Elwood wrote:

Help.

I need advice with a planned upgrade. [...]

Listening Room:
15' x 21' with sloping ceiling from 9' to 15', speakers on the 9' side,
three large openings to other rooms, carpet, minimal furniture. Two of
the large opening on the back wall.

Current System:
NAD 314 integrated amp
Parasound C/DP 1000 CD player
Klipsch Cornwall I speakers
Velodyne DLS 4000 subwoofer

Current Impression:
Lacks dynamics. Light mid bass response on most recordings, seems to
lack punch. Music that is very busy sounds somewhat muddy. You must
concentrate to see the sound stage. Upper end can have slight edge, but
not bad overall.

Planned Purchases:

I was thinking of dumping the NAD and purchasing a Bryston 3B or 4B NRB
or ST amp. The preamp that I had in mind was the Audio Research LS3 or
LP9MKII. How would these components play together? Which pre would
better suit the Bryston? How would the whole thing match the Klipsch?
Am I on the right track? What about the room, do I need another subwoofer?

I am not familiar with all your equipment, but I believe that
*every* element of your current impression could be (partly)
due to room acoustics. I am not saying that room acoustics are
your problem, just that you should consider them along with
equipment issues.

Along that line, the light bass could be a resonance effect,
or you could just be losing it through the large openings in
the room. The muddiness on busy music could be excess
reverberation. (That symptom cleared up in my room after
installation of tube traps.) Edginess in high frequencies can
be from many causes. A common one is slap echo, too much
reverberation in the room at high frequencies. Another
potential cause is distortion in the high frequencies.
Finally, not a little recorded music can sound edgy when
played back on neutral equipment, because of the recording
techniques, equalization, or microphones used.

Of the equipment you mentioned, I have heard some of the
Bryston ST and SST amplifiers (I use a 14B SST). My
impression is that the SST gear (newest models) is cleaner in
the high frequencies than the ST pieces (immediately previous
line). That has also been the impression of reviewers. So if
HF subtlety is important to you, try to find an SST piece. To
me, the Bryston amps have good dynamics. If you should find
the sound lacking dynamics after buying one, the problem is
most likely something else.

I owned either an LS2B or LS3B at one time. I found it rather
thin in tonal balance (and I am not a fan of warm *or* cool
colorations in electronics). Because of my poor memory, that
statement is probably not much help to you, but if at all
possible, listen before you buy.


Mike Prager
North Carolina, USA