Class D amp with Tube Preamp Combo?

I have a Supratek Chenin tube preamp usually paired with a Bryston 4BSST driving a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C1 in a 5x4 m room. I just picked up a pair of used but fairly new Bel Canto Ref 1000 monoblocks 2 days ago and was all excited about trialling my first class D amp after reading all the rave reviews, especially 6moons.

Well after 3 days, i'm disappointed and perplexed. Adding the BC Ref 1000 has sucked the life and excitement out of my system. The high sounds rolled off to me,lacking air and i struggle to hear the attack/leading edge of piano strokes during Solo piano recording. Soundstage depth is so so and everything sounds a bit homogenised.

My personal taste is for a bit of warmth and bloom in mid range as a neutral system will grate my ears after a short while. I'm aware of the tubey warmth some reviewer has elluded in the reviews but this is too much. So far it's no high end bargain.

I don't know how many hours they had before i got them and wonder if burning in will help. I left them powered on as suggested but the sound is still lacklustre so far. Gr.....

I'm not after more mid range warmth/bloom from the new Bel Canto as the existing setup (not from the Bryston 4BSST) has a bit of that compared to other systems i've heard. I was hoping for more resolution and more dynamic sound from the new pairing.

In terms of impedance matching, i think the Supratek Chenin has about 600 ohm output impedance and the balance inputs on the Bel Canto are 20 ohm. Surprisingly, i have to dial up a bit more volume control to make the sound come alive when compared to the 300W/500W 8/4ohm Bryston.

I've asked the seller for their background and he stated they have about 150~ 200 hours playing time so i will give them more time to burn in and report back later if there's joy to be had.

After my earlier concern expressed in the earlier post on 26/7/08 , I continue to log long hours with Supratek Chenin tube pre + Bel Canto Ref 1000 combintion. After 2 weeks,the ICE power amp sound has changed quite a lot.
I was initially told they've about 200 hours on them but the seller later said they would be lucky to have 50 hours playing time before i got them. Hmmm..
I later emailed Mick Maloney and he clarified that Chenin output impedance is actully 200 ohm , not 600 ohm i stated earlier and with the 20 kohm balance input impedance of the BC Ref 1000 matching should not be an issue.

As for the sound, the veiled, congested and rolled off sound i heard a few weeks ago has definitely disappeared. The top end has more sparkle and instrument separation is better now. These changes are not that subtle to my ears. I could hear some graininess in the HF region from a few recordings again and i certainly hope this won't get more pronouced as i can't stand sibilant sound. It's not all rosy though as another impression i get is the bass is just a bit plodding and PRAT could be better relative to my old amp. Over the two and half week period, i did put my Bryston 4BSST back in 3 times just to compare and confirm my impression.

I think burn in is definitely real with these ICE power amplifier.I was all ready to sell them 2 weeks ago but now i think they could be long term keeper. May be..

Following on from my earlier posts on 26/7/08 and 8/9/08, i have now had my Bel Canto Ref 1000 (mk1) in my system for a few months and i'm now really liking the combination with my Supratek Chenin tube preamplifier. Ask me back in July when i first got them, i would say it was a mistake but not now. Earlier concern about soundstage depth is no longer and i found the combo very musical and condusive to prolonged listening. They may not be in the top echelon with top end resolution but enough to allow me to enjoy the benefits brought about by my new TW Acustic Raven 1.

I'm sure the new and more expensive Bel Canto Mk 2 will sound better with the improved input stage but i'm in no hurry to find out at the moment.