Advice for upgrading my system

[Dani fel]

Hi, it will be great if you can help me...
I want to upgrade my system which consist for years of project essential with grado cartridge + arcam a19 amp+Indiana line shelf speakers.
My main use is jazz and vocals.
Location living Room.

I got some suggestion to buy project rpm 9 carbon + quintet mc
+ b and w speakers 603 + arcam
Sa20
These suggestion can fit my budget.
Can anybody help me by reviewing this system or suggest other products which will upgrade my system.

Thank you very much!!!
Dani.

 

[TheWarrior]

One cool thing about playing vinyl is that the speakers are the single most important part of the system.

The B&W 603 barely gets below 50 hz, whereas the JBL Studio 590 goes a half octave lower, for example.

Especially from a tower speaker, I would expect more frequency range than the 603 offers, so keep shopping speakers!

Try to find models that you can audition at home. Speakers will make the most appreciable difference in your system. This way, you can flex your budget for the speakers to get your ideal solution, and then look at moving coils, and at the very last, a new integrated amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds more like simply changing systems. Just what are you trying to achieve? I do like my JBL 590s, tho.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I can't tell you anything about turntables, but speakers will make 90% of the sound quality
JBL 590 are very good speakers, especially on its frequent sales of about $450-500/each
Unfortunately, Dennis closed the shop due to health reasons, but you should consider Salk BMR monitors
http://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=BMR+Monitors
In addition, Jim Salk has plenty of other very quality speakers to choose from (for many crossovers were designed by Dennis Murphy)

 

[Bucknekked]

I agree with @BoredSysAdmin and with @lovinthehd, your suggestions are not poor ones but they don't necessarily represent a real upgrade. Turntable or cartridge changes are usually small and subtle and it would take someone with a very critical ear to give helpful advice. Since we can't listen, its very tough to help on TT.

Like lovinghehd asked, why are you wishing to upgrade? Is there something specific you'd like to make better?
Is there a problem you'd like to eliminate?

 

[davidscott]

Wow popular ideas have sure changed in 40 years. Back in the day different turntables and especially phono carts were known to sound and track differently. The theory was if you lose quality at the source it can never be recovered downstream no matter how good your speakers are. So IMHO if you are serious about listening to LPs (vinyl) you should spend a little more on the front end. And yeah I still agree that speaker selection matters the most but not 90% of the total. JMHO... And keep those LPs clean!

 

[Swerd]

Dani – Welcome to Audioholics . We all love to tell others how to spend their money.

I want to upgrade my system which consist for years of project essential with grado cartridge + arcam a19 amp+Indiana line shelf speakers.
My main use is jazz and vocals.
Location living Room.

I got some suggestion to buy project rpm 9 carbon + quintet mc
+ b and w speakers 603 + arcam Sa20
These suggestion can fit my budget.
Can anybody help me by reviewing this system or suggest other products which will upgrade my system.

I have 3 suggestions. The first is to replace your Arcam A19 only after you hear it on new speakers that you choose. It may easily be up to the job. Replace it with something more powerful only if required.

Second, are you thinking of an Ortofon Quintet MC cartridge? Which color? The entire Quintet series, red, blue, bronze, & black are expensive, and their low output voltage, roughly 0.5 mV, can lead to difficulties such as being sensitive to hum or interference. Although Ortofon MC cartridges have a very good reputation, the various Ortofon 2M moving magnet pick ups (also in 4 colors and 4 prices) are also quite good and their 10-fold more potent output (5-5.5 mV) can easily work well with most standard MM pre-amps, such as what is in your present Arcam A19. I guess it comes down to opinion – I personally would avoid moving coil phono pick up cartridges. They aren't worth the extra cost or trouble.

And third, I agree with The Warrior about B&W 603 speakers. For a similar price, you can do better. Are you in the USA or another country? That matters for prices.

 

[Swerd]

Wow popular ideas have sure changed in 40 years. Back in the day different turntables and especially phono carts were known to sound and track differently. The theory was if you lose quality at the source it can never be recovered downstream no matter how good your speakers are. So IMHO if you are serious about listening to LPs (vinyl) you should spend a little more on the front end. And yeah I still agree that speaker selection matters the most but not 90% of the total. JMHO... And keep those LPs clean!

Many years ago, when I first started learning about audio, I soon learned the common wisdom of the time that you refer to. It was that you should spend a good part of your money on the phono pick ups and speakers. Those two transducers are where mechanical energy is converted to electromagnetic energy, or the reverse. The distortions that come from those conversions are much greater than any where else. As a result, more money spent on those should lead to better sound. In between the transducers, the electronics of the pre amp and amps are much less likely to degrade the sound quality. If you want to save money on your system, save it on the electronics. I guess that advice still holds today.

In my limited experience, I've noticed major differences in sound quality among different speakers, but I've never noticed as great a difference among phono pick up cartridges. Yes, I admit, most people chose a less expensive Shure cartridge that dealers bundled with turntables, and never changed it. I certainly did that. I kept it for many years until a certain teen-aged son destroyed it out of carelessness. I replaced it with an inexpensive Sumiko Oyster, which I still have today. It didn't make a noticeable difference. Over time, I've heard turntables with various Grado, Stanton, Shure, Pickering, and probably a few other pick ups, but I've never noticed that they made nearly as much difference as different speakers.