I budgeted $5000 after reading multiple HiFi websites and magazines. I already owned the analog equipment and needed the integrated amp, the CD player, the speakers and the equipment stand. My next step is a wire loom (Kimber? Chord? Other?)and possibly a better MM cartridge upgrade.
My design criteria was that it sound tearfully beautiful with opera, and wonderful with classical and piano and vocalists and rock and roll. I'm quite pleaseed with the sound.
My room is weird with large opening between speakers yielding a 30 foot longitudal hall. Where does that low bass come from?
I had Decibel Audio in Chicago service and setup my turntable and tonearm and change the cartridge to a Grado Prestige GOLD1. They spoke very highly of the sound from my old turntable. I also added a Mullard tube to the Bellari VP129. Inch by inch by degree by minute speaker adjustments result in the best sound "in a private home" I have ever heard. It's a matter of a well matched and well installed system in the right room. Would Naim NACA 5 cables and Kimber Interconnects improve the sound? Probably, but I can't imagine better than I have now.
Thank you for the responses. I don't hear an improvement in imaging because of the front/back open wall. The Bach Grands have fore and aft firing ports and I suspect that the open wall compromises the imaging depth. I previously had B&W 685 monitors and did not have anything like the bass I have now, imaging was the same.
I'll forward my room parameters to you Bruce30, and I thank you in advance for any ideas you may share with me.
I like the system you have compiled. The Vienna's are a great speaker and look beautiful in your room. Does the open space behind the speakers give you better depth imaging? Have fun. Beerad
Nice rig you got there! Bass is a strange phenomenon, eh? It's taken me years & years to understand & visualize how bass works. You probably wouldn't have too much of it if you'd selected a typical monitor sized speaker. The answer is the low bass vibrates your room on 3 axes: ceiling-floor, sidewall/sidewall & frontwall/backwall. So just because you aren't containing the wave fully on the frontwall doesn't necessarily mean that it will greatly affect how the wave interacts with the other 2 axes (ceiling/floor & sidewalls.) A small monitor however will tend to rely more on boundaries than a free-standing tower to generate a given amount of bass.
I'd also like to add that if you're interested in making a few improvements to your setup that you are welcome to contact me through my email as I'll require a few additional pictures of the space as well as measurements of the room's dimensions & it would be much easier to accomplish that way.
Cheers & Congrats on putting together a really great system!
