MF A5 CDP - too good for pop CDs?

[vladvlaz]

(Sorry, long)

So in my eternal hunt for audio bliss I went ahead and spent $$$ (which got me into a little trouble with my other half, and I promised to NEVER perform such foolish acts again without more careful consideration) on a musical fidelity A5 cdp, hoping that this would end, at least temporarily, that uncomfortanle feeling that I cannot enjoy my CDs unless I get better sound.

I listen to it thru X-CANv3 and HD-650. After the intial excitement died down I got disappointed:

1. Listening fatigue. This may be due to information overload, standard tubes in the X-CAN being harsh and perhaps the need for x-feed.

2. I got really worried there was something wrong with one of my components when I started hearing crackling on some modern recordings. Listening to the same CD on a completely unrelated system and searching through the forums it turns out this must be a hot mastering issue.

And this brings me to my second point - some pop CDs have become almost unlistenable on the A5 as it is too revealing. However I am also much more distracted by creaking chairs and pianists' breathing on classical recordings.


I have managed to get a little rest from listening and do other things and have begun to enjoy my music again.

My point is that people making dramatic upgrades to their systems should be made aware that (as with many other things) just because they are paying a lot of money they should not automatically expect to be continuously blown away by sound quality.

Quality takes adjusting to it turns out. It also seems to be a good idea to have speakers handy for breaks from headphones.

I am now paranoid when shopping for CDs that whatever I am holding has excessive clipping, and I just put back on the shelf... I had this terrible misconception before that while 1930s recordings can have problems with sound quality anything recorded post 1960s will be fine (technological progress, CD quality). Turns out the human race in its wisdom has decided to take a few steps back.

Makes hi-fi gear seem less worth it if you then have to hunt for well-mastered recordings, which limits listening choice somewhat I'd imagine.

[HiWire]

It's not your player's fault... the truth often hurts

Look for better recordings, and listen at a lower volume. I usually leave my pop music on my portable system. The home system plays jazz, classical, opera, and well-recorded rock.

[chesebert]

MF A5 is probably too harsh sounding, more so when you pair it with Xcan for modern music..you need something warmer sounding, may I suggest Naim, Rega, Ayre, or ARC (if you can afford their stuff).

you should really have 2 systems, one tuned for modern stuff, the other tuned for better mastered stuff.

[vladvlaz]

Thanks for your suggestions guys.

I was thinking of getting some rather cheap speakers for pop listening.

Do you have any idea how the A5 integrated amp would sound in terms of harshness? Ie would it perhaps be better to look for another amp to tone it down?

Also any ideas on how to know if a CD is well-recorded? Apart from looking for stuff made between 1990 and 1995?? How do you find well-recorded CDs?

[wower]

Originally Posted by chesebert

MF A5 is probably too harsh sounding, more so when you pair it with Xcan for modern music..you need something warmer sounding, may I suggest Naim, Rega, Ayre, or ARC (if you can afford their stuff).

you should really have 2 systems, one tuned for modern stuff, the other tuned for better mastered stuff.

Good suggestion. That's kind of what I plan on doing. I still have lots of questions tho, but no money to pull the trigger.

[HiWire]

I disagree on having two systems - lo-fi and hi-fi (even though I have two myself).

A good system, in my opinion, should work with both lo and hi-fi recordings - you might need to make some changes in your current setup. I find both types of recordings work well in my system - its revealing enough, but doesn't make bad recordings sound worse, if you get my drift. The pop recordings simply don't benefit as much from playback on my home system - they usually get slightly deeper bass, smoother highs, and some improvement in soundstage, but the better recordings make a much bigger jump in quality. Detail, transients, imaging, and PRAT are improved at home - the portable system is fine for pop and rock, but doesn't work as well with complex passages from classical orchestras, for example.

The reason I listen to pop on my portable system is because I want to maximize my stationary listening time - I usually don't do anything else when I'm listening to my home system, whereas I usually listen to my portable system on the go or at the office while I'm working. I save classical music, etc. for when I can give it my full attention.

[wower]

But you have to admit hiwire there are lots of subjective reasons to want two systems, no? I mean, I promise if I put togather two top-shelf systems, a dynamic and eletro rig, I won't force you to listen.

[HiWire]

My main objection is to the creation of a lo-fi system. It seems like a waste of money to me.

[thebikingengineer]

If you've got two inputs on your DAC you could always have two transports. You'd have your MF for the good stuff and then something warmer (as previously stated) for those CDs that are too harsh on the top shelf system.

Sometimes more is more.

[Tarkovsky]

Perhaps you should consider different phones. Grado RS-1s are renowned for a wonderful but very much coloured sound...