Upgrade Suggestions Please

[JohnNB]

I agree Andrew, but played through the rDAC it sounds pretty good. I originally bought the entry level Cyrus cdp, which sounded great but it was fussy about what it would play. It went back to Cyrus a couple of times, but they couldn't make it reliably play cds I had burned, and I hadn't done my research about it not playing hybrid cds. I will eventually change the cdp, or maybe change the DAC and use the old one with the TV.

[JohnNB]

I agree Andrew, but played through the rDAC it sounds pretty good. I originally bought the entry level Cyrus cdp, which sounded great but it was fussy about what it would play. It went back to Cyrus a couple of times, but they couldn't make it reliably play cds I had burned, and I hadn't done my research about it not playing hybrid cds. I will eventually change the cdp, or maybe change the DAC and use the old one with the TV.

[JohnNB]

Is that the right way around Adey - expensive cart and cheaper arm? As I mentioned to Jez, it was tricky fitting the Linn arm as the deck had to be cut for it to fit. I'll have a word with the technician and ask if he's up for it though. Never heard of Allearts or Zyx, but will have a look at what's available. I'm envisaging venturing into new levels of hi fi quality here Adey, my current set up being far ahead of anything I've had before and to my ears it therefore sounds very musical with plenty of detail, hence my problem about what direction to go. Having indulged myself with assembling the system I think I'm hooked on making improvements, and staying with the same is making me restless!

[JohnNB]

Are inductance, capacitance, resistance and insulation technical specs for speaker cables and interconnects?

[JohnNB]

I know Danilo, I do love the current set-up but I'm in the lucky position of being able to indulge myself! I wouldn't get rid of anything though before I was certain I had made improvements.

[danilo]

Wires have grown into a Religious topic amongst Audio Weenies.
Well established over the last couple of Decades .. so an unwinnable arguement ( Pin heads and number of Angels inhabiting )
That said:
Speaker wires have ONLY one significant attribute: Resistance...affected by length or gauge (10 Ga being adequate overkill in a Normal residential run ).
All else is arguably Dogma
Interconnects are susceptible to all manner of influences. Capacitance being the biggest one.
Again shorter is always better, Although Coax types are a known troublemaker.
Only useful suggestion; protect your Wallet.

[JohnNB]

Ok If pushed I'd say playing vinyl gives me more pleasure. A really good tt set-up excites me more than any cd set up ever has. Cds sound much of a muchness to me I'm afraid, but I'm probably missing something as most of my cash has gone into the vinyl set up, but I listen to a lot of cds for convenience, so I guess I'd like to make improvements to both, but vinyl first.

[farflungstar]

Only resistance makes a difference? Hence the Townsend isoldas blowing up amps... Resistance, no, capacitance yes - of course it affects them and sound....

And to the OP about putting an expensive cart on a cheaper arm - in my experience it can work. I put my 3 grand Allaerts on my (back then) Audio Technica AT1100 bought second hand for 350£ and it was both revelatory and sublime.

Just my 2 cents.

Adey

Sent from my Aquaris E4.5 using Tapatalk

[JohnNB]

The Nagaoka MP200 cost around 300 quid, which I thought was firmly in the mid range category, but I suppose it's relative, but, as other posts have noted, going too high in one area causes deficiencies in others. So any thoughts on price range of arms/cartridge/tt that would improve the system without rendering the speakers and amp weak?

[Arkless Electronics]

Cables etc are a source of many a cyclical argument.... Which I'm sure we don't want to repeat so I'll leave my input on the matter thus...

Most people believe them to have an effect on the sound, ranging from n'th degree to big differences...

Not everyone agrees though. I*, and a significant minority of others, believe them to have no real effect on sound beyond those fairly rare cases in which the inductance, resistance and capacitance actually come into play in any meaningful way at audio frequencies. High capacitance speaker cable being an exception in that certain amplifiers (all solid state) which have not been properly designed to be unconditionally stable can be sent into ultrasonic oscillation and may blow up....

* I believe I am sort of required by "the management" to put a disclaimer along the lines of "just because I'm an Electronic Engineer with decades of experience in designing hi fi equipment, as well as being an audiophile, doesn't mean you should listen to anything I say on the subject of cables as I am a heretic and blasphemer" Other opinions are available and YMMV