From one experiment to the next...
The best of tubes and solid state without the heat. http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0420/Digital_Amplifier_Company_2CHerry_Amplifier_Rev... |
Ok, so here's where things are... I'm about six days into a Schiit Aegir. It's a great amp, without question. But, oddly enough, it's sound signature is almost identical to my Nuforce STA200. It might have a hair more bass; frankly, my wife and I have not been able to pinpoint any clear differences... The Aegir runs MUCH hotter than the Nuforce, owing to its class A bias. I think I may have been overly sensitive to the Nuforce heating up when playing loud. I'm also realizing that I prefer to listen with peaks absolutely no higher than about 85db, because otherwise my ears start to feel like they are filling with cotton. So, I can certainly live with the Nuforce; there's no need to drop $900 for what seems to be the exact same sound, running hotter. Nevertheless, I don't think I'm getting nearly what I can from my speakers, my three-month-old Moabs. So... I'm looking seriously at Decware, at the Zen Torii Jr. Anyone here have experience with that amplifier? Also, I'm think about the Carver Crimson 275. I don't know a thing about the Carver amp, except praise from a few people. Apparently, it runs cool, which is attractive, but not the last word. It also has 75 watts per channel. However, I hear the Zen Torii sounds more like a 100 watt amp... I like the spirit of the Decware equipment, beautiful art pieces with lifetime warranty. I really have the intuition that the Decware could be the answer to completing my system... Interestingly, they offer and seem to recommend making it run without a pre-amp, although you could add one, if needed, perhaps for some extra volume... Any thoughts on these options, or others I should be taking seriously? Raven audio is taking advance orders, but I'm not really as excited about that route as what I'm seeing in the Zen Torii... |
