Upgrades that part the Red Sea

[timm]

Taylode -- I have a Denon 5900 and have been thinking about possibly moving it out for something else....What types of differences did you hear between the 3910 and the Mac... did you compare anything else? I have heard the Musical Fidelity A5 - it sounded quite nice - but it was really difficult to tell given the environment... I have heard nothing but good things about the Cary 306 CD/SACD player...and would like to consider a used one....

First the MCD500 SACD player is stereo-only. If that's okay then the differences were quite noticeable. The new array of four DACs per channel really improved the detail and eliminated any harshness or grain. The fact that really sold me was that I could use it as an external DAC for two other pieces of equipment. Since swapping out the two players my music listening has dramatically increased. I am now listening to more music that watching TV or movies. As for listening to other players I did but nothing real seriously. It wasn’t until McIntosh released the MCD500 that I got excited about an SACD player. And, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that I could use it as a stand-alone DAC pushed me over the edge.

I heard the Mac Cd player - and what I noticed from that was lots of weight and a real gorgeous sound... guessing yours is the same way....

 

[amey01]

Many folks swear that a Squeezebox (or equivalent streamer) paired with an audiophile grade DAC, rivals most CD players. Like most things audiophilia, others disagree. IMHO, my Squeezebox/Benchmark setup, streaming lossless FLAC files, gives me 95+% of what a top-rank CD player can, with 1000% more convenience and enjoyment. I also have an Oppo 980H for those rare times I want to spin a CD or SACD.

The other big plus is discovering great new music via Internet Radio. My faves are RadioIO Acoustic Cafe, and my custom Pandora stations.

Fully agree here - the Squeezebox (paired with a DAC) has totally changed the way I listen to music and the amount of music I listen to and buy as well. Brilliant little device. I've got two now. When I listen to physical CDs now it feels reminiscent of inserting the "WordPerfect" 5.25-inch floppy to use a word processor, then pulling it out and inserting the Lotus123 floppy disk to use a spreadsheet. I have discovered and bought so much new music using internet radio too.

It's so nice to have radio stations available that play actual music instead of stuck up "shock-jocks" that think they're so funny and love the sound of their own voices. Oh, and only play pop music when they do play music. I also like RadioIO acoustic cafe amongst others including "Dinner Jazz Excursion".

Other upgrades that have been significant include:

ML Aerius to Vista
Rotel 1080 amp to Classé CA-101
Primare integrated to Copland valve preamp
Sonique 6.5SE to ML Aerius
Harman/Kardon Receiver to Musical Fidelity A2 Class-A integrated
and above all
My room in Sydney sounded better than my one in Queensland!

 

[taylode]

Taylode -- I have a Denon 5900 and have been thinking about possibly moving it out for something else....What types of differences did you hear between the 3910 and the Mac... did you compare anything else? I have heard the Musical Fidelity A5 - it sounded quite nice - but it was really difficult to tell given the environment... I have heard nothing but good things about the Cary 306 CD/SACD player...and would like to consider a used one....

I heard the Mac Cd player - and what I noticed from that was lots of weight and a real gorgeous sound... guessing yours is the same way....

Yes, I couldn't be happier. Between it and the MS750 about the only time they're off is when I'm either sleeping or at work.

 

[Gordon]

I saw the light when I replaced my Paradigm Signature S8's with the Vantage properly positioned in my room.

Gordon

 

[User211]

About time I added to this thread:

Linn Nexus -> Aerius -> Ascent.

Bit blown away as to how much better than the Aerius the Ascent turned out to be. Big is good. But the ESL panel seemed to work so much better than the smaller Aerius panel, even though its the same tech.

Addition of a Descent helped a lot on the bottom end. I don't think there is a right setting for it, though. Usually, it is set to 25Hz level 3, but if a recording needs some weight, that can easily change to 40Hz level 5. Thump, thump, thump... structural damage:devil:

Bill Beard BB100 50 Watt tube amp -> Air Tight Passive Pre/Air Tight ATM2 -> Austria Analog 211 monos.

The 211 monos were a bit of a risk, really. But over the years I had heard many amps at many shows, and I always thought the 211/845 based amps to be the best I had heard. Gamma Acoustics used to make ace ones, and Unison Research too (they still do). The Audionote Ongaku was incredilbe as well. So when I saw my amps pop up and ebay Germany, I went for 'em. Massive upgrade on the ATM2 - massive smile on my face when I first powered them up. "You did good, kid - all that effort at shows has paid off!"

Tuners: Mission Cyrus FM7 -> Scott 350 -> Sansui TU-9900 -> Musical Fidelity A5 -> Sansui TU-9900 -> Scott 350! Round and round in circles!

Recent Michell Gyrodec upgrades.

I have owned way more than is listed here... biggest upgrades Aerius-> Ascent and Air Tight to 211 monos.

If you were to ask me which is the best product, I would probably respond with the Michell Gyrodec. It's 18 years old, though updated/upgraded in parts, and I dearly love it. The Ascents aren't too bad either

 

[DrJRapp]

If you were to ask me which is the best product, I would probably respond with the Michell Gyrodec. It's 18 years old, though updated/upgraded in parts, and I dearly love it.

What arm are you using? I've been thinking of doing some Michell upgrades to the RB250 on my Technodec

 

[User211]

Click on the My system link - and go to the end for a picture.

The RB300 works well with the Gyrodec. For the money, it is brilliant. Spend more again and there is better to be had though, without any shadow of a doubt.

Can you stretch to a Tecnoarm? Probably the best bet at reasonable cost.