That's something I'm sensitive to, grainy or harsh highs. I got rid of an Emotiva amp that got harsh at higher volumes and it drove me nuts because back then I was under the impression that all amps sounded the same. I also had an Onkyo receiver that impressed me until I realized it sounded different than my main system. Grain, I'd never heard it before and suddenly I realized that these audiophiles speaking of grain and such were on to something.
That's how I got turned onto Parasound. Not harsh, just smooth full sound. These days, for a preamp I've got the Parasound Halo P5 for the Adcom amp. Not harsh in this set up. But I've also noticed that the amp responds to different cables. If I put in silver wire IC's and silver plated copper speaker cables, at least with my speakers it can get bright with some recordings. With Morrow MA 3 and 5, and copper based speaker cables, there is no brightness.
I don't believe my old Parasound amp was as responsive to different cables, it's another way to fine tune the system. I've heard tube components do have a different sound, but tubes are higher maintenance and such, not my cup of tea.
That's how I got turned onto Parasound. Not harsh, just smooth full sound. These days, for a preamp I've got the Parasound Halo P5 for the Adcom amp. Not harsh in this set up. But I've also noticed that the amp responds to different cables. If I put in silver wire IC's and silver plated copper speaker cables, at least with my speakers it can get bright with some recordings. With Morrow MA 3 and 5, and copper based speaker cables, there is no brightness.
I don't believe my old Parasound amp was as responsive to different cables, it's another way to fine tune the system. I've heard tube components do have a different sound, but tubes are higher maintenance and such, not my cup of tea.