• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

New (old) system troubleshooting

O

Ocean_of_Air

New Member
I'm having trouble with a new system I'm building from scratch and would very much appreciate the expert advice of other members.

I thought it would be fun to create a new system for my office with all vintage components.

For reference, my main system at home is a mix of contemporary and older components (maybe they could be considered vintage at this point?). A two-year-old Line Magnetic LM34ia integrated amp with stock power tubes and Gold Lion pre-amp tubes; a 25-year-old NAD 533 (re-branded Rega P2) table modded with many upgrades (Groovetracer subplatter, RB300 arm with a nice counterweight, a glass platter, white Rega reference belt, Nagaoka MP110 cart, etc.); Parks Audio Budgie phono stage with upgraded tubes. All of this is powering a pair of Epos ES11s underpinned by a REL sub. The cabling is mostly Kimber.

This system sounds very good to my ears, although, like many of us, I'm always contemplating the next upgrade.

I cobbled together the foundation of my office system over the past couple of months, based on components that came my way via various channels. I didn't spend all that much on any of it.

The office system currently consists of:
  • a "rewired" and retubed Dynaco ST-70 bought from a (very nice but mostly clueless) hipster stoner enthusiast. I briefly auditioned it when I bought it and it sounded OK.
  • a solid-state Luxman C120a pre-amp bought from a pretty reputable retail outlet that had ostensibly tested it before offering it for sale (it turns out the balance knob doesn't work...oh well, I don't really need it anyway)
  • a pair of KLH Model 6s from eBay. The description portrayed them as lovingly restored, and that's certainly how they look. They were very well packed and promptly delivered.
  • Cabling is Kimber and Ojas-branded Belden 9497.
  • I don't have a vinyl source yet (recommendations welcome), so I'm just playing MP3s from my iPhone12 to test things out.
So now the bad news: the system so far sounds pretty lousy, at least compared to my home system. I wasn't expecting miracles from this casual combination of vintage components, but I did expect basic competency. At first I blamed the room (which has a lot of glass and other hard, non-absorptive surfaces), but after listening more closely to music I know well, major bands of the sound spectrum are nearly missing altogether. I'm not talking about microtonal details, or "air" or imaging -- on one track, normally prominent backing vocals are completely inaudible. On another track, a cymbal that's normally forward in the mix now sounds like it was recorded in a closet down the hall from the recording studio, etc. Many familiar songs basically sound like budget karaoke renditions of themselves.

Any ideas about what I might be doing wrong? Any input is much appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Ocean_of_Air said:
I'm having trouble with a new system I'm building from scratch

...I'm just playing digital files to test things out.

So now the bad news: the system so far sounds pretty lousy, at least compared to my home system. I wasn't expecting miracles from this casual combination of vintage components, but I did expect basic competency. At first I blamed the room (which has a lot of glass and other hard, non-absorptive surfaces), but after listening more closely to music I know well, major bands of the sound spectrum are nearly missing altogether. I'm not talking about microtonal details, or "air" or imaging -- on one track, normally prominent backing vocals are completely inaudible. On another track, a cymbal that's normally forward in the mix now sounds like it was recorded in a closet down the hall from the recording studio, etc. Many familiar songs basically sound like budget karaoke renditions of themselves.
Click to expand...

How are you playing the digital files and what are they (Flac, ALAC, Mp3)? straight from a source (Laptop, phone etc) or do you have an external DAC in the pathway?
 
Last edited:
+1 on the above question. Type of files and their source are not mentioned in your post.

Simply comparing the digital mixes with the analog ones you are accustomed to may be disappointing on its own. Food for thought?
 
I just edited the post for clarity. I'm playing .mp3s or streaming 320kbps .oggs (via Spotify) from my phone until I get a vinyl source for this system (recommendations welcome...I was thinking of a Technics 1200MKII).
 
Why don't you take those speakers home and hook them up to your system you are happy with and make sure they work properly?
 
313guy said:
Simply comparing the digital mixes with the analog ones you are accustomed to may be disappointing on its own. Food for thought?
Click to expand...

I'm sure that's part of it. At home my wife mostly listens to streaming .oggs through our main system and they certainly don't sound nearly as good as vinyl, but the tracks still sound "intact," if that makes sense.
 
Ocean_of_Air said:
I'm playing .mp3s or streaming 320kbps .oggs (via Spotify) from my phone until I get a vinyl source for this system
Click to expand...

Digital music has come a LONG way from .mp3 & .oggs files (lossy ) I would suggest finding a song your very familiar with and do a compare & contrast with your current .mp3 version and a lossless file. You should be able to hear a difference

Here is one of many sites on the web discussing digital formats

https://www.whathifi.com/us/advice/mp3-aac-wav-flac-all-the-audio-file-formats-explained

If you decide to ditch digital altogether then this suggestion is moot > you would be better served feeding you digital sources from your phone into a stand alone DAC feeding your Luxman pre before coming to any conclusions about your new system.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom