Hi. New here and need some help.

[Landy360]

I recently purchased some cerwin vega dx-9's and they sound great but i am running them off of a A/V home theatre receiver. Its to my understanding that i can get better sound(mostly bass) from them if i run them through different equipment like an amp and preamp. Im not sure where to start or what to get or look for.

[blackraven]

Landy, yes, you will get better sound and improved bass depending upon the amp, preamp, RCA interconnects, speaker wire, CD player or audio source you use. What AVR and audio source do you use?

If you want to upgrade, what is your budget?

[Mr Peabody]

Yep, budget is the big question, and if willing to buy used. Adcom components are an excellent value on the used market, get you a gfa-555 or 5500 putting
200x2 under the DX9's and you will be rockin. A matching preamp would be something like gtp-450.

[Landy360]

Right now im using a yamaha htr-5850 and playing through a cd player or alot of the times my computer. I also have an external 15' sub too.

[Landy360]

Oh and i have a few hundred bucks to spend if not a little more if i have to. I know the vegas will last a long time so i want something to push them.

[Mr Peabody]

With a 15" sub I wouldn't think you were hurting for bass. Have you ran the auto speaker set up? You'll have to check the manual but there's also a setting you need to click to make the sub work for stereo as well as for movies.

[blackraven]

I agree with Mr. P, with that sub you should not be hurting for bass. I would consider upgrading if you want better overall sound. Used adcom gear is a great place to start. Take a look at AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community (http://www.audiogon.com) for used amps and preamps. Other options would be to get a Class D audio digital amp from classdaudio.com (By the way, my daughter has an HTR AVR and it has weak bass but it improved when we hooked up a cheap Fiio DAC.)
You can get a 250wpc CDA-254 amp built for $500
Build Your Own Class D Audio CDA Series Amplifier - Complete Kits (http://classdaudio.com/complete-kits/build-your-own-class-d-audio-cda-series-amplifier.html)

And consider this nice little hybrid tube Preamp/DAC with multiple inputs and outputs form here-

Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-11 D/A Converter (http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.html)

I own both the class d amp and the Grant Fidelity and they match well with great sound and nice deep punchy bass. You can run your computer audio through it.

A cheaper option for a hybrid tube preamp is this Maverick Audio Preamp/DAC with the Tube and Burr Brown op amp upgrade.

Maverick Audio - TubeMagic D1 Plus DAC (http://www.mav-audio.com/base/product/d1p)

By the way, what CD player do you use. Cd players do make a difference as do RCA interconnects. A nice place to start with RCA interconnect cables is here-


Stereo Cables at Blue Jeans Cable (http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm)

These cables have a nice detailed sound with good bass and treble.

[Mr Peabody]

You might also compare your CD player's analog output red/white to the sound of a digital connection to the Yamaha to see which is best sound. A digital connection to the Yamaha will decode the signal inside the receiver. For music playback I find the "direct" mode for Yamaha works best.

[Landy360]

Thanks guys you've been a lot of help!! I'll do some research and see what i can find

[Landy360]

And tell me what you think about this minus the speakers and sub

Audiophile system on a budget (http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/ele/3610017185.html)

[Landy360]

Or this
Complete Component Yamaha Stereo System with Thiel CS1.2 Speakers (http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/ele/3594430655.html)

[Mr Peabody]

I like the Adcom set up, the 545 is a strong 125x2 and will have more bass impact than Yamaha.

[Landy360]

Yeah he offered the adcom setup for 350. Is that decent or should i offer lower.

[Mr Peabody]

$350.00 isn't bad for both pieces but they are pretty old models, I'd offer $300.00 to see if he takes it. If he takes a hard line then it would depend on how bad you want them and if they are in great shape. The 545 is known for big bass response if that helps. :)

[Landy360]

Thanks Mr. P. And one more question. My 15' sub that i was talking about, well my friend is taking it back so i need to find a new sub too. I want something that puts out alot of bass. Any recommendations? Possibly another 15'

[Mr Peabody]

CV's being pushed by Adcom you may be surprised at how much bass you end up with.

I've heard people say the Rhythmic 15" is good for reasonable cost. I am partial to SVS subs but they are very accurate and play deep, this might not be the sub for big Hip Hop boom. A lot depends on your budget, big drivers with big power usually cost big bucks. In more of a mass market brand the Infinity subs are good.

[blackraven]

If those adcom units are in good shape, $350 is a good deal. Those amps sell for about $200 used. See if he will take $300 or $325 for the pair.

[Landy360]

All the advice is highly appreciated thanks gentleman. I just took the subs in on the CV's to get refoamed so i'm hoping to have a rockin system here soon!!

[Mr Peabody]

Were you able to get the Adcom?

[Landy360]

Not yet but the guy still has it. I was waiting to try out the CV's on them first.

[Landy360]

So i ended up picking up the adcom pair. So far so good although i haven't ran my CV's through them yet because there still in the shop. I ended up talking him down to $300 for both so i'm happy.

[blackraven]

You got a very good deal. I hope you enjoy them!

[Mr Peabody]

Good deal, let us know how they do with the CV's. The Adcom is good enough that if you don't already have quality cables it may be something to think of in the future.

[JStudrawa]

And tell me what you think about this minus the speakers and sub

Audiophile system on a budget (http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/ele/3610017185.html)

Link deleted by owner. Got another?

[Landy360]

JStudrawa. I bought what he had anyways haha which was an adcom amp and pre amp. And Peabody, do you have a website or store or brand that you recommend for cables. And another question. To get my sub working with only 2 outputs on the amp, i connected the left and right ports through the sub in, then on the sub outs i hooked them up to my speakers. Is this the proper way to do this or will i lose power to the speakers this way? Thanks guys

[Mr Peabody]

A good cable without spending a lot is Bluejeans cable. There's better but you'd have to spend at least double the money. They sell direct from the website, I'm not certain but I believe it's Blue Jeans Cable -- Quality Cables at Reasonable Prices (http://www.bluejeanscable.com)

Are you using the speaker terminals from the amp to the sub, then to the speakers, that should work fine.

How's everything sounding?

[Landy360]

Cool ill get some wire from there. And its going from the amp outs to the sub ins with speaker wire, then form the sub outs to the speakers still with speaker wire. I was told this was the right way to do it. But so far so good i haven't hooked up the vegas yet because there still in the shop until thursday.