New member - Stereo made simple

My system is real simple - Rotel 965BX, Yamaha MVS-1 attenuator, Marantz 2230 (power amps only) and/or Marantz MA 500U mono amps, Linn Keilidh speakers. Plenty of volume for me without preamp equipment. All this equipment was purchased new about when they first came out. I have switched the Marantz power amps and ended up with the 2230's - just sound warmer, yet less cymbal crack up.

I built the interconnects from pure silver wire, hand woven with gold plated jacks. I believe they may be the weak link? Any suggestions for improvement? I really don't need FM/AM/AUX inputs - just good CDs.

I was thinking of replacing the Rotel, but after reading some recent reviews, it seems upgrading to the "discrete" level is about the only reasonable change.

Any thoughts are appreciated,

Mark

What exactly aren't you happy with? You haven't told us. Your set up sounds nice. Silver core IC's are known for having a bright traight but also being a very reliable conductor.

If you want to shake things up you could consider some tubes in the mix. Tube buffer, tube pre-amp or tube dac would all add a different dynamic to the chain.

Anyhow, welcome to audioreview and let us know exactly the problem.

Thanks, poppachubby, If I could get the cymbals to sound more realistic, plus it seems that complex music passages get somewhat "muddy" at times - these are about my only complaints about the system. I have always wondered if some higher quality interconnects, commercially produced might be better.

MarkC

Go for a Cambrige Audio 840c CDP. I used to own one and it had the most realistic cymbal sound and the best treble I have heard. My Van Alstine Hybrid DAC is close to the 840c but has more air and a warmer sound. The Van Alstine solid state DAC might even have better treble and cymbal reproduction than the Hybrid.

Hi MarkC" Welcome to AR
I'm sure you'll be getting all the help needed, there is lots of knowledgeable Folks here to help you.....BTW" you have already suggested that your "DIY" cable might have been the culprit??!! So may I suggest you start their. you did not mention a CDP.??

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Originally Posted by MarkC

Thanks, poppachubby, If I could get the cymbals to sound more realistic, plus it seems that complex music passages get somewhat "muddy" at times - these are about my only complaints about the system. I have always wondered if some higher quality interconnects, commercially produced might be better.

MarkC

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I think the passive Yammie would be your problem seeing you have problems with complexed and muddy music at times. Have you tried a dedicated preamp? You may be able to find a used Rotel 1082 or 1090 preamp which are some of the best preamps Rotel has made for a very good price sense they are no longer in production. Also every silver cable I have heard has been bright with plenty of air but very week in the bottom end. Its better suited for dark equipment in my opinion so you may wna to try some good copper, or if you really like silver, try a mix of copper and silver.

frenchmon

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Originally Posted by MarkC

My system is real simple - Rotel 965BX, Yamaha MVS-1 attenuator, Marantz 2230 (power amps only) and/or Marantz MA 500U mono amps, Linn Keilidh speakers. Plenty of volume for me without preamp equipment. All this equipment was purchased new about when they first came out. I have switched the Marantz power amps and ended up with the 2230's - just sound warmer, yet less cymbal crack up.

I built the interconnects from pure silver wire, hand woven with gold plated jacks. I believe they may be the weak link? Any suggestions for improvement? I really don't need FM/AM/AUX inputs - just good CDs.

I was thinking of replacing the Rotel, but after reading some recent reviews, it seems upgrading to the "discrete" level is about the only reasonable change.

Any thoughts are appreciated,

Mark

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Hi Mark,

Welcome to the AR forums!!

Your problems are not at all uncommon. I would absolutely make sure that the all the IC contacts are clean. Sometimes it's as simple as cleaning the contacts to restore full performance to your rig. Also, do you have an audio test CD? You can learn a lot about what's going on with your system by running one. After that it should be able to prove that the problem isn't with the wires by changing out the IC's, and then the preamp if that doesn't prove to be the culprit. A methodical approach to investigating the problem will often uncover a simple solution without resorting to throwing a lot of money at it.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

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Originally Posted by frenchmon

I think the passive Yammie would be your problem seeing you have problems with complexed and muddy music at times. Have you tried a dedicated preamp? You may be able to find a used Rotel 1082 or 1090 preamp which are some of the best preamps Rotel has made for a very good price sense they are no longer in production. Also every silver cable I have heard has been bright with plenty of air but very week in the bottom end. Its better suited for dark equipment in my opinion so you may wna to try some good copper, or if you really like silver, try a mix of copper and silver.

frenchmon

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Could you explain more about why a passive/attenuation based volume control might add distortion rather than a preamp? I get plenty of volume for my use with about one half turn on the attenuation knob. I just assumed the simpler the better. I could (and will) hook up the Marantz preamp section to compare. Do you know of a good value in ICs - I am not into spending big bucks, obviously.

Thanks, Mark

Mark, take a look at bluejeans cables ic's. $30pr and beat many IC's costing a lot more.
www.bluejeanscables.com

I purchase a pair yesterday - I will let you know how they sound.