DIY system improvements.

J

johnandchris

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Hi folks. I am new to this forum and so i thought i would start by introducing myself and my kit. My name is John, and i live in the wiltshire area. My current setup is a linn sondek (valhalla) with basic lvx arm and k18 cartridge put through a nad pp2 phono stage. My cd player is a Marantz cd5400 with the power cord removed, a 3 pin socket put in, and my home made power cord (screened). My amp is a rotel ra-971 mk 2 integrated. I am just about to take delivery of an arcam delta 80 tuner (vintage but the best). My speakers are standmount TDL Nucleus 2. I use my own design and make solid silver speaker cable and my own design and make litz solid silver phonos.

I recently started messing around and bought a couple of power amps, tried wiring them in with my integrated, and developed a problem. Having now removed them the problem seems to have stayed.
The issue is around the sound output, in particular a muddy/fuzzy midrange. Could i have blown something in the speakers or amp. I have had the amp open and all looks well. It has exactly the same problem with every source.

I am looking to do some mods to any of my equipment (i like to tinker) and i am pretty useful with a soldering iron. Can anyone suggest worthwhile mods to:-

CD Player (op amps, capacitors and descriptions)
Amp (same type of upgrades).

Also when i bought the NAD PP2, i had a bit of a problem with the switch between mc and mm. is it worth bypassing the switch and hardwiring in (i can always re-hardwire if i change cartridge).
I am also thinking of changing my speakers (as there is a strong possibility that they are the culprits) for a new set of whafedale diamond 8.3 plus follrstanders. Worthwhile???

I know that it is a lot to ask from everyone, but i am a novice to modding and any help would be gratefully recieved.
 
have you or any friends got any other amps/speakers you can try to see if you can isolate the problem?
 
John, do you mean that you hard-wired the amps to the integrated, or were you referring to connecting the amps to existing input jacks designed for that purpose on the integrated ?
 
Hi. I wired them in via the phonos on the back of both amps (properly i believe). I just feel that, as i had 2 inputs going to each speaker, i amy have blown something in the crosover. Should know for certain this weekend as i have just bought a new pair of wharfedale pacific evo 20 floorstanders.

John
 
So then, what you are saying, is that in the configuration you described, the integrated operates as a preamp, and the internal amplification function of the integrated is bypassed, with the external amplifiers providing all amplification?

I'm assuming that the phono connectors you used on the integrated is labled as an external amp in/out loop.

Have I described the scenario correctly, or were you using the integrated's own internal amps along with the external amps in a bi-amp configuration?
 
sounds like speakers to me ......

go up close and check to see if each drive unit is working by placing your ear close ....if you find a unit not working or sounding odd you will need to replace both drivers in the speakers.

if you find that the drivers are ok we need a little nore detail as to how you hooked up the extra amps ....

did the integrated feed the power amps via an rca phono to rca phono or did you connect up differently .....does the integrated have a switch on the back to convert it into a pre amp ?

are you bi wiring ?

what else did you swap round .....is the system set up the same as before you started?
 

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