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System help needed

C

Clyde F

New Member
Hello...I have been building my system over the past couple years based upon advice from all the knowledgeable folks on Audiokarma forums and need some help/advice...I am experiencing/hearing what I call distortion in the vocals of alot of the music I listen to, which is mainly rock from 70's, 80's and 90's...the worst ones seem to be Jackson Browne, Neil Diamond, Dan Fogelberg...don't know whether it's my system or the quality of the recordings...here is my system:

McIntosh mc402
McIntosh c2300 with Mullard nos tubes
Bryston bda-3
Bryston bdp-2 with IAD sound card
Bryston bot-1 CD transport
Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 sub
Furman reference 15i power conditioner
ADS 1590/2 speakers with newly rebuilt drivers and crossovers
Cullen cables and power cords

I have tried everythingI know and read to improve the sound of my system which I think sounds great with the exception of distortion in louder make vocals. Its frustrating to me, if it's simply CD recording quality then that would be a relief to know.

Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated...thanks
 
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Do you have any back up gear that you can switch in and out of your system to help pin point the problem?
 
I've swapped out amp and preamp with an mc2255 and c48 and swapped Mullard tubes and it didn't resolve the issue
 
You need to make the assumption that it's either a single component in the chain or a resonance in the room. Either can be difficult to pinpoint. I'd start by plugging a pair of headphones into your preamp - do you still hear the distortion? If not, you've eliminated the transport, DAC, and preamp as culprits.

Process of elimination. Good luck and report back.
 
Clyde F said:
Good advice.. thanks

Don't have headphones, but have been wanting to get a set...can you recommend a set under $1000, please
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I'm not really a headphones guy, but because I am a live audio engineer I own several headphones, Sennheiser HD25, Sony MDR7506....but not sure if they are what you'd call "audiophile"......I have heard some Grado phones that I thought sounded quite good....
 
As much as having a set of phones should be in everyone's inventory you can do some tests as you wait to aquire some.

Does the distortion happen in both speakers or is it in only one side?

If you pull the ADS metal screens are all the rubber "catches" there for the stand offs?

While the covers are off does the distortion seem to happen out of one of the drivers, tweeter, mid dome, woofers?

Are the driver screws tight after you installed the rebuilt ones.

If the rubber catch is missing from one hole it can let the screen rattle.

If it happens in only one speaker it would be time to swap speaker wire from side to side to see if the problem switches sides or stays put.

I wonder if one of the internal wires could be touching a driver or the cabinet and therfore buzzes or rattles.

Again it would be most common with today's sources to have the problem in one channel not both.....tis not like the days of turntable mistracking.
 
Clyde F said:
Good advice.. thanks

Don't have headphones, but have been wanting to get a set...can you recommend a set under $1000, please
Click to expand...
Well, you don't need anything special other than a properly functioning pair to assist in troubleshooting. Borrow a pair from a neighbor if need be.
 
The speakers seem suspect considering they had a crossover rebuild, check to see the connections from the binding post to the crossover are correct and in phase, really look over the crossover connections and verify all the wires connected correctly.
 
I really liked The larger ADS speakers especially the 2030 speaker, I think I got the number right, it has four mids and two 14 inch woofers. . But all ADS speakers, like, Boston, B&W, Canton and Celeston among others are of a certain shading. The New England Style you might say. I did like the more forward Snell A7 Illusion very much, but they can be a touch dry. Just move them closer to the wall and or Corner like Magico s5 MK II for added warmth or change. You haven't heard Neil or the other s you mentioned until you have tried the DD series JBL, The older Mcintosh line arrays, and some Infinities. The JBL's will be a little Bright like Tannoy but turn down the highs just a touch to allow the intimacy of the midrange to shine thru and you'll discover what's going on. Others will also improve, Tom Jones, Englbert, Frank S, ED Ames, Roger Whittiker, Johnny Cash and on and on and on. . In fact all male voices baritone and lower. Recent JBL's are using the same woofer magnet/ voice coil design as Mac developed for the XR 250 and 290. So there is great clarity with a naturalness older systems can't match. Another choice you might want to try is Room Perfect MEN220. But even with a better balanced freq response in the bass and lower midrange of the woofers and mid the clarity you are looking for will not be revealed with older magnet structures. I had to use classical bi-amping and toss the passive crossovers to get my woofers to clear up with higher damping factors. So its time for you to go adventuring. XRT 28's are good pre-owned choice. JBL's DD series with the dual 10" woofers is another choice. I heard the DD 65000 once briefly but not the improved 67000 which would be great friends tell me for large rooms.

Some folks are dynamics junkies, or dynamic audiophiles. They want that instant impact only a live unamplified performance can generate. Thats why they love Klipsch, JBL, Altec and other totally horn loaded systems. Having worked with live sound all my life and strayed into recorded sound, I like the dynamics of horns but don't like the coloration of most of the older models. So I'm a line array person, too. My favorite being the XR290. I am not fond of the newer Mac speakers. I like to hear detail, but I don't want to count the vibrations of singers vocal cords ,or hear spit dripping from a brass players mouth piece, know the name of the horse who provided hair for a violin Cello bow and not feel I am sitting in the middle of Buddy' Rich's drum set. But I do want to be able to tell when Sheffield uses tube mics and pre-amps, or when a RCA ribbon mic or celeste mic is being used. There are record companies where I much prefer a point source. Deutsche Gramophone comes to mind, Chandos is just the opposite, give me big horns or very long line arrays. It must have something to do with the monitor speakers they choose. So Merry Christmas and good luck in solving your dilemma.
 
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