Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Darren (A) on March 07, 2002 at 12:58:42

I been pretty happy with my system for a couple years now but recently I've been curious about how much I could improve my overall sound. Right now it looks like this:

Receiver: Denon AVR-1601
Speakers: Paradigm Mini Monitors(mains), Paradigm PDR-10(sub)
CD player: Sony CDP-CE335
Cable: Audioquest Type 4

The Problems: At low volumes I think everything sounds good, but in turning up the volume everthing seems to fall apart. The bass becomes boomy and somewhat uncontrolled and the treble can be harsh and unforgiving. I think the midrange is the strong point at any volume. Overall I just want a more musical experience that sounds warmer and more involving.

The Solutions: The CD player is an obvious weak link and is as good as gone. I have my eye on the Rotel RCD-961 or maybe the 971 if the price is reasonable. I want to keep it around $500 for the new CDP.

The receiver and speakers are where I'm less sure about what to do. I'd like to upgrade one or the other but there are so many options. I do use the DD and DTS decoding to watch DVD's sometimes so I don't want to lose that. My receiver doesn't have preouts either, so adding a stereo amp isn't an option in my current steup. I've always liked the Mini Monitors but also am willing to look at some other options. I probably want to stick with bookshelf speakers though.

As far as a budget goes I have about $500 to spend on the CDP and $6-700(could increase if necessary) to take care of the amp or speaker upgrade. Any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!