Tangent RS2

[DSJR]

I dare not say anything about the amp for fear of shilling accusations from elsewhere -



However, regarding CD players. The Rotel you have (965BX?) could sound a bit bright and scraggy - a bit like the CD65KI I seem to remember, but it should make a wonderful transport I think to go with some of the new inexpensive DACs out there. The tangents are wonderful at reproducing reverb and depth, even if they "tailor it" slightly, as you've noticed. Like I said, play to their strengths and they're wonderful.

[Saul too much]

Thanks chaps,the creek may fit the bill although I've also found a Myryad MI 120 for a similar price and of course there is the temptation to work through a few older classic amps aswell to satisfy my curiosity although clearly the older the gear the greater the risk especially as I'm no electrician and am acutely aware that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
The old Rotel cdp if anything doesnt seem excessively bright .Certainly less so than the cambridge and NAD units I've tried it alongside.Having looked into older cdps a little further I also tracked down an equally ancient Rotel 855 which uses the classic philips TDA1541a DAC and can be modified reasonably easily(at least it appears so!)
I have scored an old Rotel 820ax amp simply as a starting point so I can get my Bedside stereo back where it belongs.
I'm also acutely aware that I need to address the acoustics of my living room which are at present rather bouncy.The smart thing to do would be to sort the room out a bit first and do the mods on the cdp and decide if that will be the primary source then try a few amps out.
It's curious how little there is online about the creek evo 1 and the Myryad MI120.No doubt in 4 years time I'll be trying to pick up a Brio R !

[DSJR]

I sold the MI 120 and loved it dearly. Designed by the same chap who did the A&R A60 (Chris Evans - no not that one ), it takes over where the old A60 tails off, improves it, and gives the sound a kick up the rear. There was a good phono stage for it too and a matching power amp for bi-amping (recommended at the time for those who could do this with these). Only weakness for me was a 10K input impedance on the line inputs, a bit low for some cheaper stuff, but pretty commonplace I think for some ss gear...

I don't know what Myryad are doing now, as they're practically a Sevenoaks exclusive (they lost many independant dealers when they went this way ), but I think they're alright.

[Saul too much]

Sounds like a good option at the price its at.Have started to cure the room dynamics a little by repositioning the speakers.Cleared up some resonant bass notes.Still a little on the bright side which seems to make the rotel cdp appear the better of the 3 I have here at present.Curiously it doesnt have the best resolution or separation but it does seem to make music sound coherent. The cambridge seems too bright and the NAD if anything is too accurate and detailed,which might seem an odd thing to say but I find when separation and detail is too rigid I end up hearing the bits rather than the whole. The only down with the rotel seems to be a bit of grainy raspiness on some instruments,not harsh or sharp just grainy.Will be interesting to see how they sound with the rotel amp which should be here tomorrow.
What bit I've been able to dig up on the myryad does sound positive,PRaT ambience and a decent soundstage apparently.How does it stack up against the current Brio R?

[Saul too much]

The rotel sounds a little thin still with the 855 out front.I'm going to mod that anyway and picked the rotel up primarily for my son as he's at the age where he will appreciate a decent bit of kit.
Have taken Alex's creek and intend taking the myryad too given the ringing endorsements. One will eventually stay.Getting the cd source right may be trickier.As for the tangents I still find the vocal a little too far back at times tho admittedly this has not been with ideal gear upstream. They do strings and percussive stuff very well(almost too well on some tracks) and even with the rotel pair there is some depth to the soundstage.
Hoping to pick up a cheap set of 780 speakers too as a referenece point to see if its just my imagination that is making me think the vocals are too far back or whether its a symptom of the upper mid suck out.
All very interesting but I'm looking forward to the day when everything is in place and I can forget about the gear I'm using.

[DSJR]

MISSION 780'sssssssssssssssss? A step backward methinks. The 751's were far better and looked better too.

In one of the pro mags, the long disconinued B&W 303 came out really well as long as deafening listening levels weren't required - and fared better than a couple of cheaper "pro" speakers (Dynaudio and KRK IRC) if not thrashed. See if you can find some

[Saul too much]

MISSION 780'sssssssssssssssss? A step backward methinks. The 751's were far better and looked better too.

In one of the pro mags, the long disconinued B&W 303 came out really well as long as deafening listening levels weren't required - and fared better than a couple of cheaper "pro" speakers (Dynaudio and KRK IRC) if not thrashed. See if you can find some

I had cyrus 780s for a while admittedly with a basic rotel amp but I dont remember an issue with sibilance. Nice midrange and and nothing too harsh in the treble.They're cheap and familiar as a reference point.I think the 780se was essentially the cyrus model under a different name.I will keep an eye out for the other bits.
Running the cambridge cdp through the rotel it no longer seems excessively bright.I have noted ,with further research,that a lot of people are dispensing with cdps altogether and using squeezeboxes and dacs like beresford and Rega.Makes sense i guess as cdps will always pack up eventually.Suppose you'd still keep cds or a back up hard drive at least.Things have certainly moved on apace.
Makes me want to get my vinyl and the old technics deck out of the loft.

[spendorman]

Two pairs of Tangent RS2's here, quite nice speakers, they have a nice bass for a smallish speaker. The T27 can reveal any slight hardness in an amp. Not that efficient, and will not take a lot of power, so not for disco use!

Some might say that the RS2 sounds like an LS3/5a with bass.

[Alex_UK]

Makes me want to get my vinyl and the old technics deck out of the loft.

There's a very nice phono board installed in the Creek

Joking aside, you should - even if just for the nostalgia!

[Saul too much]

I wasnt joking really Alex.There's something special about the whole vinyl thing for me.Digital solutions are comparitively soulless.I'm tempted to pick up some of my all time favourite albums on vinyl and pick up a planar 3 or thorens TD60 or some such if the technics isnt anything special.Having decent sized artwork and a tangible visible thing magically producing music out of plastic grooves is very appealing.Funnily enough my kids have been keen on the idea for a while too.
I need to wise up on the digital source side of things too though.I hadnt even heard of Beresford before today.