Revamp of sonic chain

[mayukh80]

Hello Forum Members,
After the demise of my CDP (SA7001), i have spent hours for perfect replacement in vain with confusion reigning supreme. In the quest for replacement, i got an Auris bluetooth streamer to keep the music going.

With the streamer I have a feeling that my Azur 740A is not able to sift the tones in midrange properly. The sound is warm but it seems to chop off the higher frequency notes.

As on date I am mulling the idea of complete overhaul.
i have a 12x12 ft room for listening. Current hardware are Auris blueme HD, Azur 740a, WD Diamond 9.2

the overhaul (CDP-Amp-Bookshelf) will be in steps rather than in one go

i am relying upon forum members to share their inputs to help me decide.
I listen to rock/blues/instrumentals/folk music most.
Thanks in advance

 

[jai1611]

Something to consider: if you were happy with the sound of your setup with the SA7001, it may make sense to try another source from the Marantz stable. If that works well for you, dont change the rest of your system. Upgrading the whole chain would take you into a lengthy and expensive loop - avoid it if not needed

 

[mayukh80]

Something to consider: if you were happy with the sound of your setup with the SA7001, it may make sense to try another source from the Marantz stable. If that works well for you, dont change the rest of your system. Upgrading the whole chain would take you into a lengthy and expensive loop - avoid it if not needed

Thanks for your inputs.
i was using Azur 640 A for most of the time With SA7001. Upgraded to 740 A , used for sometime with the CDP when it stopped working.
A very popular forum member advised me to go with SA8005, stream the Auris thru it.

 

[jai1611]

Thanks for your inputs.
i was using Azur 640 A for most of the time With SA7001. Upgraded to 740 A , used for sometime with the CDP when it stopped working.
A very popular forum member advised me to go with SA8005, stream the Auris thru it.

I dont have any specific experience with either of those products. However, I would advise against having bluetooth as your primary source. Even with aptx-hd, the quality is insufficient. If your primary music format is CDs, stick to it. Bluetooth can be an add on, not a replacement. If you would like to move away from CDs towards online streaming, look at network streamers and options like Tidal. That is a rabbit hole though.

 

[mayukh80]

I dont have any specific experience with either of those products. However, I would advise against having bluetooth as your primary source. Even with aptx-hd, the quality is insufficient. If your primary music format is CDs, stick to it. Bluetooth can be an add on, not a replacement. If you would like to move away from CDs towards online streaming, look at network streamers and options like Tidal. That is a rabbit hole though.

What i meant was due to absence of a CDP, i got this bluetooth one to keep running the system.
I plan to get a good cdp and hook up the bluetooth streamer & use the DAC of the cdp.

my primary target is to use a cdp since i have substantial collection .
My experience with Auris has been good till date considering its inbuilt DAC. It has the capacity to sift notes provided the files are upto to the mark. Cant expect more from it in the price range.

one more point i have began to realiseis my existing WD 9.2 is not able to deliver some of the mid & upper range music of some artist

 

[rikhav]

How much ever more resolving source , dac or amp you introduce to your chain the 9.2 will be the bottle neck because of how the speaker is made to sound.

Ofcourse, there is nothing wrong in it as it's made to a certain price and target audience.

But you have to keep expectations in check when upgrading electronics in your chain with the 9.2

 

[jai1611]

Not all CD players support digital inputs. Not sure if it would make sense to substantially increase the CD player budget for the facility to plug in the streamer.

I would suggest listening to some other speakers before deciding on a change. Speakers that have more apparent resolution can be fatiguing over long listening sessions so be careful - especially with speakers that sound very impressive in the first listen.

 

[mayukh80]

Not all CD players support digital inputs. Not sure if it would make sense to substantially increase the CD player budget for the facility to plug in the streamer.

I would suggest listening to some other speakers before deciding on a change. Speakers that have more apparent resolution can be fatiguing over long listening sessions so be careful - especially with speakers that sound very impressive in the first listen.

So you suggest to have a standalone streamer and a cdp to keep things simple?

 

[mayukh80]

How much ever more resolving source , dac or amp you introduce to your chain the 9.2 will be the bottle neck because of how the speaker is made to sound.

Ofcourse, there is nothing wrong in it as it's made to a certain price and target audience.

But you have to keep expectations in check when upgrading electronics in your chain with the 9.2

Hello Mr. Rikhav,
Thanks for your inputs.
Yes! I got it figured out that my WD is performing exceedingly well for the last 10 years without a glitch and is delivering what it is intended to do. After so many years, i believe it time to bid adieu~ to 9.2 and get a better set of bookshelf.
So if i start from the speakers, i intend to go for Monitor audio considering the product and my budget.
How would Azur 740A fit in if I hook it to SA8005 and monitor audio. As i said upgradation will be in phases.

 

[jai1611]

So you suggest to have a standalone streamer and a cdp to keep things simple?

Yes. You already have a streamer. Get a CD player and youre done. Marantz CD players start at sub 25k. Decent one (CD6006) is around 30k. The SA8005 you mentioned is over 75k - question to consider is if the facility of hooking up the streamer is worth the extra 40k+ to you.

 

[mayukh80]

Yes. You already have a streamer. Get a CD player and youre done. Marantz CD players start at sub 25k. Decent one (CD6006) is around 30k. The SA8005 you mentioned is over 75k - question to consider is if the facility of hooking up the streamer is worth the extra 40k+ to you.

the streamer was bought since i dont have a cdp and still to decide on one. Marantz player are good but i have had a horrible experience getting my earlier cdp diagnosed and repaired. Due to poor workmanship and tampering of the DAC, it ultimately ended up being a junk.

as on date i havent decided on a brand. But whatever i do i am willing to pitch in a few thousand more to ensure that it last a decade atleast

 

[rikhav]

At times even blu ray players costing few thousands will last a decade .
So it will be very difficult to determine age with price .

An electronic equipment can go bad with some sudden power fluctuations too.

Decide based on sound.

 

[mayukh80]

At times even blu ray players costing few thousands will last a decade .
So it will be very difficult to determine age with price .

An electronic equipment can go bad with some sudden power fluctuations too.

Decide based on sound.

Do you know any Good distributor in Delhi-NCR for audition of brands!

 

[jai1611]

Service for pretty much all brands is bad in India for CD players. Assume any CD player you get cannot be repaired. The situation has gotten worse in recent years as even local technicians for CD players have disappeared.

 

[rikhav]

Do you know any Good distributor in Delhi-NCR for audition of brands!

Unfortunately NO
Maybe some Delhi FMs can help you out.