https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2548923
"What…No McIntosh…conversation done!"
I would love for you to suggest a time-number (or position) for any McIntosh
amps or preamps, with which you are familiar. That would be most helpful.
Can we create a consensus list of the TONALITY of different amps/preamps/brands?
Greetings to any and all,
I am shopping for a new amp and preamp, but stuck abroad so unable to purchase anything right now. I have thus been reading lots and lots of reviews.
One thing that is very important to many of us is finding the right balance of Tonalities (warm versus cool, musical versus analytical, smooth versus detailed, etcetera).
Somewhere in all that research, I came upon a reviewer who started a comparative list of different brands, trying to get a handle of the general Tonality of various audio brands or individual products. Since then I have been adding to that list, sometimes extrapolating from the adjectives used (e.g. clean, neutral, etched, sweet, etc.).
One thing I should admit right off the bat is that I have personally listened to very few of these products. (I am just the collector of comparative adjectives, just a compiler. In no way do I consider this present list to be definitive or perfectly correct.) Of course, all this is completely subjective.
So I wonder if there is a way we can created a consensus compilation of opinions of the general tonality of various audio products. I am obviously soliciting input and opinions. Please feel free to disagree or suggest changes or refinements. The model I started with was of a clock face: 12:00 midnight being perfectly neutral. Anything after 12:00 is more analytical or clinical; anything before 12:00 is smoother or warmer.
(Thanks for any responses or contributions.)
Here is that list:
Halcro: 1:30 (hyperdetailed solid-state)
Simaudio amplifiers: 1:00 (even more clinical, analytical)
Audio Research Ref10 pre: slightly less cool than Simaudio 850p; maybe 12:30
Esoteric integrated: 12:30 (slightly to the cold, clinical side)
Boulder 1160/1161/2060 amps: 12:00 dead neutral (adding or subtracting nothing, no added tonal saturation, "sterile")
Rotel Michi M8: 11:45 ("kiss of midband lush")
Simaudio pre: 11:45 ("closest sounding amp to the Luxman")
Luxman 900 series: 11:30 (very slightly warmish)
Plinius SA-103: 11:30 ("natural, neutral tonal balance")
Pass X150.5: 11:15
Accuphase: 11:00 (warmer than Luxman)
Pass X250.8: 11:00
Pass x 260.8: 10:45
Pass XA 60.8/200.8: 10:30 (warm or saturated side)
Pass XS Pre: 10:30
VAC i170 tube amp: 9:30 (warmish)
PrimaLuna EVO 400 tube amp: 9:00 (warmer still)
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- 32 posts total
https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2548923 "hoodjem. Pls explain your numerical grading." The numerical grading was based on a partial list started by a professional audio reviewer that I read somewhere along the way. He was the person who first suggested the notion of a clock face using 12:00 as absolute neutral tonality. Since reading that review and list, I have tried to add to it whenever possible. But only if the reviewer makes a specific comparative remark about a brand or component that is already on the list. For example, if the author compares the reviewed unit to a Boulder 2060 amp--on the list at 12:00--and says the reviewed unit is "slightly warmer," then I might extrapolate that the reviewed unit should be at 11:45 or 11:30. |
I have heard both of those amps in the same system. Michi delivers a lot for the money. I think some people who have never heard a Michi amp will "knowingly" relegate Michi to a lower status because it is a Rotel product. I'm always amazed at how much some folks know about a product without any actual experience. I have auditioned Michi against McIntosh and Classe products and much preferred the Michi-obviously a personal preference. The Michi could power a small city, is built like a tank and seems to be well engineered. I find it to be a bit warmer than the Boulder but nowhere near the McIntosh sound. I think its a bargain and a very good performer even if you don't consider price. As much as I like the Michi, I don't think it is quite in the same league as the Boulder, which I think is an elite brand. The Boulder amp is about as close to dead neutral as you will find-it neither adds nor subtracts. Some might call this analytical, not sure I would. Very clean sound and a superb product. If you are looking to add warmth, not for you. If you are looking for neutral Boulder is an excellent choice and its "entry level" range gives you much of what you get from the superb but incredibly expensive higher ranges. Just my thoughts, everyone hears differently. |
- 32 posts total