Where is the weakest spot of my system

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Da He Hua

Active Member
I am curious to hear your thoughts about where you think the weakest part is of my system below. I listen to classical music only.

Walker CJ 55 turntable
Jelco 750 tonearm
Denon 103 cartridge
Technics SU 9070 preamplifier (it has both MM and MC phono, but I also have a 1:15 ratio Bayerdynamic SUT, so I can use either MM or MC for my Denon)
Adcom 555 power amp
B&W 603 S2 floorstanding speakers
As to the cables, I generally use Blue Jeans
 
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IMHO, your power amp and speakers. With that level of table and arm, if it were me I would have a better amp and speakers. Just my 2 cents, and some will disagree I am sure.
 
trinhsman said:
IMHO, your power amp and speakers. With that level of table and arm, if it were me I would have a better amp and speakers. Just my 2 cents, and some will disagree I am sure.
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I appreciate your thoughts. Any amp and speaker recommendations that would match my source better?
 
You have a very competent group of components. I would not be pointing the finger at anything without listening to the entire system, in the room. For all we know, the room, its treatments and placement of the speakers and gear would likely be the biggest contributor to the overall performance.

The adcom 555 is a very competent amplifier and there is little to be gained pointing the finger at that or the preamp in my opinion.

What is it that you feel you are missing or not satisfied with?
 
Da He Hua said:
I appreciate your thoughts. Any amp and speaker recommendations that would match my source better?
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Bang for the buck, Emotiva amps are incredible. If you have the money, a good used Pass Labs amp is even better, but it should be based on the cost. As to speakers, I am partial to vintage Snells is perfect condition. However, I have heard some of the Focals and they are really great. All of this is IMHO, and others may feel differently.
 
I don't think there's a weak spot in the OP's system which is composed of excellent components.
I do think, that if the OP is asking, he obviously has something on his mind, something that's bothering him
or is not fully to his taste or does not entirely satisfy his expectations. Perhaps, this would be easier to
answer if the OP would share what he feels missing.
 
tnsilver said:
I don't think there's a weak spot in the OP's system which is composed of excellent components.
I do think, that if the OP is asking, he obviously has something on his mind, something that's bothering him
or is not fully to his taste or does not entirely satisfy his expectations. Perhaps, this would be easier to
answer if the OP would share what he feels missing.
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A very good point. It is a little subtle, but let me see whether I can explain. I used to have components with much smaller footprint: Marantz 2220B receiver (only 20w) driving Boston Acoustic bookshelf speakers. I somehow feel that the current system more easily gives me listening fatigue compared to the old setup.
 
I'd say the Adcom is the weak link — if you listen only to classical music. Others call the amp "competent" — faint praise. Every Adcom amp I've heard sounded harsh, strident. I've never heard an Adcom amp that sounded "beautiful", and beauty is the heart and soul of classical.
 
bimasta said:
I'd say the Adcom is the weak link — if you listen only to classical music. Others call the amp "competent" — faint praise. Every Adcom amp I've heard sounded harsh, strident. I've never heard an Adcom amp that sounded "beautiful", and beauty is the heart and soul of classical.
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Thank you. Do you have a recommendation for a power amp?
 
Da He Hua said:
Do you have a recommendation for a power amp?
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I'm currently using a 100W Mosfet amp designed by Ed Meitner. It's lovely on classical (my main music too) — sublime on chamber music, and with enough power (depending on your speakers) to recreate a full orchestra. Problem is, they're rare and hard to find.

I have a B&K 140Watt amp with very similar qualities. Very warm for Solid State, even lyrical — big power supplies for crescendi. It needs a good home, if you care to try it...
 
fwiw, here is my opinion....i have those B&Ws that I used for years in my 7.1 setup. They were great for movie playback and watching sports. When i paired them with at first a Peachtree Nova and then various MC pieces, I found them fatiguing for 2-channel. Perhaps you can swap with someone local or trial audition another pair of speakers.
 
bimasta said:
I'm currently using a 100W Mosfet amp designed by Ed Meitner. It's lovely on classical (my main music too) — sublime on chamber music, and with enough power (depending on your speakers) to recreate a full orchestra. Problem is, they're rare and hard to find.

I have a B&K 140Watt amp with very similar qualities. Very warm for Solid State, even lyrical — big power supplies for crescendi. It needs a good home, if you care to try it...
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I dropped you a private message. Are you thinking of selling your B&K (guessing it is 2140?)
 
I have and like this preamp, especially the phono stage. But since it was new are you aware of any service to it? IMHO at a minimum the electrolytics need replaced now at 40 years old. Did this 2 years ago and big difference in the sound of the phono. Just yesterday swapped it out for another phono stage in different preamp. I indend to spend more time soon comparing the 2 as I'm already noticing difference between the 2 but need to take the time to be more analytical, get a friend over to do a blind comparison for me.

Da He Hua said:
Technics SU 9070 preamplifier (it has both MM and MC phono, but I also have a 1:15 ratio Bayerdynamic SUT, so I can use either MM or MC for my Denon)
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I would lose those B&W's pronto. Metal dome tweeter...ouch! Like an ear grater...

Something with a soft dome tweeter and a well-built box. Dynaudio or Focal or Totem will smooth out that high end.

The Adcom can sound good and the rest of the system looks okay. Not familiar with that Technics preamp though.
 
Amp or speakers.

If you haven't already recapped that aging preamp you should. I believe it's a keeper.

If it were me I'd have the preamp recapped/ all controls cleaned and try a new set of speaks to compare as a start, i.e. go shopping and begin listening, or produce some diy's.
 
restorer-john said:
You have a very competent group of components. I would not be pointing the finger at anything without listening to the entire system, in the room. For all we know, the room, its treatments and placement of the speakers and gear would likely be the biggest contributor to the overall performance.

The adcom 555 is a very competent amplifier and there is little to be gained pointing the finger at that or the preamp in my opinion.

What is it that you feel you are missing or not satisfied with?
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This post is spot on. Adcom Amps are one of the most under appreciated amps out there.

I agree it can be the room, and for many that is the weakest link in a system.

There is a Computer program called REW ( Room Equalizer Wizard ) that will analyze your room with a series of frequency sweeps.
From there you can move speakers around , move furniture , add room treatments to see where the problem areas are.

Most use it for home theater but it also is great for 2 channel systems.

Athanasios
 
If you are experiencing listening fatigue, I would consider trying new speakers with a different form of driver if you want to change something about your system. Much of the time, the simplest change you can make is to speaker placement (which is free) and room treatments.
 
Not to throw another variable out there, but I can tell you from experience that you're leaving a lot on the table (see what I did?) with that denon. The beauty in classical is the nuance and detail, and that conical tip just doesn't dig deep enough to retrieve the level of detail the system is capable of reproducing.

I went from a 103-R on a jelco 750-L to a Benz glider on an sme iv. Much more detail, especially on the highs.
 
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