Evaluate my System, Please

[MassWineGuy]

Bel Canto eVo3i Class D integrated amp

Quad 12L speakers, bi-wired, on no special brand of stands.

An older 4-outlet PS Audio power conditioner

Audio Engine B1 Bluetooth converter

Virtue Audio Piano M1 CD player (needs some repair)

I’ve had the same 2-channel setup for quite a few years and have been pretty much pleased with it, but think I may be able to do better in some ways.

The CD player’s drawer sometimes doesn’t open or won’t close. It runs on the TDA 1543 chip, which is now outdated by a few light years. But still, it sounds pretty great. I recently in error bought a used Audiolab 6000 transport and am considering whether to buy a DAC or sell it for a regular CD player. I’m also open to upgrading the Quad speakers.

My budget is modest, definitely <$1,000 range, if that. I’m considering the Geshelli JNOG2 DAC and some others of similar size and price.

I’m open to suggestions and welcome all comments.

 

[DVDdoug]

This is going to be a boring answer...

Most electronics are better than human hearing, except sometimes analog electronics have some audible noise. (All active analog electronics generate SOME noise and whether it's audible or not depends on several factors.)

I couldn't find any information about your amplifier but as long as it goes loud enough with your speakers and you are not hearing background noise (hum hiss or whine) from your speakers, it's probably fine.

Speakers (and headphones) ALWAYS make a difference (better or worse). I don't know anything about your speakers but they seem a bit "small". Size isn't everything but physics do play a role. If you want to go louder or if you want "realistic" bass that you can feel in your body, you might want to consider different speakers or adding a subwoofer. (Adding a subwoofer can be tricky if you don't have an audio video receiver or something with a subwoofer output.*)

Tone controls (including EQ and room correction) can also make a BIG difference.

Room acoustics affect the sound too... Your speakers will sound different in a different room. (Room dimensions create standing waves that affect the bass in ways that are difficult to correct.)

Bi-wiring is a gimmick. The electrical connections are the same except the high & low frequency connections are connected together at the amplifier instead of at the speaker.

Bi-amplification is different, but to do that right you should bypass the speaker's internal crossover. And there aren't always meaningful benefits with bi-amping either. A lot of active speakers/monitors are bi-amplified internally and there are potential advantages to that, including the fact that simply having internal electronics (bi-amped or not) makes it easier to build-in analog or DSP EQ for frequency response correction.

A power conditioner doesn't do anything useful unless you have a specific power problem and a specific conditioner that corrects your particular problem. They usually have surge protection and sometimes lightening protection in case you have those problems. All power supplies inside the equipment (or external "wall wart" power supplies) are filtered and the good ones are regulated so the DC doesn't vary when the AC varies. (AC doesn't usually vary that much... If it does your lights will get dimmer and brighter so you'll know if you have a problem.)

Any CD player should also be better than human hearing. These days, a stand-alone CD player is usually going to cost more than a Blu-Ray player that can also play DVDs and CDs. But most Blu-Ray players don't have an analog output (mine is plugged into my AVR) and most don't have a track-number display unless you have a TV connected.

The the Geshelli is reviewed here. Amir gave it a "not recommended" rating. It doesn't seem like there was anything particularly "wrong" with it but I guess there was nothing special about it to justify it's price.

Beware of the "audiophile nonsense" that dominates the Internet and audio publications. This is one of the few rational-scientific resources.
Audiophoolery discusses the actual characteristics of "sound quality". It can help you to ignore most of the meaningless-flowery "audiophile terminology" that you might read.



* Subwoofers are normally active/powered. AVRs have a line-level subwoofer output with (amplified) speaker outputs for the other speakers. They also have optional "bass management" to re-route all of the bass to the subwoofer. Or if you have full-range speakers you can configure the AVR so the sub will only be used for the "point one" LFE channel in movies and the regular bass goes to the regular speakers as usual.

 

[MassWineGuy]

Thanks so much. Very grateful for your detailed reply. Bi-wiring is definitely something I wouldn’t mind giving up.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Thanks so much. Very grateful for your detailed reply. Bi-wiring is definitely something I wouldn’t mind giving up.

I second the recommendations of DVDDoug and especially the recommendation of the application of room correction to a listening space.

WiiM makes many products that can apply room correction to your listening space.

Consider taking a look at their gear to see if one can be inserted into your signal chain to apply room correction to your sources.

 

[gasolin75]

I can only find a Bel Canto eVo2i when i google a Bel Canto eVo3i

 

[kemmler3D]

have been pretty much pleased with it, but think I may be able to do better in some ways.

... still, it sounds pretty great.

These are the most important statements about your system in your post... If it ain't broke...

. I’m also open to upgrading the Quad speakers.

My budget is modest, definitely <$1,000 range, if that.

That whole budget should go to speakers if anything.

I’m considering the Geshelli JNOG2 DAC and some othe

Nah, won't make any difference to sound, especially compared to getting new speakers.

There are upgrade possibilities that will make a noticeable improvement for $1k, especially if you are willing to look for secondhand gear.

 

[gasolin75]

Topping DX5II Balanced DAC and Headphone Amp Review

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the Topping DX5 II Smart DAC and balanced headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $299. The DX5II is beautiful to look at especially due to its very high contrast and bright display. Love the extra buttons...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Or ifi audio

 

[MassWineGuy]

Definitely used gear.
Which ifi Audio gear?

 

[Apesbrain]

on no special brand of stands

Though a "special" brand is not necessary, it is recommended that stands are solidly constructed and firmly rooted to the floor so that the speaker is not able to wobble front-to-back. If on carpet, spikes can be used for this. If on wood floor, protective disks can be placed under the spikes. A small amount of Blu Tack between the speaker and the stand can also be beneficial.

The idea is to place the speaker solidly in space such that it is constrained from reacting opposite to the movement of the speaker cones. As you might imagine, any such movement potentially robs the music of impact and accuracy.

 

[Hear Here]

Thanks so much. Very grateful for your detailed reply. Bi-wiring is definitely something I wouldn’t mind giving up.

Yes, and generally try to ditch as many interconnect cables too. This means all-in-one boxes where cables are not needed. As suggested earlier, spend money on improving speakers before looking at better electronics.

If you can rip your CDs, I suggest you ditch the faulty CD player. Good luck.

 

[MassWineGuy]

I’m confused, which isn’t uncommon. Linking a transport by coax to a DAC, and from there to the amp by RCA can be worse than connecting a traditional CD player (all in one box) and amp with two RCA cables?

I’m not to the point of ripping CDs just yet.