2. amps-preamps
  3. 193894-19946

Balancing "compelling sound" and euphonic sound

Has anyone else found the need to balance compelling aspects of sonics with forgiving/euphonic sound?

My examples here are headphone amps (but the points generalize to speaker amps).

I had a friend in the New Jersey Audiophile Society build me a custom 12AU7/FET headphone amp. I was amazed by its dynamics (micro and macro), it's musical detail and PRaT, expressive power. Very attention-grabbing sound.

I sold one of my other headphone amps at the time. Another one I had broke, so I ended up using this amp ever since then, about 8 years now. 

I massively improved my digital front end last year and although I found a much more dynamic and detailed sound, I had a lot of problems with overactive transients and this problem I have with certain sounds activating my tinnitus. I spent a lot of money trying to get something that had all the good qualities and none of the aggravating qualities.

Long story short, I tried a McIntosh headphone amp recently and all the "aggravating" factors disappeared. They were all in my 12AU7/FET amp! I didn't even realize that, and I could have solved my digital issues (which turned out not to be the digital) a lot quicker and cheaper if I had. 

At this point I realized I hadn't really ENJOYED my headphone system for a long time, and the McIntosh amp is more enjoyable. 

No it's not as dynamic or detailed or exciting, but it's the better option. And I used the word "euphonic" in the title, and it does seem that the Mac flatters certain low-quality recordings (such as YouTube classical music). 

I got tricked all those years ago because the 12AU7/FET amp was so engrossing. 

It seems that certain "attention-grabbing" qualifies of sound can also become fatiguing so they must be balanced with "pleasant" sound.

magon

Showing 2 responses by hilde45

hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,231 posts
 

I’m not sure what you mean by "overactive transients."

I understand the general issue you’re talking about, though. 

I do believe the euphonic qualities are not necessarily opposed to resolution and crisp dynamics. Dynamics are a function of the amp controlling the speakers, and euphonics and resolution have to do with the tonality, if I have that right. Some have found other tweeters to help bring both to the table.

I have speakers with a dome tweeter (Fritz, a bit more forgiving) but also a ribbon (Ascend) and AMT tweeter (DIY). When I use my tube or Pass XA25 amp with my DIY speakers (very sensitive) I get the euphonics and the resolution and the dynamics. Other speaker-amp combos change the dynamic PRAT a bit, but the happy tonal mix remains.

When I bring in a friends very powerful Class D amp, I get all the PRAT and dynamics I could hope for, but the brightness now takes over and I need to give the amp back to him. I am currently experimenting with the Benchmark AHB2 to see if it provides a happy middle ground. So far, I'm not sure. I'm missing the euphonics, that intimate midrange that makes me forget I'm listening to gear at all.

hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,231 posts
 

@magon 

Thanks. When you say transient attacks were a bit too powerful I assume they were too loud for the musical context, including the piano passages. That helps a lot and I found that happening with a Class D amp I was testing out.

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