VMV A2 + ELAC; Debut Reference vs Carina

[montana37]

Greetings! I really enjoy reading all the posts on Audio Science Review as I find this a very unbiased platform that lets science aka the number manage one's baseline expectations over the equipment before the subjective appeals, personal tastes etc precede over.

A quick introduction about myself: I have a set of Denon AVR-X1600H + Jamo S 626 HCS fed by a PC. When I bought this system my main objective was for home theatre so this was a good value to me and I am happy with its performance for home theatre so far. I have recently begun listening to my favourite vocal & jazz on this system (mainly Tidal & lossless flac from the PC as well) and realise it lacks the clarity I'm seeking for, especially from my vocal albums. I did some research on this forum, with a hope of gradually upgrading my system, ie I was hoping I could buy a better DAC + Amplifier and reuse my Jamo S 626 floor standing speaker first, stretch its limit before investing on another set of better floor standing speakers.

The research concluded with integrating my existing 5.1 AVR (with bi-amp) with another stereo amplifier, and switching the systems to the same speaker will be almost an impossible mission (correct me if I'm wrong) and I might be better off starting with another stereo set.

Here comes my beginner's questions:

For my main requirement
1) My couch is around 3.5-4 meters from the front wall. There's about 5-6 meters behind the couch to the back wall. Am I right to say that for such a distance, floor standing speakers will definitely produce better sound over bookshelf speaker? Clarity is my main goal as I'm listening to mostly vocals & jazz. For listening to music using my current setup, AVR volume is usually 50% and 60% is deemed uncomfortably loud.

2) I noted that the DBR-62 scored exceptionally well (here) and is in fact one of the best value speakers reviewed here. My question is, is the Carina series even better?
A set of ELAC Carina Floorstand Speaker (FS247.4) costs slightly more than twice of ELAC Debut Reference Floorstanding Speaker (DFR52). Is it realistic to expect twice the performance in tandem with twice the price tag?

3) My local dealer for ELAC is fond of pairing the speakers to either a Cambridge Audio CXA80, or with a Cambridge Audio DAC + Rega Elex-R, if I prefer to split the DAC from the amplifier. I don't fault my local dealer because they only carry certain brands, and the sales person has not heard of most of the equipment being reviewed here. Not wanting to limit my choices to what the dealer has, for either of the ELAC speakers, would it be a better option with:

a) Integrated setup using only SMSL VMV A2 (here) which I think beats the Cambridge Audio CXA80 hands down, with savings in cost; or

b) Split setup using Topping D90SE (here) and an amplifier -- I read about the Hypex Ncore here but I'm still wondering whether Class D is suitable for me.


For my workstation
I spend the most time at my desk, in front of my laptop computer and it is a punishment to my ears to listen to Tidal from the built-in speakers Hence, I would like to consider a better setup, ie a DAC + bookshelf speaker. My only concern is the front wall is slightly less than 1m from me, and the back wall is slightly more than 1m from me. Thus, I'm not sure if this space is too small for anything. Preference is again vocal & jazz.


Thank you very much for your comments!

 

[Benedium]

Before spending even more, maybe consider room acoustic treatment and optimal speaker placement first? But that could be just me cos I'm poor heheh. Also consider adding a subwoofer and crossover at 80hz. That should help with clarity based on what everyone here says.

 

[montana37]

Thanks for your response

I forgot to add that I also have a Polk PSW10 in my existing system.

I'm not sure how much acoustic treatment will help (in fact more worried that's the money that will be wasted) because one of my favourite is Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up. I'm hoping the chorus can be more engaging and indulging but rather the current system sounds a bit bland, if that is the right way to describe how I feel. In terms of lack of clarity, Ella Fitzgerald's songs highlights this.

 

[Benedium]

I found a lot of sound quality differences every time I move my subwoofer and recalibrate audyssey. You could try that if you have some space flexibility. Sorry if that's not particularly helpful. Hope others can help.

 

[jae]

How much are you willing to spend for your series of upgrades? Are you planning on keeping your 5.1 setup no matter what? Knowing your budget will allow others to help you better.

In general, adding an expensive DAC is probably one of the last things you should ever consider if you are concerned with maximising fidelity. If you are constrained by a budget that is probably the absolute poorest use of it, period. I think your AV receiver could still potentially serve you well, unless you plan to use it on much harder-to-drive speakers, in which case an amp upgrade could be necessary depending on your speaker upgrade path. I would not suggest anything other than Purifi or Hypex if you want a separate power amp, unless you absolutely need to spend less than the $500-1500 for it. If that is in your price range, do yourself a favour and don't even bother considering any other options for a power amp unless you are looking for an integrated DAC+amp, because there is nothing better in that range or even well beyond it.

@Benedium had the right idea in suggesting that you should work on something more significantly impacting on your overall SQ like room treatments. Not everyone wants to turn their home into a studio though, but I would stay the first thing you can do right now is to start using the built in Audyssey calibration in 2ch if you aren't already and see how that sounds to you if you aren't already doing it.

The next thing you can do is pick up a UMIK-1 for $79 to measure/assess your system and learn how to manually EQ/correct with REW on your PC, so you can find where your system is lacking. Since you're using your PC as a source, this is ideal for you and you will always have the option of using the same microphone if you plan on using something like DIRAC in the future. Having the microphone will allow you to optimise your sound at various listening positions and will let you see how swapping between configurations (bookshelves/floorstanders), adding a subwoofer, changing speakers, shifting positions of the speakers, or even how altering or moving around furniture affect your sound.

I would also suggest to not rule out active speakers for your mains either, they greatly simplify everything and you no longer have to worry about dac/amplification and come with their own benefits.

If I had to give you an answer without knowing anything else, I would say measurement mic is essential + 1-2 subwoofers is probably going to be the absolute best option for you to start, as they will give you a sonic benefit and can be used with multiple future systems regardless if you upgrade to bookshelves or floorstanders, and it will also enhance your home threatre experience as well.

 

[Benedium]

My latest 'treatment' to listening position is adding a fluffy bath towel over the headrest of my high back leather sofa. And wow! Midrange is fuller and warmer sounding just like that! Heheh and yes I recalibrate audyssey after every change I make.

 

[montana37]

Thank you so much for all the valuable feedback! Will check out Audyssey recalibration and the measurement mic first

 

[Benedium]

If you are still exploring speaker options, check out this convenient list of speaker measurement scores and review links.
https://pierreaubert.github.io/spinorama/