Three Month Update!

[saikat]

Hi,
Its been slightly more than three months since I got my setup and would like to thank all the forum members for their inputs/help/suggestions/information. Music is not a background process anymore, instead feel the need to sit down and listen (preferably at night when the power is slightly better).

It has been quite a learning and very rewarding process so far.

Setup:
> MA BR5 speakers - NAD C352 - NAD C521BEE.
> Monster Audio Interlink MK-II interconnects and Monster Audio speaker cables.

The speakers are breaking in very nicely and some help from Anil (thank you!) with the placement, they have started to sing. The bass seems tight and the mids are well pronounced, top end seems a bit rolled off though(is it the amp/cdp/speaker?)

Notes:
1) The cdp is powered via a surge protector and the amp is connected directly to the power outlet (the surge protector somehow makes it sound 'constrained' and 'not dynamic').

2) Connected the cd directly to the power section of the amp and the quality/detailing (ignoring the high volume) seemed to become much much better. The pre does not seem all that good anymore...

3) The quality is dependent heavily on the CD quality. Some sound really well while others sound 'muddled'. Could be a problem with the CD's themselves.

4) I have not changed the original connectors between the pre-power sections. Waiting for a pair of good interconnects to test that. Any experiences?

5) My music tastes are changing.. AC/DC is giving way to more mellower genre's! Maybe its the age...

Would be very happy to get some comments and/or suggestions to improve the system.

-Saikat.

 

[Anil kumar]

Hi Saikat, had a wonderful audition at your place. MA BR5 sounded really good, a pair of decent interconnect should make more difference. Carpet the entire listning area to avoid internal reflections. wall behind the speakers is important dissipator of sound waves so install thick curtain to avoid boomy effect . Allison krauss & Fourplay's Heartfelt albums sounded very good & time well spent on sunday evening.

Regards,
Anil

Hi,
Its been slightly more than three months since I got my setup and would like to thank all the forum members for their inputs/help/suggestions/information. Music is not a background process anymore, instead feel the need to sit down and listen (preferably at night when the power is slightly better).

It has been quite a learning and very rewarding process so far.

Setup:
> MA BR5 speakers - NAD C352 - NAD C521BEE.
> Monster Audio Interlink MK-II interconnects and Monster Audio speaker cables.

The speakers are breaking in very nicely and some help from Anil (thank you!) with the placement, they have started to sing. The bass seems tight and the mids are well pronounced, top end seems a bit rolled off though(is it the amp/cdp/speaker?)

Notes:
1) The cdp is powered via a surge protector and the amp is connected directly to the power outlet (the surge protector somehow makes it sound 'constrained' and 'not dynamic').

2) Connected the cd directly to the power section of the amp and the quality/detailing (ignoring the high volume) seemed to become much much better. The pre does not seem all that good anymore...

3) The quality is dependent heavily on the CD quality. Some sound really well while others sound 'muddled'. Could be a problem with the CD's themselves.

4) I have not changed the original connectors between the pre-power sections. Waiting for a pair of good interconnects to test that. Any experiences?

5) My music tastes are changing.. AC/DC is giving way to more mellower genre's! Maybe its the age...

Would be very happy to get some comments and/or suggestions to improve the system.

-Saikat.

 

[kaushik]

saikat ,

CDs at CDconnection site are good provided well recorded .
there is half -shipping offer going on this month .

So you can grab some new CDs ...for less now !

 

[dinyaar]

Hi,
Its been slightly more than three months since I got my setup and would like to thank all the forum members for their inputs/help/suggestions/information. Music is not a background process anymore, instead feel the need to sit down and listen (preferably at night when the power is slightly better).

It has been quite a learning and very rewarding process so far.

Setup:
> MA BR5 speakers - NAD C352 - NAD C521BEE.
> Monster Audio Interlink MK-II interconnects and Monster Audio speaker cables.

The speakers are breaking in very nicely and some help from Anil (thank you!) with the placement, they have started to sing. The bass seems tight and the mids are well pronounced, top end seems a bit rolled off though(is it the amp/cdp/speaker?)

Notes:
1) The cdp is powered via a surge protector and the amp is connected directly to the power outlet (the surge protector somehow makes it sound 'constrained' and 'not dynamic').

2) Connected the cd directly to the power section of the amp and the quality/detailing (ignoring the high volume) seemed to become much much better. The pre does not seem all that good anymore...

3) The quality is dependent heavily on the CD quality. Some sound really well while others sound 'muddled'. Could be a problem with the CD's themselves.

4) I have not changed the original connectors between the pre-power sections. Waiting for a pair of good interconnects to test that. Any experiences?

5) My music tastes are changing.. AC/DC is giving way to more mellower genre's! Maybe its the age...

Would be very happy to get some comments and/or suggestions to improve the system.

-Saikat.

Hi Saikat,
U have a decent and competent HIFI. Positioning/placement etc are more important and will definately offer more than minor tweaking with jumpers/surge protectors(presume u need one) and the likes. Am sure Anil has helped position it as perfectly as the room allows.
Theoretically all u are saying regarding cdp sounding constrained thru the surge protector/preamp section being average/jumpers of poor quality may be correct but i doubt the performance will improve greatly.
Experiment with different interconnects/speaker cables and fine tune the set up to your liking and enjoy your music.
Regards

 

[saikat]

Wrong post- kindly ignore.. is there some option to delete posts?

 

[saikat]

Thanks Dinyaar,
Having listened to NAD's extensively, do you think a passive pre like (Promitheus Audio TVC SE Less Really Is More Review By Nels Ferre) or a tube pre would make a big difference?

Regards,
Saikat.

 

[dinyaar]

Dear Saikat,
Am not too sure if there will be substantial improvement to justify the outlay for a tube pre. Have no clue about the mentioned passive pre.
Saikat the 352 is a good starter amp which is decent in all aspects but superlative in none. In my opinion ur set up should be fine. Upgrade the entire chain after a few years rather than adding a tube pre to the power section of the 352 integrated.
This hobby is never ending and small small so called upgrades cause heartburn , confusion and loss of money. Its only 3 months of u getting the system, use it for a while, tweak around with cables, placement before adding a preamp. This is only a suggestion.
Regards

 

[saikat]

Thanks dinyaar..

 

[neo]

Hey!

I'm using a kimber kable's timbre or at times hero interconnects as a jumper. It does make a diff in sound. I??ve also changed the power cable, which improved the sound stage & tightened the bass.

As for as using a diff pre with the amp I feel you may get some change, but then you'll find the power section lacking. I guess better change the amp it self.
You can also try a diff cd player or cables. They may be the culprits for your treble.

Since you are hooked & seem to looking for improvements, eventually you'll end up changing or upgrading a whole lot of things. So start convincing you family.

 

[saikat]

Thankfully the only person to convince is myself!

 

[prem]

The Brightstar Audio Isonodes under the NAD cd player and the amp should improve the sound. There will be more focus and the muddiness and grain also reduces.

 

[square_wave]

I have had extensive experience with Nad integrateds. The preamp section is their Achilles heel. The power amp is competent enough to serve you for some time. Changing to a better preamp (tube or TVC) will greatly improve the sound (from past experience).
Then play around with placement and some decent cabling and you will have something quite nice to listen to.

 

[persiflage]

Hi Saikat,

First things first - if it's getting you to listen more and listen more attentively, then it's obviously a very nice rig. Congratulations

A more revealing system will tend to 'reward' better recorded CDs, as also more intricate forms of music, so a change in your musical tastes is not all that surprising.

Hi,
Music is not a background process anymore, instead feel the need to sit down and listen (preferably at night when the power is slightly better).


3) The quality is dependent heavily on the CD quality. Some sound really well while others sound 'muddled'. Could be a problem with the CD's themselves.


5) My music tastes are changing.. AC/DC is giving way to more mellower genre's! Maybe its the age...

I'd say try and optimise your system using tweaks various forum members have suggested. Once room placement is done, better component isolation and cable/ICs will usually will provide a meaningful improvement.

As it stands, your amplification is better than BOTH your speakers and your source, so it would make sense to look at the latter first in the upgrade path. E.g. if you like the MA sound, your current amp would not have embarrassed the Silver RS1 in any way. Now, this does not necessarily amount to recommending that you buy some RS1s as soon as you can afford them.

My suggestion is to have a long-term 'end game' in mind - i.e. the best system you could afford, assuming that you could stagger your various component purchases. Then try and get to it one truly quality component at a time. This approach will yield the maximum satisfaction in the most efficient fashion.

Enjoy the music!

Regards
Persiflage

 

[saikat]

Thanks square_wave and Persiflage for your inputs.

Long term... Since it does not cost much to think.. How about,

Solid State Storage-> RME Hammerfall -> 24bit/192Khz DAC -> Odyssey/MF/Sugden/Bryston/Tube etc -> Emerald CS2's

He he he...

About the amplification being better than the speakers/cdp, I dont know. Maybe if I listen to some 'better' amps/cdps with the current setup, changing one component at a time, it can be determined.

But honestly I dont think investing much into the current setup would do miracles. I feel its nicely balanced. Upgrading one component doesnt seem worth it.

Plan is to listen to it for some more time, make minor upgrades to fine tune the system and consider a different setup in totality once there is enough dough and enjoy the music till then...

BTW, what is component isolation?

Regards,
Saikat.

 

[prem]

Use of Isonodes will provide you some component isolation. IME, it makes a huge difference in getting the best out of your component. Internal vibrations of the chasis needs to be absorbed and external vibrations should not affect the component. Thats what isolation devices do. Several notches above the isonodes are the Ceraballs.