[rmertz]

hey guys,

i can't thank gateway enough for all of the help you collectively have given the new guy with his system.  so here is where i am so far and i would like your input / opinion of what i have done so far and what / if i should change / add etc for the next step:

i have the sb3 ordered (no mods) and it is on it's way, so is an adcom gda600 dac thanks to woodsyi for his find in pheonix.  in the process i also purchased audioquest vdm-5 cable for the digital out and two pairs of audioquest jaguar 36v interconnects to replace my existing corals (pre to amp and dac to pre). 

one pair of jaguars have already arrived, i can say i definately hear a difference between the corals and the jaguars however it may be just me but the base sounds a little muddy compared to the corals but i can definately hear more, crisp detail out of the mids and high.  everything i have purchased is used so i don't know if the jaguars need 'break in'?

do you guys think i went a little overboard with the vdm-5 with the equipment i have squeeze box digital out to gda600 (i.e. all adcom stuff)? 

any input you guys have would be great and i know ultimately it is my system and my ears are the final judge of what i think sounds good / bad, i just like to hear the viewpoints of others.

by the way here is my system and it will stand when i am finished:

squeezebox 3 digital coax out to adcom gda600 with audioquest vdm5
gda600 analog out to adcom gfp710 with audioquest jaguar 36v
adcom gcd700 digital coax out with vdm5 into gda600
adcom gfp710 out with jaguars 36v into adcom gda5500
two twisted pairs per side of audioquest type 2 soldered spades bi wired into b&w dm620 (small room)

thanks,

ralph

[John151]

I am not familiar with your exact equipment (except for the SB3), but I fully appreciate the overall layout, and I expect that you will be floored by the sound.  From here on out, improvements will most likely be more subtle, very subjective, and more expensive.  So, my advice is relax, and enjoy the wonderful sound for now.  You can fine tune as you go along.   

 

[tanchiro58]

Ralph,

I had a pair of AQ (second of line with 72V) and connected to my preamp to amp. They sounded nice in mid and high and good bass but little muddy too. When I connect to my other system I did not like the sound with muddy bass I decided to sell them (they were also too expensive). Now I have all Zu cables which are Ash (SB3 to Promitheus DAC), Wax speaker cables and Birth PC (for my Sun Audio 2A3 SET amp). They are very neutral and smoothly musical.

Regards,
Tan

[Scott F.]

Hi Ralph,

Your system should sound very nice when you are done. After you have the SB in house and listen to it for a while, you will want to try an upgrade to the power supply. A $20 or $30 dollar Elpac would be the first step I'd take. You'll definitely hear a difference. Things will get much smoother, bass will be much better and the overall presentation will get better. Its a cheap and very effective upgrade to the SB. Of course you can spend loads of money on power supplies but the stock Elpac will be a great first step.

[denjo]

A question if I may: since your SB3 is on its way, what digital source have you been using with the Jaguar ICs?

Once your SB3 arrives, you might want to try it digital out (analog bypassed, volume muted) through the Adcom DAC and allow some time for the system to settle in together, before coming to any specific conclusions.

Best Regards
Dennis

[rmertz]

dennis,

i have only been using the adcom gcd700 cd player with the jaguars.  I have not received the gda600 DAC yet, i just bought it from craigs list and it is being shipped as we speak.  my plan was to plug both the sb3 and cd player into the DAC to see how it sounds.  that is the cool thing about this old adcom is that it has 2 coax inputs which i haven't seen very often.  everything i have read about the adcom DAC is that is tightens up everything but especially the bass.  looking foward to its arrival. 

i know the gda600 isn't a super fidenity dac but it is the only one i can afford (at $160 how can you turn it away!) and i am guessing its performance will be better than both the onboard dac of the gcd700 and the sb3's onboard dac so we will see.

i am interested in trying out that power supply switch scott f. mentioned for the sb3 when it arrives.  sounds like a really inexpensive change to get better sound!!