My new hifi journey

[mcq]

Warmest congratulations on the the Quad CD player, Dave. I have very happy memories of a Quad CDP-2 CD player connected direct to the Quad 909 power amplifier via its internal preamp. (The Quad Artera Stereo power amp is the modern day equivalent of the 909 and would make an ideal pairing with the Play+ if/when you decide to re-investigate the world of speakers). This combo eventually made way for a Wadia 861 SE and Lavardin IT. What the Quad system excelled in was an effortless musicality rather than a striving for the state of the art. This was an a deeply rewarding system that I could listen to for hours and hours without a hint of fatigue. At the time, I was sorely tempted by a pair of the ESL-2812 speakers but I simply didn’t have the space to accommodate their width so I ended up going for a pair of the Spendor STs.

Have fun re-acquainting yourself with your CD collection, Dave, and good luck with your future upgrades.

[DaveF]

What the Quad system excelled in was an effortless musicality rather than a striving for the state of the art. This was an a deeply rewarding system that I could listen to for hours and hours without a hint of fatigue.

This is precisely why I went with Quad. With headphones especially, I've found that you tend to notice the variation in recording quality just a little more than I did with speakers therefore it was essential that I try to build a system that isn't overly revealing or analytical.
The Roma Synthesis CDP was considered too but there is nothing online about it's qualities and anyway I want to leave more of my funds for the vinyl side of things.

[Claus]

Great write-up, Dave! Congrats on the Quad. It looks the part for your setup alright. I am looking for a CD transport to replace my BAT VK-D5SE when the new speakers arrive... This is a great looking unit for the money and would be a great combination with head-fi setup as well as speakers...

I did take you up on your recommendation and have been listening over headphones extensively over the past week or so. I like it. I can really get through some music while not disturbing the rest of the family while they work/study. Thanks for pointing me in that somewhat obvious direction!👍😎

[Fran]

Well done Dave! Best of luck with it, it looks really lovely I think.

[markof]

This is precisely why I went with Quad. With headphones especially, I've found that you tend to notice the variation in recording quality just a little more than I did with speakers therefore it was essential that I try to build a system that isn't overly revealing or analytical

Hi Dave,
If you don't mind me asking, which model of headphone/energisers are you presently using with the cd player?

Mark

[DaveF]

Hi Dave,
If you don't mind me asking, which model of headphone/energisers are you presently using with the cd player?

Mark

The package is called the SRS-5100 which includes SR-L500 Earspeaker/ SRM-353X Energiser.

[tony]

Nice write up Dave and good to see you are still in the game! Your old amp is sounding great here for me. It is certainly a lot more detailed then the DA50. You seem to have moved more towards the DA50S signature. In hindsight when we listened to your amp with mainly I think the DCS you had on loan it made the Quad ESL989's in your then apartment which was sparsely dampened and with concrete floors probably sound brighter than you would like. I can imagine how woolly you found the DA50S with a Lampizator Dac into Quad ESL57's in my place :)

Enjoy the Quad and looking forward to your review of your upgraded Stax system. I have always had a yearning for a Stax system and hope to get to have one at some point.

[DaveF]

Your old amp is sounding great here for me. It is certainly a lot more detailed then the DA50. You seem to have moved more towards the DA50S signature. In hindsight when we listened to your amp with mainly I think the DCS you had on loan it made the Quad ESL989's in your then apartment which was sparsely dampened and with concrete floors probably sound brighter than you would like. I can imagine how woolly you found the DA50S with a Lampizator Dac into Quad ESL57's in my place :)

I'm glad you're enjoying the Jadis 88 Tony. I just never got on with that amp. From memory the issue I had with the 989's/Jadis was not that it was bright but rather the sound was dull, lacked detail and more frustratingly lacked midrange presence and weight. This was the case no matter what CDP was in. In the end I got to the bottom of the issue, the speakers being placed either side of the fireplace seemed to suck the life out of the music a bit and make voices appear smaller. When I changed it all to fire down the length of the room instead it was completely different. Just goes to show how speaker placement and interaction with the room is so important and can make or break a system. In the end priorities changed and I had to let go of the hifi for a few years.

I never found your 57's/Lampi/DA50 to be woolly. For me it struck the perfect balance. All you really needed was a turntable and some vinyl!

[Ivor]

... the issue I had with the 989's/Jadis was not that it was bright but rather the sound was dull, lacked detail and more frustratingly lacked midrange presence and weight.

That's exactly what you would expect from that pairing... detail ..... midrange presence and weight.

Just goes to show how speaker placement and interaction with the room is so important and can make or break a system.

Speaker placement and synergy are the most important factors in hifi IMHO.

[DaveF]

So the new Stax headphones and Valve energiser will be winging their way from Japan sometime today. Will take 10-14 days to arrive. Quite excited to be honest as these are considered by many an 'end game' setup if you like the Stax sound. You can go higher up again to the Omega series but some feel that the Lambda series are the preferred sound.