System Upgrades

[FocalFiend]

Hi everyone. This forum has been really helpful as a lurker so I have decided to ask some questions in hopes of improving my current system.

Upgrade Budget: $2000

Current system:

Focal 807VW Speakers
Peachtree Decco 65
Emotive Mini X A100
AQ Dragonfly
Velodyne VX-11 Subwoofer
MacBook Pro
Spotify

Typical Music:
Indie
Rock
Electronic
Jazz


I will need to upgrade my sub at some point, but my system is in a very small room. As such, the sub never really gets pushed hard and seems to handle what it needs to well, while also blending in fairly well.

The Emotiva and Dragonfly were impulse/hold overs while the D65 is out for repair, but Im not entirely dissatisfied with the combo. Will compare when the D65 returns, but I could see the Dragonfly and Emo ending up in a smaller near field system in when I have more space.

The thing that's been both great and horrible about that combo has been the top end. Sounds vibrant and detailed with good source material (more so then the D65 as I recall), but it's really rough with spotify quality and the typical recording quality found in the mainstream.

I'm considering adding a tube preamp into the system to try and tame some of that harshness. Even the D65's tube buffer is not so great, but its a bit better then the AQ/Emo pair. Not sure if that is the right next step though. I think Im looking for a slightly more laid back and spacious sound, without sacrificng all of the detail and clarity. Willing to part with anything except the 807's at the moment. Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

FF

 

[macddmac]

Hi and welcome to the forum,
Do you have a spotify premium account?
I use the highest settings for bit rate and the only time the music doesn't sound good, it's been due to the source material, not spotify.
As far as the sub goes, how big ( in cubic feet) is your room ?
If it's under 1500 cubic feet, a small sealed sub from Velodyne (mini vee) SVS (SB 1000), or any of the quality ID brands for best bang for the buck.
I have an EMO 10" sub in my 1000 cu.ft. office with my E41B's and I'm very pleased with the output and quality of the sound using spotify-ATV for most of my listening.
Cheers, Mac

 

[FocalFiend]

Thanks for the reply, macddmac.

Room is about 120 square feet. Crazy, I know. So as you can tell, I don't need much power. Speakers are probably a bit oversized for the room as it is. Still, it would be nice to have a higher quality sub. Considered the SB-1000 as well, so maybe that would be a good upgrade.

Still leaves about $1500 to play with if I go that route. Not really looking to add room treatments (which I imagine will get mentioned) right now as its not my place and, due to the crazy shape of the room, there would just be too much to take on.

 

[FocalFiend]

Oh, and yes, I have spotify premium. The difference between well recorded stuff and the lower quality stuff is still rather large. Unfortunately, I like some of the poorly recorded stuff. That's why I've considered getting a tube pre/buffer to take the edge off. I hate the idea of using an EQ because its a bit of a pita to mess with, and it's only available through certain apps on the phone/computer. Had an analog and it was fine, but still required messing around with. I'd prefer to just put something in the chain and leave it be.