I am thinking about buying a new one, looking hard at a cambridge, a 510 I think it is, its around 500 bucks. Do you guys think it will sound that much better than my Kyo"s or am I just fixin to waste 500 clams, thanks, Roost
Your call of course, but read my last post just above .... and:
Recently I had a guest here who had never heard my system. She is a discerning artist with refined senses for every detail of artistic creation and the wonders of nature, both great and small. Her initial remark on hearing my system was. "The sound is coming down all over me and I feel like I am inside it."
I can't remember how old the Yamaha transport is — CDX 1020. The Monica II is apparently already superceded, but I'm not worried by that.
For further weighing and assessment:
AMPLIFICATION: 2 X mono amps, Trio/Kenwood L05M's (re-capped and partly re-wired)
PREAMP: NON
ATTENUATOR: Simple, very cheap as borscht DIY build. [Elliott Sound Products design — see web page] Shunt to ground via R's. Separate Lt & Rt channel control ie: both add and subtract signal.
ALL IC and Cable (Except Speaker): DIY of various stuffs — cheap ... no jewelry included.
SPEAKS: Modified 3-way Sansui SP-G88's, JPN. domestic market only: (Sansui titanium tweets replaced with hand-made silks from UK. Re-capped, re-wired.)
As my sig says — all junk and/or DIY.
If I were you, I would spend my $ on D/A conversion. But that can be a black hole of error and deception. Monica II is non-over sampling. It does k.d. lang, Bjork and classical guitar better than Gustav Mahler at full steam with a giant orchestra. But even that is pretty damn good.
Confusing as you say. So much of Red Book is very confusing. It can sound like sewage or it can be deluxe — and big money does not seem to answer the problem — well until you get into VERY GIANT HUGE MONEY! Maybe!
How do I know? Well like most of us, I've listened. I've sat quietly in the background of the audio boutiques and heard the salesmen talking to the dudes rattling the keys to their Porsches and Lotuses. As long as I keep my trap shut, I am welcomed.
Let us now know you fare :thmbsp: