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See what I can stir up :-)

S

specenka

Active Member
Alright, I'm going to humiliate myself and tell you what my current (humble) system consists of:
Receiver - Pioneer SX 434 (Works well, I have a small listening space)
Cassette Deck - AKAI GXC-725D
CD Player - Phillips CD920
Turntable that I have hooked up to it right now is a Pioneer PL-400 with Ortofon Omega Cartridge and Stylus.
Speakers are Fishers XP1A and also have a set of Paradigm Mini Monitors v5 hooked up as well.

If you were to replace ONE thing in this system to make it better, what would it be?

I have 3 other Turntables, Pioneer PL 112d, Pioneer PL 115d, and Pioneer PL 514, and also a Realistic STA 860 Receiver.
 
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I'd definitely go for a little more power in the receiver - say 30 - 50 wpc. SX-6XX - SX-7XX. It doesn't have to be louder but it will sound better at your regular listening volume.
 
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Dave_1962 said:
I'd definitely go for a little more power in the receiver - say 30 - 50 wpc. It doesn't have to be louder but it will sound better at your regular listening volume.
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I have been thinking about a Sony STR-6055 or one of the Harman Kardon 330 receivers. Do have a guy trying to sell me a Technics SA-500 for 150.00, thought that was a little high but not according to ebay.
 
Ahh questions of value are to be posted over in Dollars and Sense_
Specs for receivers can be found here in Digital Docs and at Hifiengine. :thumbsup:
 
I don't have any firsthand experience with any of your stuff but if you were going to replace anything I'd think it would be the speakers or the receiver. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them but no matter what you have hooked up you're using both of them all of the time.

Please don't be humiliated. No matter what we have there will always those that will look down their nose at us. Fortunately there are not too many of those types on AK. I think you're on the right track by replacing one piece at a time but by the time you cycle all new stuff into your system you'll be wanting to upgrade the things that you put in. It's a vicious cycle and I think John Hopkins should classify it as the disease that it is. :biggrin:
 
Since you already have the Realistic, hook it up and see how it sounds. Your Pioneer is 15 WPC, which is probably fine, but since you have the Realistic and it is I believe around 65RMS, just give it a try. Going from 15 to 65 RMS is a pretty big jump. That Realistic is 1985 model when things started to go sideways for a lot of items but that one seems to be one of the decent ones of the time. Dont spend a cent til you move some things around. And dont worry about what people think of your stuff! Who cares as long as you like it! There are enough of us on here that likes and have some of the same stuff you do to keep up some fun conversations, welcome!
 
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Hey
I'd try the 65 watt receiver first, then maybe start looking around at different speakers if you feel the need.
Where you at in the Kansas? Eric
 
specenka said:
I guess I'm looking for more accuracy or more clear sound, better sound quality? Not looking to blow the windows out of the place.
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The "sound" of receivers IMHO is far more subtle than the changes one gets when changing speakers. You will notice the biggest changes with speakers. It is always fun to see the difference changes make.
 
specenka said:
I guess I'm looking for more accuracy or more clear sound, better sound quality? Not looking to blow the windows out of the place.
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How do you find it sounds on CD versus vinyl? If you play a CD and a record of the same material, which one sounds better? Which is your priority?
 
specenka said:
After better quality sound from my Vinyl.
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Omega is a pretty cheap cartridge..I suggest to try something along the lines of an Audio Technica AT95E, especially if the Ortofon has some hours on it. Make sure the turntable is set up properly too, a tracking force pressure scale and an alignment protractor would be handy to have on hand.

At the moment, do CDs sound better or worse than vinyl records, on the whole?
 
As others have said, speakers will probably make the most noticeable difference. I used to have a pair of Fishers from that era, and while they sounded nice, they were definitely on the warm mellow side of the spectrum.
Those Paradigms look pretty nice. Maybe try to find a sub-woofer to go with them?
I have an SX-636, the bigger brother of the 434, and I think is one of the nicest sounding receivers I've owned.
 
maxhifi said:
Omega is a pretty cheap cartridge..I suggest to try something along the lines of an Audio Technica AT95E, especially if the Ortofon has some hours on it. Make sure the turntable is set up properly too, a tracking force pressure scale and an alignment protractor would be handy to have on hand.

At the moment, do CDs sound better or worse than vinyl records, on the whole?
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I would say the CD's sound a little better.
 
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