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December 1, 2012 - 3:54am
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How can I improve my sound?
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Pay attention to room acoustics and speaker setup.
the volume. The XDA-1 has a lossy digital volume control. This has been eliminated in the new XDA-2. What connection are you using for the PC to the XDA-1?
Loudspeakers might be the best place initially to upgrade.
The room and speaker placement are another consideration.
Add a sub woofer!
I suggest that you consider buying the Vincent SA-31 preamplifier. The XDA-1 is IMO the weak point in your system.
This will give you a major improvement in sound quality IMO.
Audio Advisor sells it for $699.
You have excellent loudspeakers, and there is no need to make a change there!
commysman- $700 is a little too much for me. I am thinking about getting emotiva usp-1 preamp.
jackknife- im using the optical.
is this amp worthing buying? http://www.musicdirect.com/p-59613-jolida-jd1701brc-integrated-hybrid-amplifier.aspx
almost all reviews i've read people switch the tubes. if i open this up and switch the tubes can i still return this to musicdirect before 30days if i dont like it?
12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and a solid state MOSFET power amp section. While it will get you some tube sound, it might be a step backward. Would you use the JD1701 as a preamp feeding the UPA-2? The UPA-2 has more than twice the power of the JD1701.
The USP-1 might be a better choice as it has more flexibility, has a 30 day trial, and is an overachiever. Music Direct does have a 30 day guarantee, so you could send the Jolida back if you don't want it. But I'm sure that would preclude modifying it with tube rolling. They might not know the difference, but they might not want it back if they knew you were opening the case.
(NT)
ariel- no. it's on an Ikea tv stand with a 30" tv between them. The stand is 22" high and 58" long.
jackfish- usp-1 is most likely what im going to go with. I have 2 components already from emotiva, and I know it's silly, but I'm hopefully looking for something more sexy.
It depends on the speaker, but a good rule of thumb is that your tweeters should be at ear-level with your listening position. This will do wonders for your high end articulation and pinpoint imaging. second, make sure your speakers and yourself form and equilateral triangle, and then adjust from there. Use your ears to hear anomolies in the sound and try and adjust the speaker positions to get you the sound you most enjoy. the greatest improvement i ever made to my system (yet), was filling my speaker stands with kitty litter. It removed all sorts of background noise, brought in huge amounts of inner detail, and gave me a much more stable center image. speaker positioning is key to getting the best sound possible.