I'd love some feed back on this system, assembled from some older components that have sat dormant for 10+ years (Spica speakers, Thorens table/grado cartridge (which is NOT currently hooked up) and some newer components that were purchased used, with the exception of the Parasound PHP 850 pre amp, that is new from Audio Advisor. I generally buy several items, decide what I want after various trials and analysis, and sell what remains.
I am very pleased with this system so far, but would like to improve it in certain areas:
1. Overall base response is a bit lacking, especially at lower volumes, but even when volume is turned up, the bottom end is a bit weak. Imaging is great , however. Maybe a subwoofer ? Better interconnects ? More beer ?
2. I find that the sound really develops only at higher volumes, which are often a bit louder than the rest of the family is comfortable with. I think this is called the noise floor. Any suggestions for improvement ?
3. I'm running the Adcom pre amp into the tuner jacks of the Parasound pre amp, to allow me the use of the Adcom's fm tuner. Is there any danger to this, or sound denigration that can result ?
4. The Cambridge Cd4SE only plays CD-R's burned at 32X (Legal copies !!). Does burn speed affect sound quality ? Is there any difference as far as CD-R media goes, one brand over another ?
Any other suggestions, no matter how minute, would be most appreciated. Upgrade suggestions, where I should venture for the next level of sound ?
i think the tc-50's are pretty good. if you have a small room the "lack of bass" that most people experience isn't really a big deal. i have a pair and i'd never get rid of them. you could look on the net on ways to upgrade them if you really like them. (bracing, updating crossover caps, possibly biamping) a subwoofer could ruin the sound or improve it if its set-up right
Does this happen when you use your analogue setup, or just digital? I don't see your turntable listed. Oh, yes I do....hmmm...a Rega would give you better bass response, I think. I wouldnt change electronics until I was sure it wasn't the front end that was the problem. Spica TC-50s also are not strong below 60-80 hz, so I think you might find they are also contributing to the lack of bass. They were my first High End speaker and I enjoyed them, but they don't have a great deal of bass. Straightwire, as I recall, was not the "weightiest" sounding interconnect. You might consider the Discovery Signature interconnects (I wasn't crazy about the speaker cable, but the interconnects were damn good: nearly as good as my MIT 350 reference (circa 1996) except for the very top end, which was very good, but a bit soft. The bass, however, was oooh ooh baby, good! VERY strong and not at the expense of retrieving ambient information encoded on vinyl or CD. I've seen it here on this site for around $200. Even if it's vintage (again from 1996 or so), it's reaallllly good stuff.
Fredman, Might I suggest that you Expirement with better cables. I would also suggest adding a subwoofer. Using the tuner section of the adcom certainly won't hurt anything, it just wont sound as good as an inexpensive tooner would. However, You may be able to sell the adcom and buy a decent tuner.
