My electronic mistress...

Here are a couple of pics of my system as it currently stands. The CT-7/M500t I purchased new in 1989 and have recently had rebuilt by Rolland/Rita, respectively. The Thorens TD150 MKII w/TP13A arm, which I picked up locally a year ago, is nearly original and only needed a new belt and cartridge. I started with a Grado Green cartridge, but quickly decided to try a HOMC Denon DL160 (which I picked up NIB for a screaming deal on the 'Bay) which you will have to pry from my dead, cold fingers. The NAD C525BEE CDP is the latest addition and, except for the convenience factor, isn't quite up to the Thorens/Denon combo in terms of playback quality. Still, it's not bad.

The Dahlquists I blame for getting me back into 2-ch after all these years. I picked them up locally with the intention of adding them to the HT system in the family room. However, they really didn't work for that purpose (poor placement options and not enough power), so I drug the old Carver gear out of storage where it'd been for the past 10+ years, dusted it off, and hooked it up "temporarily" on the dining room table.

The rest is history...

Stereo - Feb 2009 003.jpg (64.87 KiB) Viewed 1373 times

2008-06-01 - Dahlquist DQ20.jpg (51.32 KiB) Viewed 1373 times

Nice system. Why did you put it away for 10 years?

I'm glad you brought your Carver gear out of storage, nice set-up with the vinyl, and those speakers look "sweet and juicy like these nutz."! I bet it sounds awesome!

Very nice Dawgme! I have the 521bee CDP which uses the same transport as your 525 but a different DAC and output stage and I found that going to an external CityPulse DAC made a huge difference soundwise. The neat thing about he CityPulse is that you can hook up the CDP's main outputs to its Aux input and the Digital Out to the Digital In and switch between the 2 on the fly for instantaneous comparaisons. Makes the improvement quite dramatic and noticeable to anyone listening. Still not up to the sound of my Thorens TD-104 / ADC XLM Mk-II combo but quite nice overall.

Nice setup

Nice system. Why did you put it away for 10 years?

I got caught up chasing the multi-channel, digital HT "experience" and, besides, the Carver gear was in relatively bad shape. The good news is that I could never bring myself to let go of it (packrat that I am...).

Very nice Dawgme! I have the 521bee CDP which uses the same transport as your 525 but a different DAC and output stage and I found that going to an external CityPulse DAC made a huge difference soundwise. The neat thing about he CityPulse is that you can hook up the CDP's main outputs to its Aux input and the Digital Out to the Digital In and switch between the 2 on the fly for instantaneous comparaisons...

Thanks for the tip, OBI! I don't know, the 525 doesn't sound all that bad, but there's just something about it that I can't quite put my finger on that seems a bit "off". I've thought an external DAC might help, but I've been really busy with a new job so haven't spent much energy on the system of late. Hopefully this will change soon. I will check out the CityPulse DAC when I get the chance, however.

I had the same thing with the 521bee; sounded nice but somehow missing something, especially after I got my Oppo and Nakamichi. I now also have a Carver SD/A-490t Tube CDP which sounds much nicer than either the NAD and Nakamichi MB-3s but different from the Oppo. The Oppo's strengths are the SD/A-490t's weaknesses and vice versa. Moving the NAD and the SD/A-490t to the external DAC improves both of them bringing them too close to call but at the same time loses some of the SD/A/490t's best attributes (that tube output stage is sweet and juicy like these nutz. indeed but the internal DAC fals far short of the standard that the rest of the CDP meets).

The Oppo benefits the most from the external DAC'S output section but not as much from the DAC section iteslf. Valuewise, it is by far the best bang for the buck I own.

The Nakamichi benefits from both the DAC and output sections of the external DAC and before getting the Citypulse I would have gotten rid of it if not for its multidisc changer capabilities.

Ideally, having the external DAC's DAC section and the SD/A-490t's output section with its transport would be the best possible combination for my personal needs, but everyone has a different idea of what they find the best sounding to their ears.

Another highly regarded DAC is the Benchmark that several members on here own which I also auditionned before buying (I also listened to the Chord and a Cambridge Audio at the saem time) and I preferred the sound of the CityPulse overall, but that is my personal choice. The fact that the CityPulse was half the price of the Benchmark and that it offered the capability of using both the regular DCP outputs and the digital outputs at the same time is what really sold me.

If you can borrow a DAC or 2 to try out first or are lucky enough to have a dealer nearby who stocks different models and will let you bring in your NAD to listen to them, that would give you a good idea of what you are in for.

As long as Bob built it...I'll support it!....I bet it's a rockin system!

Nice set up Dawg, I bet you are glad you were smart enough to keep your Carver gear for later use instead of being among those who say "I wish I kept it."
How do you like those DQ20's? During our speaker trials I had a pair of DQ10's and really enjoyed them. They are near the top of the list of speakers which we might still have if not for discovering the speakers we have now.

Rainman

Very nice system!

Thanks for sharing the photographs. Nice setup!

Tom

Nice set up Dawg, I bet you are glad you were smart enough to keep your Carver gear for later use instead of being among those who say "I wish I kept it."
How do you like those DQ20's? During our speaker trials I had a pair of DQ10's and really enjoyed them. They are near the top of the list of speakers which we might still have if not for discovering the speakers we have now.

Rainman

Many times over the years I asked myself why I kept tripping over this old stereo gear. Still, I just couldn't bring myself to let it go. In hindsight I think it must've been the Carver mystique that wouldn't let me say goodbye. Now I'm really glad I kept it and brought it back to life. Certainly, much credit goes to CarverAudio.com for providing me a place to discover that there are others who are passionate about Carver gear, as well as those who can repair it and keep it sounding its best.

Regarding the speakers, I've been a Dahlquist fan since buying my DQM-7c's as part of my first Carver system way back when. I almost went down the Polk path, but fate brought me to Dahlquists and I haven't been able to get away since. The guy I bought my 20's from told me his father had a pair of 10's and he (the father) thought the 20's sounded "a little" better. I suspect that this may be due to the 3-way configuration of the 20's, which may be a bit less (sonically) confusing to listen to than the 5-way 10's, but can't say for certain. They certainly do respond well to more power, especially when it comes to bass response!

As an aside, I recently had a chance to (briefly) audition a ~$30k McIntosh/Linn-Sonndeck/Sumiko Blue Point/Martin Logan system and, after playing the same LP (DSOTM 30th Anniv.) on my system I felt it sounded just as good, though no better. I probably missed a few subtle details, but figured the 15:1 price difference wasn't justified on a purely sound quality basis.

Those DQ20s look beautiful! I have always wanted to compare them to DQ10s which I own and have loved!