Saying hello to the forum

cooper52

New member
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
16
Location
Richmond, California
Hi, everybody. Looking forward to following the various threads on this forum, which I found through the forums on Audiogon.com. My approach to this audiophile hobby is much more a musical one than a technical one. Compared to the technical knowledge many of you possess, I'm really a neophyte, and probably will learn quite a bit here. Here's my system:

Hegel H200
Cambridge Audio 751BD
PS Audio Digital Link III (with stage 4 Cullen mods)--this one is my most recent acquisition
ProAc Response 1SC
Audio-Pro B2-40 subwoofer (practically an antique)
Clarus Aqua/Nordost/Audio Art Cabling
 
Welcome to AS Cooper52 :hi:

You have assembled a very nice system. Nicely done.
 
Hi Cooper and Welcome.

Tell us how your Proacs sound with the Hagel and why you selected what you have. Great setup and we need a pic :)
 
To answer Shadowfax's query, I'm about 90% satisfied with how the Proacs sound with the Hegel H200. At first I was shocked at how shrill they sounded compared to my previous system (Parasound Halo A23 amp and Meridian 562V pre-amp), hence the rather expensive upgrade to Clarus Aqua cables. These went a long way towards moderating the glare but as much as I love these speakers, I think they may be just plain too small for the Hegel. The addition of my ancient Audio-Pro subwoofer has helped some, too but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are going to be some further upgrades to this system. More to say about this, so stay tuned.
 
Here's an update 10 months later: there have been changes to the system that have made enormous differences. Firstly, after living with the PS Audio DAC for a few months, a Bryston BDA-1 became available at a price I couldn't pass up, so I made that change, and it turned out to be a significant upgrade. Secondly, the old Audio-Pro sub has been retired and replaced by a Rel S-2. I should mention that everything is plugged into an APC power conditioner/surge protector, which leads me to this third tweak, one whose results really surprised me: our house was built in 1940, and though we've done a lot of remodeling over the years, the outlets in the living room (where my system lives) were still on the old 2-wire circuits. Finally, a few weeks ago, I had the electricians in to install a new, long overdue 3-wire circuit dedicated to the audio gear. The difference that made to the sound was immediate, noticeable, and completely unexpected. I'm guessing that this change has allowed the APC conditioner, now properly grounded, to behave as it was designed to do. What all this means is that I'm now hearing a system I'm happy to live with for the foreseeable future. In the interim I had auditioned some other speakers (Harbeth, Sonus Faber, Devore Gibbons) but didn't like any of them better than the good old ProAcs. I'm going to live with these for quite some time to come--they're sounding especially nice now.
 
You've made some good, targeted upgrades there Cooper. The importance of proper grounding and AC power in general can't be understated. And you need a good dac. Proac make some very good value speakers as well. Good show!
 
Cooper52 congrats on your changes. ProAc makes a very nice speaker. What ProAc's did you get? K6?


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