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Upgrading is it really worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by mr-malcontent (A) on July 23, 2004 at 16:32:46

Just upgraded my system after 12 years. My old system was far from perfect but i learnt to except its limits. Most of my CD collection and half on my records sounded good, so i just got on and enjoyed the music. I had a pair of castle durham speakers from 1991, a musical fidelity B1 amp and a rotel 855 CD and michell syncro turntable for front end sources.

I decided to up grade just recently. My rational being that perhaps some new speakers and and a new amp might improve the sound through out.

So i got rid of the old castles and repalced them with the new smaller, slimmer latest version of the same model (durham 3) and also replaced my amp with the new raved £ 600 Rotel 1062 intergrated and also up graded to QED XT-350 speaker cable costing £ 15 per metre.

The good news first. Many of the CD's that i have enjoyed sound better. Bigger sound stage, more air between the instruments, more
detail.

Alas i kinda thought that a better system would mean that some of the CD's and records that didnt sound so good might sound better.

Well i have quite an electic taste from Norah Jones to Oasis. Old Norah sounds wonderful on it. Lovely timbre and texture. lovely sharp treble..heavenly.

However i fancied a bit of Oasis tonight. My old system didnt do a bad job with it, but this new combo is embarrasingly bad.

Played definatly maybe and then Whats the story morning glory and both so bad, very bad!!

If you can imagine putting 10 blankets over your speakers and pulling a hat over your ears in addition, this is how it sounded.

Compressed, muffled, muddy, shut in, soft,weightless, tizzy.. horrid!!!!

Virtually unlistenable. The song whats the story morning glory sounds like Liam singing alone. there is some noise in the background prentending to music, but the track sound as though its had its legs cut off and all the frequencies sucked away just leaving a voice and backing by a flea.

So there you go £ 1000 on new speakers and a new amp and thats what you get! nice.

whats the point? Might as well buy a basic midi system like my mums everything seems to sound fine on that!

And if you think i sound bitter i am! :)

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