:D That'll be it - diggin' some quality sounds man :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
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:D That'll be it - diggin' some quality sounds man :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Was there a bit of a late night listening session?
Does the system live up to your expectations now that you have got it home?
Morning Kevin,Quote:
Originally Posted by CageyH
You know what – I didn't even ask for a price match. And that's not like me, normally I'd haggle over a fiver.
But honestly? The overall package was so good that I didn't feel the need. The system came in very close to my budget top end – maybe a hair over – but when you factor in the free delivery, Derek spending a good chunk of his afternoon setting everything up in my actual room, and the hour or so of free advice on acoustic treatment (rugs, placement, the works)... it felt like incredible value.
Could I have saved a few quid shopping the individual components online? Probably. But I wouldn't have had someone standing in my living room, listening to my room, moving speakers an inch at a time, and telling me exactly where to put a rug. That's worth paying for.
So no price match. Just a very happy customer who feels like he got a fair deal from a decent human being.
Cheers,
Alistair
Morning everyone,
I'm writing this with tired eyes and a very full heart. The system arrived yesterday afternoon. Derek from HiFi Hut delivered it himself, set everything up, tweaked the speaker positions, and gave me a proper room tutorial (rug down, first reflection points, the works).
And then he left. And I pressed play.
I honestly don't know where the evening went. I started with Nina Simone – I Put a Spell on You. My God. Her voice was right there, full of pain and power. Then Joni Mitchell's Blue. Then some John Coltrane. Then, because I couldn't resist, Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks. The Super Lintons just kept delivering. Warm, engaging, never harsh. The Rega Elex MK4 drives them with such rhythmic energy – my foot hasn't stopped tapping.
I kept saying "just one more track" until I looked at the clock and it was past midnight. I finally tore myself away around 1am. Best kind of sleep deprivation.
I want to thank every single one of you who commented, offered advice, shared dealer recommendations, or just kept me company during the confusion. This forum has been a lifeline. I walked into this as a newly retired widower in a quiet house, not sure where to start. Now I have music again. Real music. And it feels like coming home.
Photos to follow once I stop listening long enough to take them.
With genuine gratitude,
Alistair
I am glad to see that you have a system that truly delivers what you were looking for.
A great result. Enjoy it...
That sounds like a huge win to me . . .
Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Coltrane and Zeppelin . . . get in, what a playlist.
My experience with the Elex was it gets even better after a few days . . . she's a warm lady compared to my Brio, so you now have an extra heater for the winter.
Enjoy and I can almost see the grin on your face from Wales :)
I think you have said all that we at AoS would like to say on Alistair's successful journey. Here's to many, many happy hours listening to music.Quote:
Originally Posted by CageyH
You know when your system is delivering what you want when you can't stop listening.....:)
Afternoon all,
First, thank you again for all the encouragement and advice. The system is in, it's singing, and I've barely left the room.
But a question has been niggling at me – and I suspect some of you will have strong (and different) opinions.
Right now, I have the WiiM Pro Plus connected digitally – coaxial from the WiiM into the Elex's coaxial input. That means the Elex's internal Wolfson DAC is doing the conversion. And it sounds wonderful. No complaints.
However, I keep reading about the WiiM's own AKM 4493SEQ DAC, and all the features I'm missing out on by bypassing it. Things like the 10-band graphic EQ, parametric EQ, 26 preset EQ profiles, bass/treble adjustments, and room correction – all of which are only available when using the WiiM's analogue RCA outputs. Apparently, this flexibility is one of the main reasons people rate the Pro Plus so highly, but I'm not accessing any of it right now.
So my question is twofold:
Is it worth experimenting with an analogue (RCA) connection? I'm aware that would let me access the EQ and other features, making the WiiM a more active part of the system. But would that actually improve things in my room? Or would I just be introducing more processing into the signal path?
Which DAC is likely to sound better? The WiiM's AKM 4493SEQ is widely praised – though some on the WiiM forum say that with gear as resolving as the Rega, RCA can sound excellent too. But equally, the Rega's Wolfson DAC is no slouch. I've also read that the Elex's analogue section is completely unaffected by its digital inputs, with galvanic isolation keeping things clean.
I know the real answer is: buy a £10 cable and try both. And I probably will. But before I do – and before I potentially fall down another rabbit hole – I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried both approaches, or who has thoughts on whether the extra processing features (EQ, etc.) are genuinely useful or just a distraction.
Is this a worthy experiment, or should I just leave well enough alone and enjoy the music?
Grateful for any thoughts or experiences.
Alistair
I'd give it a few weeks first and see if anything crops up in the sound that you don't like. You need to go through a wide variety of music for that. Just take your time with it.
If after a few weeks you decide that it could be better, then you could think about using the various digital correction options.
Bear in mind the best way to do this is to get measurement mic and software and measure the response of the speakers in your room. It's not that hard but it is a lot of work and a learning curve.
Using the automatic room correction via phone mic very rarely gives good results, you'll just end up switching it off again. This is why you'll see people claiming that processing degrades the sound. You have to use it properly or not at all. 'Properly' means manually calibrating it based on reliable measurements.
The digital processing of room correction or parametric EQ will not degrade the signal in itself, this is the advantage of digital processing.