Should I upgrade to the Stereo Extreme or something else?

avalon65 · « **on:** 13 Jan 2005, 03:55 am »

I have a "red board" capped-up Stratos that I'm considering sending to Klaus to have an upgrade. I've been toying with the some inexpensive upgrades and this one came to mind. My remaining system consists of a Tempest, Nightingales, Dayton 10" sub (not really needed), Cambridge 500se, and Groneberg Quattros ICs and speaker cables. The system sounds great, but there are occasions when I really crank it up (11-12 o'clock) for a song or two and the high start to loose it. From reading previous posts, it seems like the Stereo Extreme’s sonic improvements are heard more in the lower frequencies. So will this help with my occasional blasting?

My critical listening(which is more important) is done while sitting in the sweet spot, listening at moderate levels to singer-songwriters(Lucinda Williams, Sam Phillips, Norah, etc). I love a musical, forward sound that will make these ladies sound like they are right in front of me and I get lost in their voices. I'm guessing the midrange it responsible for that?. Detail is important, but not harsh and glaring. I don't want to re-live my Yamaha receiver days. Can I get my cake and eat it too with just an amp upgrade or should I be looking at something else? My CDP is next on the upgrade-itis list. DAMN! I had a feeling this might happen once cabin fever set in...

KarlDL · « **Reply #1 on:** 14 Jan 2005, 01:15 am »

The Stereo Plus>Extreme upgrade won't do much for the midrange. It will clean it up a tad when the bottom end is strong. Otherwise, the benefit is mostly on the bottom end, which is somewhat more solid. I don't regret doing the mod, but ....

If it's improved clarity you seek, then it's Monos you need. Since I went Plus>Extreme>Mono Extreme, I can't comment on the difference between ordinary, Plus, and Extreme Monos. But the change from Stereo to Monos was significant in terms of midrange and high-end clarity.

Karl

John151 · « **Reply #2 on:** 14 Jan 2005, 03:20 am »

Quote from: avalon65

I love a musical, forward sound that will make these ladies sound like they are right in front of me and I get lost in their voices. .

You just described the "Magnepan Sound". As an added bonus, Maggies and Stratos work very well together.

KarlDL · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Jan 2005, 04:06 am »

Sorry, didn't complete my commentary when spouse interrupted.

Sorting out contributions of components is often difficult, especially in the earlier stages of the journey. There are HUGE improvements that can be obtained from source and speaker upgrades, with a Stratos Plus held constant.

When I went from Extreme Stereo to Mono, I had already gone as far as I could with my source and speakers at the price points I was willing to tolerate. And there was a significant improvement. But not what happened when the Marantz SA-8260 replaced an aging Denon CDP.

So, be confident that you've reached a price/performance plateau in your source and speakers before throwing money at amps. My experience was that the SACD upgrade yielded more bang/buck than the amp upgrade, yet, after the former, the latter was significant and worthwhile.

The female vocals were special on my system before the Mono conversion and just a little more so thereafter. My wife's comment was, "they're right here in this room". Nice place to be. One of the nice things about the Stratos is that it "plays" with so many different speakers.

Captain Humble · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Jan 2005, 12:18 pm »

KarlDL said

Quote

Sorting out contributions of components is often difficult, especially in the earlier stages of the journey.

I agree with KarlDL.
There are several pieces to this puzzle.
When it comes to the Stratos/Nightingale combo Klaus is the "PuzzleMaster".

Give him a call after 1 in the afternoon and he can help you sort this out.
Jeff

avalon65 · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 10:33 pm »

Thanks for your inputs Karl & Captn! John the Maggies would be nice, but they are way outside WAF line. The upgrade demons are being kept at bay for the time being, but I was already in the process of evaluating CDPs. I've tried an Arcam CD92, but didn't notice enough difference to justify the cost over my 500se. I'd like to try a Music Hall CD25 or a Creek 50 mkII(pricier) or the Cambridge Azur 640C. Since the 640C replaced the 500se maybe the updates they've made will be the improvements I'm looking for. I'm wondering if a tubed source may be a good way to proceed. The Jolida 100 has gotten good press and is in my price range. They also seem readily available on the used market. Any thoughts?

Digi-G · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 Jan 2005, 08:38 pm »

I've been considering doing something with my cdp source as well. I've currently got a Pioneer Elite DV-45A as a DVD/CD player. It's not bad for music, but I think I could do a little better. I've been considering a new cd player (like the Arcam) or possibly an outboard dac.

Like most people I want the most bang for the buck. I had a Cambridge 500SE cdp for a while, but it was pretty quirky (I bought it used) and I wasn't bowled over by the sound of it (I thought it was a bit 'soft')

I'm now thinking of going with a Scott Nixon TubeDAC. It's about $600 (with the power supply) and I've read only glowing reviews for it. Of course I haven't been able to audition it for myself yet. I might also upgrade my Stereo Stratos to Monos sometime in the future. Ah, so many upgrades, so little money.

Any opinions?

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack this thread; it just sounds like we're traveling similar upgrade paths.

byteme · « **Reply #7 on:** 18 Jan 2005, 09:05 pm »

I've currently got a Stereo Extreme. Been very happy with it. Prior to that I had picked up a Nixon Tubedac. I've compared it to about 7 other DACs or CDPs and it's the best of all of them - to me. (EAD DSP-7000 III, CA VDA-1 VAC-1, McCormack DAC1, Mensa DIO, Rega Planet, Sherwood CD-980 - to name a few). It's very very safe in my system, I'm very happy with it and it's sound. Shortly I'm planning on sending my Stratos Extreme back to Klaus for an upgrade to a Mono Extreme and purchasing another.

Where are you located?

Digi-G · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Jan 2005, 04:37 pm »

I'll assume the "Where are you located?" was directed at me, since everyone else has their location shown. I updated my profile to show Dayton, OH. I'm practically in Klaus's back yard.

Over the last couple of years I've concentrated on getting the most from my CD's since I have close to 1000 of them. The Stereo Stratos (Extreme) was one of my steps - I've been quite pleased with it but will probably wait a while before I go the Mono route (mostly because of space considerations).

The more I consider upgrading my source (cd player and/or dac) the more logical that step seems. After all, the source is going to affect the signal that is going thru the amp and to the speakers.

byteme · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Jan 2005, 04:48 pm »

Quote from: Digi-G

I'll assume the "Where are you located?" was directed at me, since everyone else has their location shown. I updated my profile to show Dayton, OH. I'm practically in Klaus's back yard.

Over the last couple of years I've concentrated on getting the most from my CD's since I have close to 1000 of them. The Stereo Stratos (Extreme) was one of my steps - I've been quite pleased with it but will probably wait a while before I go the Mono route (mostly because of space considerations).

The more I ...

Yup, at you!

If you were closer you could stop by and see what the Tubedac sounds like. Everything in the chain helps, however, I've noticed big improvements by going with the Tubedac, less so by upgrading the power supply, but still, worth $115. Then getting my transport (S7700) which I thought was rather lovely in and of itself, modded by Steve at Empirical Audio. I'm very very happy with my source chain now. The only thing left to do is upgrade to the Mono Extreme's and then the rest of the chain is set too!

Sonny · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Jan 2005, 06:09 pm »

You know, for straight ahead CDPs I would recommend the Classe CPD.5, thats the best redbook cd player I've heard, as I used to have one. However, if you want one that plays redbook and sacds, the cheapest and Classe A player is the Marantz SA8260, which I upgraded to from the Classe.

That's what I would do, I would not consider price/performance as a big determinator in CDPs.

Also, I have the Extreme set up of the Monos and the Tempest, I can only say, that's the best thing out there for UNDER $15,000!!! Period, no questions about it! Kudos to Klaus!!!
T

Digi-G · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 Jan 2005, 03:52 pm »

Byteme,

Thanks for the offer - if you were within an hour or two I'd definitely take you up on a listening session. I suspect I'll take the plunge and just order the TubeDac (with the power supply) - I'm sure I won't be disappointed with it. I actually like my Pioneer Elite as the dvd/cd player - it's been very reliable and plays everything I feed it - so I'll likely keep it as my transport with the TubeDac.

Randy · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Jan 2005, 12:23 am »

You might want to consider the dAck DAC.