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What would I upgrade next ?

According to the Stereo phile test your speakers performed rather well. There is the matter of the resonant tweeter which I wouldn't like, but you may find acceptable. Sensitivity is rather low being 84 db at 1 watt below 4 ohms. Not 2.83 volts which would be more than 2 watts. So I would be looking for more efficient speakers. If you listen at relatively short listening distances, then a point source speaker is oK. But if you are more than 10 ft away I would look for something with a more controlled dispersion pattern to keep the imaging clean and clear.. Newer speakers will also handle more Power with lower distortion with improved cone materials, Magnet structures, adhesives, better crossover designs, etc. Of course you will have to pay. more today thanks to inflation. But maybe you could find a deal on a speakers just a few years old, pre-owned.
 
I got myself a tube integrated, a stock Cayin A-50T. Push pull, EL34 at 30 watts per channel. Got a less little less bass compared to the 380 wpc Rotel 1090. Mids and highs are up for debate, there is less attack on Drum solo and Sheffield's Round up CD. I was expecting a sweeter/musical sound, but that was not the case with this particular Cayin. I had the bigger A-70T in the past and that sounded more musical, although that was Push Pull Class A and all the caps was upgraded to Mundorf and all tubes were upgraded. I will be upgrading the tubes in the future and see how it goes.
 
qguy said:
I got myself a tube integrated, a stock Cayin A-50T. Push pull, EL34 at 30 watts per channel. Got a less little less bass compared to the 380 wpc Rotel 1090. Mids and highs are up for debate, there is less attack on Drum solo and Sheffield's Round up CD. I was expecting a sweeter/musical sound, but that was not the case with this particular Cayin. I had the bigger A-70T in the past and that sounded more musical, although that was Push Pull Class A and all the caps was upgraded to Mundorf and all tubes were upgraded. I will be upgrading the tubes in the future and see how it goes.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why upgrading for the purpose of getting new gear is not always an upgrade. the skipper said it perfectly

"Change is easy, An improvement, not always guaranteed."

You never laid out what you thought was lacking in you system and went out and bought a moderately expensive piece of gear to fix a non-defined problem.

But since you're in this position now, your speakers are fairly inefficient and demand power, 30 watts is not giving them enough power to really open up. That is why they sound better with the big Rotel.

Acarian Alón IV loudspeaker Specifications
Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.
Impedance: 3 ohms minimum.
Amplifier requirements: 100W minimum, 200W recommended.
 
I still have other plans for the Cayin, if that does not work with the Acarian Alon IV. I have other loudspeakers :) I am also thinking of bi-amping the Acarian with the Cayin driving the mid and highs and the Rotel driving the woofers.
 
I tried bi-amping the Alons IV and bass impact was TREMENDOUS, I thought the subwoofer was on, when I checked it was not Off. The volume on the Cayin was on full. I think the gain on the Rotel was a lot more compared to the Cayin, hence the difference on bass response. Turning on the sub made the bass too powerful and I had to reduce the gain on the sub. My first priority is bass response, so this change is good, I played high impact albums earlier so everything was good. I will try changing the Cayin to a solid state Power amp, Parasound, HCA 1200II (200 wpc) and see If i will get the same the same effect.
 
Tried the Cayin on Usher X-719 bookshelf and it sounded like crap, bass was muddy and sounded just terrible. So I had the amp checked and the tech adjusted the bias. Tried it again on the Usher X-719 and I got beautiful sound, bass was very good. After a few minutes, I disconnected the Usher and connected the 3 ohm, 87dB Alons IV. I was surprised the little Cayins was able to drive the Alons to significantly loud levels, not insanely loud, but loud enough to feel the bass from several feet away. Is it better than the 380 WPC Rotel? honestly I am not sure, I connected the Rotels back after a couple of days and if there were any difference, it was not significant to me. I am going to get some better tubes for the Cayin and see how it goes...
 
qguy said:
I tried bi-amping the Alons IV and bass impact was TREMENDOUS, I thought the subwoofer was on, when I checked it was not Off. The volume on the Cayin was on full. I think the gain on the Rotel was a lot more compared to the Cayin, hence the difference on bass response. Turning on the sub made the bass too powerful and I had to reduce the gain on the sub. My first priority is bass response, so this change is good, I played high impact albums earlier so everything was good. I will try changing the Cayin to a solid state Power amp, Parasound, HCA 1200II (200 wpc) and see If i will get the same the same effect.
Click to expand...

Been saying for while that bi-amping with different amps is a good trial step for a lotta folks ..
Mess with your cables too ..
You might be surprised...
 
Update:

Added an Aikido DIY Tube Pre-amp kit, removed a bit of the "edge" which makes listening to female vocals a lot better...

Going to add wheels to my loudspeakers to play around with positioning, I do not think I can do a lot more with my system without spending a fortune

Laptop - iTunes/Tidal
Musical Fidelity M1 Dac
Aikido Tube Pre-amp
Rotel RB-1090
Acarian Alon IV
 
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