Upgrading pointless for THIS kind of music ?

[mathman]

Hi to you all!
I am a long time lurker and just decided to finally become a member to what I deem the only no-BS audio/HiFi forum around

So my question is this:
I am mostly listening to Metal (98 %) and with that to music that is at least partially poorly recorded and suffering from bad production. This includes artists like Disturbed, Trivium, Rotting_Christ, Amon Amarth, Draconian, Hatebreed, Parkway Drive, Dark Tranquility, Eluveitie, Kalmah, Dimmu Borgir, Soilwork, Rammstein, The Prodigy etc. pp.

Currently my setup looks like this: Spotify -> CCA ->Yamaha RX 397 (stereo receiver) -> StartAir Kit (https://www.lautsprechershop.de/hifi/startairkit.htm ) as book shelve speakers (I build around a decade ago).

Besides the look of my speakers (raw MDF...) my level of satisfaction regarding sound quality is between "not annoying" and "nice!".
The main weak point of my setup is IMO that the CCA is connected to the receiver via AUX to RCA.

A possible upgrade path I was considering is this: CCA via Toslink to Topping E30 and replacing my current speakers with ELACs DBR 62.

So what do you guys think, is it worth to upgrade my system or should I just give my speakers a nice paint job

 

[waynel]

Not pointless at all. Upgrade priority list

1) Speakers - how about Revel F36? JBL Studio 590 or 580? wouldn't recommend ELAC bookshelves for metal.
2) Get an AVR with more power and bass management
3) Add two subs

I wouldn't worry about DACs if I were you.

 

[Vincent Kars]

What about this?
https://gb.teufelaudio.com/power-hifi-105890000

plus a air guitar of course

 

[Chobes11]

First of all, I like your taste in music \m/
I agree with waynel’s priority list. Not sure what budget you are looking to upgrade to but perhaps a nice set of bookshelf and non-ported 10” sub to keep the bass Tight. I would be cautious of getting speakers with a ‘monitor’ quality because they can make poor quality music sound even worse.

 

[mathman]

Thanks for the reply!
I should've added that my listening room is at the same time my office and so space is limited.
It's around 25 m² and pretty much square.
Furthermore at least 50% of the time I listen to music while I'm at my desk, so while floor standers are tempting they probably wouldn't work when I'm pretty much sitting right in between them.
Due to the limited space subs are pretty much out of question to me - I just wouldn't know where to put them.

 

[waynel]

Thanks for the reply!
I should've added that my listening room is at the same time my office and so space is limited.
It's around 25 m² and pretty much square.
Furthermore at least 50% of the time I listen to music while I'm at my desk, so while floor standers are tempting they probably wouldn't work when I'm pretty much sitting right in between them.
Due to the limited space subs are pretty much out of question to me - I just wouldn't know where to put them.

See if you can listen to some metal on a pair of Neumann KH120s. That’s what I use on my desk and they sound great. Decent bass for the size.

 

[mathman]

@Chobes11
Price isn't so much the question, it's more about the constraints my listening environment puts on me.
See below.

 

[maverickronin]

So my question is this:
I am mostly listening to Metal (98 %) and with that to music that is at least partially poorly recorded and suffering from bad production. This includes artists like Disturbed, Trivium, Rotting_Christ, Amon Amarth, Draconian, Hatebreed, Parkway Drive, Dark Tranquility, Eluveitie, Kalmah, Dimmu Borgir, Soilwork, Rammstein, The Prodigy etc. pp.

I'm mostly a metalhead too. Upgrades are totally worth it. People who say good equipment isn't worth it for *insert genre here* usually aren't even fans of the genre.

 

[mathman]

@waynel
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into them.

 

[Jimbob54]

Not pointless at all. Upgrade priority list

1) Speakers - how about Revel F36? JBL Studio 590 or 580? wouldn't recommend ELAC bookshelves for metal.
2) Get an AVR with more power and bass management
3) Add two subs

I wouldn't worry about DACs if I were you.

+1 on this - much as we dont want to believe a $20 plastic puck (analog out) can do the job of a full streamer/ DAC as well as many big expensive boxes, its not the weak(est) link in your chain. If you're happy with your speakers and the receiver provides the juice they need, then you might well be getting about as good as you can from them.

If you change anything, change them then work back based on requirements of new ones

 

[waynel]

@Chobes11
Price isn't so much the question, it's more about the constraints my listening environment puts on me.
See below.

If price isn't an issue try to find space to tuck a KH 750 DSP under your desk to supplement the KH120s

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

Most of these metal bands are nicely recorded, upgrading speakers will definitely make them sound better and more faithful to the original recording.

However, good HiFi gears will not give you the dirty grimmy blasty sound that you might have experienced in a typical livehouse where these bands perform on tour. So ask yourself if you are looking for the livehouse sound.

I personally much prefer metal music on good speakers though. Even highly distorted underground black metal can sound more detailed because a smooth frequency response eliminates dips and ppeak, which would otherwise perceptually mask other tones.

 

[Jimbob54]

Most of these metal bands are nicely recorded, upgrading speakers will definitely make them sound better and more faithful to the original recording.

However, good HiFi gears will not give you the dirty grimmy blasty sound that you might have experienced in a typical livehouse where these bands perform on tour. So ask yourself if you are looking for the livehouse sound.

I personally much prefer metal music on good speakers though. Even highly distorted underground black metal can sound more detailed because a smooth frequency response eliminates dips and ppeak, which would otherwise perceptually mask other tones.

Similar here- not metal but very loud fuzzed up WoS type guitars (Mogwai etc etc). Much as its fund to hear it on lesser kit- so its chaos, possibly more fun hearing on better equipment and realising you can go way louder and still hear whats actually coming our of their amps, not just a massive fuzz.

 

[mathman]

@Jimbob54
Interesting, as a complete layman in audio science, I was under the impression that I should try to supply my speakers first with a proper (less distorted) signal to see what they can do, before I decide to upgrade them.

Okay, so speakers and amp are now on top of my priority list of upgrades

BTW, an AVR would be wasted on me, I neither watch TV nor movies (I don't even own a TV).

 

[mathman]

@Χ Ξ Σ
I absolutely do not want "the dirty grimmy blasty sound"
TBH, I don't like metal concerts at all and I'd rather go to a classical concert than to a metal gig even if my favorite bands would play.
I know I'm strange ... ^^

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

Similar here- not metal but very loud fuzzed up WoS type guitars (Mogwai etc etc). Much as its fund to hear it on lesser kit- so its chaos, possibly more fun hearing on better equipment and realising you can go way louder and still hear whats actually coming our of their amps, not just a massive fuzz.

When listening to guitar distortions on lesser speakers, one could easily mistaken the speakers' distortion for the guitar's distortion.

 

[RayDunzl]

I was under the impression that I should try to supply my speakers first with a proper (less distorted) signal to see what they can do, before I decide to upgrade them.

I would.

Your 50W receiver isn't going to wake up the speakers you have now (opinion).

Borrow a proper power amp if you can, or buy a lesser Crown or whatever is the Teutonic equivalent.

300W or so should do.

 

[Chobes11]

Most of these metal bands are nicely recorded, upgrading speakers will definitely make them sound better and more faithful to the original recording.

However, good HiFi gears will not give you the dirty grimmy blasty sound that you might have experienced in a typical livehouse where these bands perform on tour. So ask yourself if you are looking for the livehouse sound.

I personally much prefer metal music on good speakers though. Even highly distorted underground black metal can sound more detailed because a smooth frequency response eliminates dips and ppeak, which would otherwise perceptually mask other tones.

From my experience it depends on the speaker. I had Monitor Audio Silver 9i’s which sounded amazing for most music but they made metal sound like mush (maybe too revealing?) hahaha So I sold them and currently I use Canton or Martin Logan for it.

 

[Χ Ξ Σ]

@Χ Ξ Σ
I absolutely do not want "the dirty grimmy blasty sound"
TBH, I don't like metal concerts at all and I'd rather go to a classical concert than to a metal gig even if my favorite bands would play.
I know I'm strange ... ^^

Same here. I rather spend $100 dollar on a classic concert than four $25 metal concerts. Metal concerts are essentially disco dance floors for headbangers, you go for the congregational experience, not the music.

 

[Thomas savage]

Same here. I rather spend $100 dollar on a classic concert than four $25 metal concerts. Metal concerts are essentially disco dance floors for headbangers, you go for the congregational experience, not the music.

Well I just stand at the bar , neck shots and beer while nodding my head ..

Best speakers you can afford then worry about everything else is good advice no matter what music you listen to IME.