[mcgsxr]

Ahh, the cheeky Mr Kyng, trying to prod me into a speaker upgrade - back, back swine!

Actually, I am on the hunt for a pair of the Fostex FX200 drivers for a DIY project I am DYING to get going, BUT they are discontinued - arghh!

I am slated to lend an ear to the Horn Shoppe Horns in the next 6 weeks or so, when my Teac returns from Bolder, since a guy local to me has a set of the horns... We will see.

Now, back to Sleepkyng, and his speakers.  

What would you like more of, or less of, that has you considering speakers?

mark in Canada

[sleepkyng]

well, i just feel like the wharfedales can't really handle the teac. they can't go that loud, the presentation is decent at best, the soundstage is really bad. i want detail and lots of it. i want it to handle highs and really shine with classical music.

[mcgsxr]

OK, a good, honest description of what you have, and what you want - always a good starting point.

Now, I HATE to be THAT guy, but I have to wonder - how much of the soundstaging concern comes from the dorm room... in my days (yes, a few years ago - OK 14 years ago...) dorm rooms were concrete walls, plain painted, empty rooms - not exactly the kind of room conductive to soundstaging - all that reflective surface crushing the individual placement of instruments etc.

If that is off base, then what you describe might be well suited to metal dome tweeters - reknowned for being bright (but will communicate all detail) and yes I am generalizing here, so the Axiom fits the bill there too.

Now, that said, perhaps you will yield more pleasure from a more significant upgrade, having waited a little longer... maybe you can hang on for a couple of months, and spend some Christmas $$, along with your funds now, and get a better speaker at that point?

I can say that the Teac has plenty of potential, and in my system really came on song at around the 130 hour mark, with treble smoothing out, and detail supremely evident.

Not sure if I have helped or hindered...

Mark in Canada

[sleepkyng]

here's what i'm to do:

oneac (which model number?)

and hold off on speaker upgrade till i got more dough

cheers and thanks!

[cjr888]

Hmmm.  From heaphones, the output is purely from the Melos, and you have good headphones, so unless you are upset with that output, that means leave the source, alone, leave the Melos alone, and leave the cans alone.

Which would leave....the speakers.  First point has already been mentioned, but not confirmed -- standard dorm room?  If so, that means horrible acoustics, odd placement, and a small room.  If this is what you are after, I would look to small drivers, single drivers, or ideally....waiting until after school to even bother upgrading.  Spend the rest on women.

If you aren't happy with output from headphones, I'd second the recommendation to try a OneAC unit.  Not the "Buy-it-Now' eBay prices, but keep your eye out, and you'll find a true steal, and one that if you're unhappy with it, can easily resell.  If that doesn't tide you over, then _possibily_ consider the DAC route.

In a small room, and most likely a highly reflective room, I'd think forgiving speakers, and single driver speakers.  Highly accurate treble is the last thing you need, and same goes for ideas like driver integration.  My first thought here would be the Jordan's...then maybe vintage speakers....then maybe Fostex.  Heck, you're best back for the buck might actually be to pick up a (gasp!)....equalizer....but then again, you cold do that from your computer.

If you listen to a lot of vinyl, the preamp would probably be your best bang for buck....if not, one intriguing option might be one of the Lite units (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3843541633&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT)  Honestly though, I'd stick to simplicity while still in the dorms....

If you're in a 13x13 room though, you may not be hitting high SPL, and I don't know the speaker's characteristics.  If that's the case, than the little TriPath may be happier with a higher impedance load much more so than finding yourself the greatest sensitivity you can find....

[sleepkyng]

ok, i'm set on the oneac purchase and holding off for now on everything else.

which oneac unit should i get and how much should i max pay for it?

cheers and thanks alot for all the help! you guys are great!

[doug s.]

ok, i'm set on the oneac purchase and holding off for now on everything else.

which oneac unit should i get and how much should i max pay for it?

cheers and thanks alot for all the help! you guys are great!

brand doesn't have to be oneac, there's lots of others out there.  go to ebay & do a search on "isolation transformer".  i found this after a quick search:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4665&item=3843298077&rd=1


this isn't a *bad* price, but ya can do even better, if you're patient.   and that size, at 4.3a, should be enuff for your entire set-up.  personally, i'd get three - one each for your cdp, dac, the rest of the system.

here's a bigger one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73173&item=3843804752

or go nuts, & get one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=71391&item=3844059862&rd=1

these *can* be found cheaper, tho - i got a 2.5kva unit for less than that, & it included shipping, a not-insubstantial amount; these are heavy.  also, the mondo units like that are likely to hum, so don't get a mondo isolation x-former if this is an issue that you are not prepared to address or live with.

doug s.

[cjr888]

http://search.ebay.com/oneac-cp_W0QQsojsZ1QQfromZR40QQsatitleZoneacQ20cp*
http://www.oneac-powercom.com/60HzPowerConditioners.html#cond1cp

CP1107 is what I have.

All of the current ads show $15-20 fixed shipping, which really isn't bad considering how much they weigh.

[doug s.]

http://search.ebay.com/oneac-cp_W0QQsojsZ1QQfromZR40QQsatitleZoneacQ20cp*
http://www.oneac-powercom.com/60HzPowerConditioners.html#cond1cp

CP1107 is what I have.

All of the current ads show $15-20 fixed shipping, which really isn't bad considering how much they weigh.

those also look wery nice.  tho i think the cp1107, for starting bid of $59, buy-it-now of $69, is a bit high.  i'm not sure which model, but i got a 12.5a oneac for <$50, & that included shipping.

doug s.

[cjr888]

Same -- can't recall exactly what I paid, but was certainly less.  Keep an eye out for the non-Buy-it-Now auctions.  If you see that any of the BIN sellers continually sell these units week after week, and thus have a ton of stock, at auction end it couldn't hurt to throw them an offer either for a quick sale....

As mentioned previously, there are tons of different makes and models, and searches for power conditioner, or isolation transformer, or anything related will yield you all sorts of results.  Regarding brand and age, search through AA and other message boards -- a few brands and models seem to have great reputation for hum....

[mcgsxr]

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=88368

Thought you might like the look of these - exactly like mine...

Mark in Canada