money are you looking to spend?

 

[BamaBilly]

I would look into speakers first although your setup seems like a good one. Since you’re a vinyl guy eventually I’d look into a phono preamp like the Parks Audio Budgie, nice warm tube sound without breaking the bank. You get such a better sound from a phono pre, I know because my main rig is a 2252b.

 

[whoaru99]

@jesse71

Does the marantz provide enough power for the polks?
Should I look for a more efficient speaker? Or a more powerful amp?

That's probably the easiest part.

Does the system play as loud as you want/need it to, without distortion or harshness at elevated volume?

If yes, then you don't need any change to those things on the basis of power or sensitivity.

 

[cpt_paranoia]

When to change?

When you are not happy with the sound.

 

[Soundork]

All what you said about the sound of the 2220B is true, but there is one receiver that is a significant upgrade in terms of everything that you like about its sound - The Harman Kardon 330c. In addition to that, you will hear detail that you dont with the Marantz.

You could sell the 2220B and buy the HK for as low as $80. Or you could spend the money you got on the 330c's bigger brothers - the 430 or the 730. All of these receivers are K-horn community favorites (google it). The latter two have the "twin design", meaning that each channel is powered by a separate stand alone power supply.

I dont know anything about the speakers and the turntable, but you might be weak on the cartridge front. Unfortunately, I do not have an inexpensive recommendation.

Best

Soundork.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Imaging and soundstage are so room and setup dependent I would start there. Could you provide pictures of your setup, with as much of the room in the picture as possible?

Polks are great speaks, especially in the bass department. But heres the thing, that prodigious bass is from a passive radiator, maybe it's just not your cup of tea.

But definitely let's look at the room setup before any more drastic measures like ripping apart tweeters lol.

 

[Quadman2]

Valid question!

Personally, I would try to evaluate wherein if there is a weak link in the chain of sound. So, comparing of what's out there would be in order, taking someone with you with you, along your better known sources of sound (CD/LP) to evaluate the differences. Also gives you a chance to visit dedicated sound outlets that offer higher end gear and engage with people who have a good knowledge base of sound/equipment.

Looks like you have a fair bit of genre interests so both ends of the spectrum might be considered when it comes to speaker choice.

As far as end cost is concerned, it's unfortunate that the depth of pocket increases as the ability to hear both ends of the sound spectrum decreases in most cases...just a case of life's experience.

When it comes to "amplitude", much depends upon the type/number of speakers, the volume, and sound environment you tend to favour in the different types of music you listen to.

Quality of sound is such a subjective assessment.

Good luck on your quest.


Q

 

[cpt_paranoia]

If you're going to evaluate new components, make sure you carefully level match them, and try to do it blind. Simple changes in volume, and expectation bias have a strong impact on perceived sound quality.

 

[PPstereo]

Allot of great info has been shared by many experienced folks.

I would also echo the notion of room setup. That will easily make or break the sound of any equipment.

I've owned/used ALLOT of different receivers over the years. And I completely agree on the hk x30 series being amazing sounding and performing units.

The only receiver I ever sold that I wish I didnt was the 930 I once owned. It was such a great sounding, looking well made unit. I certainly dont need it anymore but if I had to pick one keeper receiver it would be that one.

If I ever needed more power than what a 930 could deliver I'd move onto a separates approach.

And yes pics of the gear and room always helps.

Good luck on it all and welcome.

 

[jesse71]

Wow, thanks everyone for the helpful insights! This definitely gives me a better idea of what kind of decisions to make when it comes to buying or fixing up gear.
And yes i think I may have broken my tweeter by taking it apart. Was I not supposed to remove the magnet? Im just trying to figure out why its not working so I can remember what not to do in the future. There was some oxidation residue of some sort that needed to be cleaned. Do I now have to replace both tweeters?

 

[RunOutGroove]

A couple things to think about is maybe some mods on the turntable. Maybe a newer better stylus and/or a phono preamp. I have a bigger Marantz (which I really like) but I found that I got better sound from the TT with a separate preamp. I'm, on my second one of those, a Cambridge Audio thing that I got for just $100 used and sounds much better than my older NAD preamp, which in turn sounded better than the built in phono stage in my Marantz receiver...

If I was going to replace any components, I might think about the speakers, though I would first try to see if you can do those mods on what you have and see what you think. There are some really nice sounding speakers out there though for not too much money, especially if you go used. The main concern as far as that goes is finding more efficient ones as your amp isn't super powerful are would do better with something that doesn't require as much power. Unfortunately, among smaller bookshelf speakers (which are typically cheaper) low efficiency seems to be very common.

 

[RTally]

Wow, thanks everyone for the helpful insights! This definitely gives me a better idea of what kind of decisions to make when it comes to buying or fixing up gear.
And yes i think I may have broken my tweeter by taking it apart. Was I not supposed to remove the magnet? Im just trying to figure out why its not working so I can remember what not to do in the future. There was some oxidation residue of some sort that needed to be cleaned. Do I now have to replace both tweeters?

That is a Peerless tweeter. One of the good ones. At least until you disassembled it. If a valuable driver is functioning, there is no good reason to disassemble it - ever.

A word of caution: if you ever see a powdery substance on metal, leave it alone until you identify it and how to handle it safely. It was common to use cadmium on metal parts years ago. Cadmium is toxic if inhaled or ingested, with the effects cumulative. Any cadmium deposits or oxidation must be treated carefully.

As for restoring your tweeter, the alignment between the voice coil and the magnet gap is critical. If the VC was damaged when the magnet was reattached, then there is likely little hope for the tweeter without major work. If the VC is still in good shape, the magnet can be reattached and the tweeter restored. But there is more involved than than just fastening the magnet in place. Knowledge and skill is required, though. Google is your friend for gaining that knowledge.
Your best bet is to buy replacement tweeters.

 

[RTally]

Polk Monitor 7B speakers are fine speakers and are worth rebuilding. My Monitor 7B speakers are keepers and the main speakers for one of my systems.

Your best bet on refurbing your speakers is to create a new post in the Speakers sub-forum. In the Speakers sub-forum your post will get more attention from the Polk AK experts. I would do this before doing anything further with those speakers.

 

[Lou G]

I am not familiar with Polk speakers but I was wondering about that tweeter. Is it ferrofluid cooled? If so, it may be dried up and needs to be replaced.

 

[z-adamson]

Alright,
This is the gear I am currently using which I think sounds pretty good but trying to figure out how it could be better:

Marantz 2220b
polk audio monitor 7b's
pioneer pl-7 turntable
shure m97xe cartridge

You could do much better as long as you are willing to pay the asking price for the better gear or have a way to get it for free.

 

[jesse71]

That is a Peerless tweeter. One of the good ones. At least until you disassembled it. If a valuable driver is functioning, there is no good reason to disassemble it - ever.

A word of caution: if you ever see a powdery substance on metal, leave it alone until you identify it and how to handle it safely. It was common to use cadmium on metal parts years ago. Cadmium is toxic if inhaled or ingested, with the effects cumulative. Any cadmium deposits or oxidation must be treated carefully.

As for restoring your tweeter, the alignment between the voice coil and the magnet gap is critical. If the VC was damaged when the magnet was reattached, then there is likely little hope for the tweeter without major work. If the VC is still in good shape, the magnet can be reattached and the tweeter restored. But there is more involved than than just fastening the magnet in place. Knowledge and skill is required, though. Google is your friend for gaining that knowledge.
Your best bet is to buy replacement tweeters.

When it comes to buying replacement tweeters should I try to find an original set? I saw some on ebay that seem to be newly made reproductions. Would they sound as good as the originals? I'm assuming I have to replace both of them at the same time?

Also, thanks for the heads up about the possible toxins. I think it's fine though, I have read some other posts from people with similar problems with those tweeters. It's I guess some sort of aluminum oxidation that takes place if the speaker is kept in a humid damp place. It makes sense cause where I live can be very humid.