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Old equipment

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bzawa

New Member
Hello
I'm new to your forum. Thanks for having me!
I've had the same equipment for many years:
Rotel RCD 955AX CD player
PS Audio 4.6 preamp (with the remote M-250 transformer)
PS audio 100C amp
B&W DM2000 speakers
I have a new new Project 2 xperience turntable with a Grado Reference Series Sonata 2 cartridge.
My trusty older components have never let me down and I think they sound pretty good but now I'm wondering if I should upgrade the preamp, amplifier and/or the speakers. I haven't really kept up with new new technologies so any opinions would be very much appreciated. My budget would be about $5,000. Would spending this amount of money on new equipment really make that much of a difference?
Thanks for your time
Bill
 
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RichPA said:
Yes, this. I think if you spend 40-60% of that budget on new speakers, you'll be happy, and then you can think about whether further upgrades are worthwhile.
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I'll be the third to say it. If you are going to upgrade, speakers first and most of the budget. I imagine you have enough power, and clarity to be happy with your switching and amplification. While the DM600 are nice speakers something more full range may increase your enjoyment factor. Maybe some B&W 802, Legacy or Revel models would be a nice addition. I think 120 or so watts would drive any of those to listenable levels.
 
Dave1384 said:
No it wouldn’t .
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I guess it depends on your definition of listenable :). I ràn 802s with Citation 21/22 years ago,(also used a 200 watt Conrad Johnson for a while), and they were fine. Thy only had 80 more watts, so I figured 120 would work.

Most recen Legacy have amplified bass sections so I figured they would be okay, but perhaps not.
Something like a Revel Concerta I though would work with that amp too. Again, perhaps not. I haven't stayed up to date on newer stuff. I've mostly browsed when I travel to larger cities for work.
 
If you aren’t looking for any specific improvements then explore away. I’d recommend a bunch of reading and visits to hifi shops before purchase.

As it is you’ve got a nice system (especially the DM2000s). If you’re happy with it is leave it as is
 
The idea of specifying how much power he needs without knowing what speakers he may go with isn't all that wise. We don't know his sound pressure needs, either. I'm going to guess he doesn't need to pin himself to the wall with motley Crue set on kill.

Bzowa, you could also pick up a subwoofer and get yourself some bass.

The problems with having some decent components and a $5k budget is that isn't a lot of money to upgrade from where you are. It's a lot of money for someone looking to get to the middle but little for someone reaching for the top .

If you could get a pair of B&W 802 for $5K, as has been suggested, that would be really great but I'm skeptical. I'd buy a pair for that in a heartbeat. Even a pair of 803 would be a nice upgrade.

Lots of options. There is a big, religious, world of audio waiting to soak up your $5k.
 
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I miss read your system information. I thought you had DM600, not the DM2000. The DM2000 are pretty nice.

You can get B&W 802 series III for 1600-1800 dollars pretty often these days. (eBay has them all the time around that range, and I've though about getting a pair just for nostalgia. :)

Now if we are talking newer or more high end 802's then, yeah you're pushing the entire budget plus.
The Revels I mentioned earlier can be had well under budget, but I think they've been phased out.

Keep in mind I was offering suggestions based on a faulty assumption of your main speakers. I can't say there's anything in your system that I would kick out of the house. I would suggest a sub like to mentioned, but DM2000 go pretty deep as is. I guess it really comes down to what you perceive is missing or what would increase your enjoyment.
 
Welcome to AK!

If you want to try something different, without blowing the whole wad, maybe get the new Magnepan LRS on their 60-day, satisfaction-guaranteed home trial, for $650 + shipping (or tax, if you live near a dealer). They will need to be out 3-4 feet from the wall behind them to sound their best.

https://www.magnepan.com/model_LRS

I got back into the hobby with the LRS' predecessor, the MMG.
 
There's nothing wrong with your speakers. They are good as any speaker in the $2500 range. You really do have a good system already. I would upgrade speakers and still keep your DM's.
 
Wow, you folks are really nice and informative. I didn't know what to expect after I posted. Thank you all for your input. Yes, I'm not the Motley Crew type, but I do enjoy some Led Zeppelin or older Genesis on the loud side. I find it hard to describe what it is I think I'm missing. But as I think about it, it seems when the volume is higher (playing CDs or LPs), things sound a little messy and maybe a little harsh (maybe that's just my old ears). Or could it be that, generally speaking, playing music loud just messes up imaging and separation (not to mention you're hearing)? Any way thanks for all the info. Any other comments are appreciated.
Thanks
Bill
 
Welcome and thanks for your introduction.
Sounds like you have a nice system already. I doubt you will have a drastic improvement unless you luck into some used very high end speakers.
 
Hmmm,,,a $5k budget,,,I'd probably blow that all on a ATC SIA2-150 integrated.
And if that did'nt get me where I wanted to be,I'd go after the speakers next.

I know the ATC can drive any speakers I'd ever be likely to buy,so to me that's a no-brainer.

Beyond that I'd work on the digital front end,,,I'd go the transport / PC > DAC route myself.

JMO ~ FWIW ~ YMMV

Bret P.
 
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bzawa said:
I find it hard to describe what it is I think I'm missing. But as I think about it, it seems when the volume is higher (playing CDs or LPs), things sound a little messy and maybe a little harsh (maybe that's just my old ears). Or could it be that, generally speaking, playing music loud just messes up imaging and separation (not to mention you're hearing)?
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Yours sounds like a classic case of reflected sound beginning to dominate over direct sound as the volume is raised. Have you done any room treatments? Many people report that it does more for them than equipment swaps. Maybe read up on 'first reflection points' and use the mirror method to find yours, then tack up a pillow at each, or get fancier. Dispersion (scattering reflections) can help too. Check out room treatment threads in the Listening Spaces forum.
 
sqlsavior said:
Yours sounds like a classic case of reflected sound beginning to dominate over direct sound as the volume is raised. Have you done any room treatments? Many people report that it does more for them than equipment swaps. Maybe read up on 'first reflection points' and use the mirror method to find yours, then tack up a pillow at each, or get fancier. Dispersion (scattering reflections) can help too. Check out room treatment threads in the Listening Spaces forum.
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I totally agree with you on this one.You can also explore bass traps in the corners and dispersion/absorption panels scattered around the room to correct standing waves, 1st reflexions... A lot of these panels are easy diy projects. I would change speakers only if they do not match my room (too big, too small). From what you are describing, I would go for acoustic treatment (it can be done with furniture, art work and panels).
 
If you are looking for a recommendation on speakers, I recently purchased some Tekton Double Impacts. At just around 3300 with the crossover upgrade, you have a speaker that hangs with anything out there in the 10-25,000 dollar range, IMHO. They continue to surprise me almost daily on what they are capable of. The only downside is the size, because they are big. They are totally full range and you can glam them up as much as you want. If I had the extra money, I would have gone with a quality veneer on them, but alas, I had to opt for the painted boxes. They look fine, but OOOHHH, a nice Rosewood veneer would have been nice.
 
Hello
Thanks everyone for being generous with your time and experience. With the adviice so far I plan on doing some speaker listening at the local shops.
I find the comment about the room interesting and I wonder if anyone could comment about my listening room (maybe I'm asking too much of everyone???). Maybe the room is part of my issue.
The room (a finished basement) is L shaped with wood panelling and thin carpeting. The listening seat is about 11 feet from the system. Behind the seat there's about 11 feet to the rear wall (records and exercise stuff here).
The left speaker is about a foot away from the left side wall. However, (because the room is L shaped) the right speaker is about 9 feet from the right side wall. Both speakers are 18 inches from the rear wall.
Thanks
Bill
 
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