A Canuck's Buget System

by mghcanuck on Opinions Please

Description

Hi All:

About six months ago, I caught the audio bug from a friend and neighbour, at which point I decided to upgrade a few components. However, I'm on a budget and so my kit is fairly modest. The NAD integrated amp and tuner, the Kef Q5's and the Monster power bar, purchased last Fall, brought my system to what I feel is introductory-level hi-fi. In January, I added the van den Hul interconnects, which were a noticeable improvement.

The CD player is currently the weak link IMO. I've been thinking that the NAD C-541i would be the best way to go, given budget concerns, a number of good reviews and a top-place finish in a What Hi-Fi? comparison with units from Arcam, Rotel, Rega, Marantz, Sony and Roksan. There's also the Shanling CD-S100, which I believe may be the same machine as the Music Hall CD-25 (although I've asked for advice on this in a thread on the Digital page here at Audiogon).

Also, I'm really tempted to find out if the merits of bi-amping are for real, with the addition of the NAD C-270.

Finally, although I said the cd player may be the weak link, the speaker cable is also vying for that title. I'm interested in the van den Hul CS-122, a 12-gauge silver coated OFC cable with a layer of carbon fibre that I've heard good things about.

Advice and comments would be most welcome.

Thanks.
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Components Toggle details

    • NAD C-370
    120 wpc into 8 ohms
    • NAD C-270
    120 wpc
    • Kef Q5
    2.5 way floorstander
    • NAD C-541i
    24-bit D/A, HDCD
    • NAD C-420
    am/fm
    • van den Hull D102 MkIII
    silver coated OFC with carbon fibre layer
    • Monster Cable HTS-1000
    8 outlets, Clean Power v. 2
    • Monster Cable Standard
    12 gauge

Comments 8

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I found Bundee1's response interesting. I too have a pair of KEF Q5s. I have only had them for a month on my second system. I haven't really been impressed by them and was thinking of ditching them. The added burn in time, although admittedly not lengthy, wasn't adding much if anything to the sound. Unimpressive depth and rather thin on the high end. I had them bi-amped with matching Carver TFM-15s and bi-wired with Kimber Kable 4VS but still didn't like what I was hearing. Maybe my positioning needs improvement. I will try that first.

Thank you for your comments on my music system. The Sunfire does not have DAC capability. Maybe another purchase is in store for that system.

Like what you have done. Maybe try some similar things with my primary setup.

LM

canuxican

Congratulations dude! No matter what anyone tells you, the biggest improvement in sound quality comes from proper speaker positioning. Once youve got that done you can move on to bigger and better things.

bundee1

Owner
System edited: Just added the NAD C-270 amp and the C-541i cdp to my system. Am now bi-amping with the C-370 feeding the tweeter/mid-range drivers of the KEF Q5's and the C-270 feeding the low-frequency drivers. Not much burn-in time yet, but sounds promising.

mghcanuck

check out this link:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=MHMMF25&product_name=MMF%20CD-25%20HDCD%2024/96%20CD%20Player
It isnt an upsampling player the T100 is.

bundee1

Woops, I was wrong about upsampling in the Shanling CD-S100--the player *does* have it. (Always best to check before you speak... ). What confused me is that there seems to be no way to turn it on or off, either on the player or on the remote, so I guess it's always on.

tobias

the music hall doesnt have upsampling either. I saw a website that incorrectly placed that in their ad. I own the Music Hall mmf cd25 and nope no upsampling.

bundee1

Uh... have you heard both of the players you're considering? My main player is a Shanling CD-T100, the tube model, but I have a CD-S100 too, which is also available from several Canadian dealers. It is almost identical to the Music Hall CD-25 but has no upsampling (which I don't think is worth paying for, although others may differ...).

I agree that your player is your weakest link at the moment. I have listened to the NAD541i and have nothing bad to say about it but I do recommend a listen to both before you decide. They sound fairly different.

tobias

I would say go ahead a get that NAD cdp because it would sure match well w/your other NAD pieces. (Also, perhaps one remote would be able to control all NAD pieces.) The spk wire most likely needs to be upgraded. I'm very pleased w/my VDH 102 interconnects. You may want to check out the CARDAS spk. wire also. I'm very impressed w/their Quadlink 5-c. If your C-370 has a detachable power cord replace it w/one of Subaraguru's DIY power cord. Very inexpensive and the improvement it brought to my system was amazing. (Was using a fairly decent aftermarket cord already, which costed quite a bit more, but the Belden wire in this kit was way superior.) Also, perhaps you may want to upgrade your power condition at some point down the road. Very nice system. Bill

kotta

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