Effectively controlling channel separation and thus a soundstage for example
Puzzling results with ATC SCM50ASLT loudspeakers vs. previous system
- Thread starter Matthew J
- Start date
Effectively controlling channel separation and thus a soundstage for example
darrenyeats
pfm Member
370 ohms via balanced according to ASR.
JezmondTutu
pfm Member
I don’t have a preamp and my system sounds great but then I expect my DAC is also much better as is the way it implements vol control. It’s an overpriced European model though.
I think there is an obvious miss match between a £900 DAC & a £15k pair of high end speakers. I can’t really understand why the OP would make such a leap without careful auditioning.
Anyway, I would probably look at trying a pre- amp with a properly balanced connection. An ATC pre would be an obvious match, isn’t there one for sale on here?
Of course you may just not like the speakers, as an ATC lover myself I find this hard to believe but tastes massively differ.
Anyway, I would probably look at trying a pre- amp with a properly balanced connection. An ATC pre would be an obvious match, isn’t there one for sale on here?
Of course you may just not like the speakers, as an ATC lover myself I find this hard to believe but tastes massively differ.
That is their reputation but not my experience. They have scale, dynamics, tuneful bass and a fast pace. Plenty of toe tapping going on.
alanbeeb
pfm Member
Just how does a preamp control channel separation when the source outputs separate left and right channels already? It can't separate them any further.
Eoin
pfm Member
Can I just say I very much doubt a modern thousand pound DAC is causing a problem here. It’s going to be 9/10ths of perfect.
There’s something else going on.
Also, adding an expensive pre amp is not going to improve on the DAC output.
It’s probably the room or the speaker placement.
There’s something else going on.
Also, adding an expensive pre amp is not going to improve on the DAC output.
It’s probably the room or the speaker placement.
TheFlash
Reiki Audio
I’ve heard some great systems which go straight from DAC to active ATCs. The point I was trying to make is that our enquirer has changed his speakers-and-amps (unavoidable if going active) which is a big enough change in itself, and at the same time omitted a pre…. So it’s really hard to work out what might be the weak point in the chain. Reinstalling the pre, even temporarily, might have helped to narrow down the cause of the issue.
cooky1257
pfm Member
I left out 'forgiving'.Owned a pair donkeys ago and liked them but wouldn't call them analytical. We are all guessing.
You’re manipulating the signal in the amp stage anyway, it’s not the same as from the dac output
Why to judge sound quality then?
What on earth does that mean? These are hifi nonsense terms. Have you ever sat within ten metres of a Steinway, or a string quartet, or an orchestra, or a rock band, or a jazz group and heard “air” or “sound staging”?. Real music, real musicians, sound solid, real, enormous, they make your soul shake, they arouse you, they make you feel more. You don’t buy ATCs for “air”, you buy them for musical credibility, for a visceral connectedness to the music that transports you. If you don’t feel that, sell them, they are wasted on you. Buy some stupid hifi rubbish, spend lots of money on cables, and listen to “air”.
Fair question but the buzzing was low level enough that any dramatic change in sound quality would have been heard.
The Qutest has a SMPS wall wart while the other two have their own internal power supplies.Btw, what is a power supply of a source? I hope it’s not a standard out of the box smps?
I'll re-install the pre-amp tomorrow and have another listen. I'll see if I can get a different set of unbalanced RCA to balanced XLR cables to use.
No I meant the source not dac, it’s Primare?