Belles 150A "HotRod"
McCormack DNA.5 or DNA 1
Sonographe SA250 or SA400
Forte 1A or 4A |
Well, if you want to experiment, I would think a decent used tube amp for the DeCapo's is what I would look for. Not sure what one might find for $1000, but Jolida, Rogue, PrimaLuna, or Decware or something along those lines might fly.
Ot try an external DAC with the Logitech, tube or SS. There are various mhdt DACs worth a try. I use The SS Constantine and tube Paradisea. Tube rolling with an mhdt tube dac opens up a lot of possibilities to experiment with for not much at all. |
+1 on Mofimadness' Forte and McCormack recos. However, if it were me, I'd be tempted to play with some tube sound, those DeCapo's are a pretty easy load. Look for a used pair of Quicksilver Mini-Mite or Mid Mono amps. |
A used Krell Kav 300I is spectacular! |
VTL ST85 can be found for around that price. The VTL should be able to handle rock and jazz on your de capo's. |
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. As a first step, I stopped by a local audio shop yesterday and just casually listened to a couple systems (using my own disc of well-known "test tracks") to get some perspective on what I've got now vs. what else is out there. I came away with the realization that I've built a system with a sound that can probably be characterized as very accurate and detailed, but perhaps just a little bright.
So I'd like to find an amp that will just take the edge off the brightness and add a bit of warmth or presence to the mid-ranges, e.g., vocals and guitars. Not too much...just a little. So maybe I'm looking for a SS with some tube-like characteristics, or a tube amp that still does well with detail. Since I have a powered sub (REL T-1) in my system, I can probably afford to trade off low-end bass performance if need be.
So now that I've chosen a direction, feel free to send some more ideas my way! Thanks again. |
Odyssey Audio Khartago, perhaps? |
Bondmanp - Seconding that recommendation! I got a used Stratos Plus and it has made a HUGE difference, albeit as an upgrade from a Yamaha. Took a huge edge off harsh highs, and I'm hearing so much more than I've ever heard on my speakers before. Definitely smoothed the highs, making them listenable again, added very noticeably to the low end response, and I have an new level of imaging. I don't use my sub in 2 channel anymore.
Again, I was upgrading from a low point, but the difference was so dramatic I have to believe it's worth a listen. Klaus will customize an amp to your needs, the Khartago starts at $800 iirc. |
Agree with Khartago recs. I've got a McCormack 0.5 rev A and not sure that will warm things up unless it's your amp that's adding brightness.
What interconnects and cables are you using? That might be another area to explore. Best of luck. |
Thanks all for the input so far. Here's a bit of an update...I stopped into the local shop where I picked up my speakers (Reference 3A) and he was kind enough to create a setup that mimics most of my system at home: Same speakers, same Bel Canto preamp, and I was able to listen to a couple different amps in this system.
* Bel Canto REF 500 S - Very nice, but sounded pretty similar to my current PS Audio Trio A100. Not what I'm looking for.
* Parasound A21 - This was a step in the right direction. More warmth for sure than my PS Audio, and no harshness in the highs like I've got now. Musical and easy to listen to. But, soundstage was a little compressed and not as much air around the instruments & vocals...the PS Audio bests the A21 on these criteria. Also, the amp is physically huge. Overall though, I did like it.
* Linn Majik 2100 - Out of my price range but probably attainable used. Outstanding detail and soundstaging, great dynamics. Not particularly warm but still more lifelike than my PS Audio for sure. The guy at the shop loves Linn stuff and thinks it's a no-brainer...I liked it a lot but in some way it wasn't quite a slam-dunk. I would give it a shot if I found a good deal on a used one.
So based on some online research, listening sessions, and the ideas you've all put forth, here's a short list I've compiled:
* Parasound A23 or A21
* McIntosh MC7100
* Odyssey Audio Khartago
* Linn Majik 2100
* Conrad Johnson Sonographe or MF-series
* VTL ST85 (still curious about tubes...there's a local dealer where I can probably hear one of these just to check it out)
If anyone has thoughts on the above short list, let me know, and thanks again! |
It was nice of the guy to set up a system "close" to yours, but it still wasn't your source, cables, room, etc. Any decent dealer should let you borrow a piece of equipment or two for a couple days to try at home in your system. I bet you'd be surprised at some of the differences you hear, and I'd give the Bel Canto another shot at home if I'm you.
Also, you didn't mention your interconnects and cables, and they could be contributing significantly to what you're hearing as well. |
@Soix - All good points for sure. The system I heard was only "close" to mine at home, so there are still a lot of differences to be accounted for. I am able to take items home from the local shops to demo, but I'd like to be closer to a decision before I put them (and myself) through the trouble. Also I may end up going with a used amp, in which case I probably won't be able to audition it, but that's just the nature of the beast in that case.
Re: cables - I've got Cardas Quadlink interconnects throughout, just .5m or 1m lengths.
Speaker cables are a newly interesting topic for me...I was using MIT EXP-1 which I had in my system before buying the Reference 3A speakers, so I just kept the cables. Turns out they were a terrible match. My dealer gave me some Kimber 8VS to try out, which he recommended as being great for my speakers...And they were. The Kimber 8VS got rid of maybe 80% of the high-end harshness which was bothering me and also fixed a significant hole in the bass and mid-bass which I never even knew was there. So they made a huge difference for the better and are staying in my system.
With the amp I'm still looking to improve the listenability of the highs and add a little warmth and/or realism to the mids. Hope all this info helps, thanks! |
If you would like to try tubes contact Jim Nicholls from JWN amps. He will build you a custom tube amp in your price range, and all his amps accept all the standard PP power tubes and are autobias, and did I mention they sound great as well. |
Check the Bada Cayin thread someone is using same speakers you have and has me interested because of the amps he had before that were bettered by this amp. And sounds like what you are looking for in sound signature. Best |
