Dear James,
First off, I want to tell you a little about my background. I have been an
audiophile and music lover for about 25 years -regularly experimenting with
many different set-ups. I am also a high-end audio dealer, and have been so
for 10 years (I love this job!).
Okay, all that being said, I wanted to share my thoughts and experience with
you and hopefully it may help you with your system.
I always believe in trying everything at least once, and if it makes a
difference (i.e. sounds better) to you or not, at least YOU know and will
have that experience beneath your belt for any future reference.
Regarding your cables. If the manufacturer recommends a specific direction
to connect your cables to your system, that's what I would do -besides
whoelse would know better about their product that the one whom builds it?
It sounds like you have your speaker cables set up correctly. However, your
interconnects should have the arrows on them reflect the path of the audio
signal. So, the direction of the arrows on the ICs should point from the CD
player to the amp (or preamp).
Example: CD player --- Preamp --- Amp --- Speakers
Keep in mind to, many believe that most components and cables, etc. need
time to burn in (i.e. break-in period), and that time varries from component
to component. Some may not need a break-in period, some may only need 10-20
hours, some may only need about 100 hours, and some may need as much as
1,000 hours. Regardless, during this time the sound may be less than what
it's supposed to be. To give you a reference, almost all professional
reviewers either use a burn in device or just play a signal (music or just
plain white noise) through the system they will be reviewing before they do
any critical listening.
Experimenting with speaker placement and room treatment is also definitely
something to consider, but the aforementioned may also play an important
role as well in getting the sound where you want it.
One last thing that I would recommend considering... Many areas have lots
of interferrence from their AC power and this can significantly affect the
sound in a bad way. Poor AC current coming from your wall outlets can put
more noise into your sound system, which can also affect many things with
the sound including clarity and focus. You may want to consider a audio
grade powerline filter/conditioner for your high-end audio system. If
you're not sure, see if you can borrow one from a local high-end store, or
buy one from a high-end dealer that offers a return policy.
My overall recommendation for you is to experiment (i.e. swapping out
different components, cables, and/or speakers) with all that you have and
all that you know because there are so many variables and opinions with
high-end gear matching that you have to try a host of different things for
yourself to what works for you and what doesn't. In my opinion, this is the
most productive way to get the sound to where you want it.
If you have any questions or comments or just want to chat about high-end
audio in general, please feel free to e-mail me anytime.
Best regards,
-Donald
W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST
http://wenwaudio.4t.com
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hmm, thanks for all the advice.
As for the initial response by Trevor. Yes I did buy it without
auditioning in my room.
I live in Madrid and you be very suprised how bad the general quality
of HIFI is in Spain. I had to import the speaker and the amplifier as
the only thing I could actually buy from Madrid was the Arcam CD player
(I even had to order the speaker stands direct !). As you csan
understand, I cannot exactly go to the UK just to audition the
components so brought the "system" based on a what hifi review of "all"
the components tested together in one go.
So not ideal certainly but better than buying a system made by pioneer
which is about all the is availbe from the Madrid "HI-FI" shops. And
"recommended" as a whole by what-hifi, for what thats worth.
The speakers are definately wired up right as this is something i have
checked out many times.
The room is certainly not ideal as it is effectivly a living
room/american kitchen which is not square to start with, not good.
In terms of siting the speakers I would say that again its less that
ideal. I always read that they should be away from corners, well one is
in a corner and the other not. Again difficult to resolve considering
the room and conditions. I'm moving house soon so perhaps this will be
resolved though. I was looking for some inspiration hopefully from hifi
enthusiasts and I have recieved many replies, thanks.
If theres anyone out there with this setup, who is happy, please let me
know how its set up.
Thanks everyone,
James.