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Full-sounding SS amps (besides Pass)
Speaker interactions aside, what solid state amp brands/designers tend to have a fuller sound these days? Not necessarily warm or tubey per se, but fleshed out in the upper bass and harmonically complete in the midrange, as opposed to lean. E.g. an Australian ME Sound amp I have from a while back has this quality, without sounding overtly warm.
Obvious candidates: Pass, Luxman. What else?
Cost no object, feel free to throw out one-liners. Think of it as a poll. (Please don't answer tubes though, thanks. :D )
Obvious candidates: Pass, Luxman. What else?
Cost no object, feel free to throw out one-liners. Think of it as a poll. (Please don't answer tubes though, thanks. :D )
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You forget one important part and that is stage depth and width. I will not say anything about a brand of the thread. But I tested many of these amps (people wrote above) on properties. Most amps of which people think that it is highend is on facts hifi stereo. Most amps are 2-dimensional( this also counts of the ones named above). You are never allowed ot use the word highend when the stage is 2-dimensional. Based on the fact that 2D is a hifi stereo parameter. And second based on the fact that humans can perceive sound in a 3-dimensional perspective. Many of the brands who are names are also very limited in diversity in sound. Many of these amps own a sound instead of diversity in sound. They often own what people discribe as a pleasant sound. But you need the layers in sound to experience the emotion of the music. When you use an amp like Pass Labs you can easily hear the differences of the harmonics of instruments and voices. I give you an example: When I speak with people at an audio show they often say: all sets had almost no emotion. Or it did not do anything to my emotion. This is based on the fact that most sets lack diversity and 2nd they are often 2-dimensional. When an audio system can build a huge 3D stage, the level of intimacy becomes larger. This is a property of sound and has a big influence on our emotion. I would not want to own another brand than Pass Labs. The XS300 is above on my list, and the rest I even don’t F.care. Pass Labs is great but...it even lacks one important part of sound and that is a realistic individual focus. Based on the fact that both voices and instruments are very small and direct and have a lot of space around them. You need a pre amp, source and even cables to fill in this missing part. Beside this part in my world Pass owns the best DNA. This is what is most important. You can listen for hours to amps who own a sound and you are asking yourself where the F. is the emotion of the music. The layers are not there, but you need the diversity the most in the middle frequencies to experience the emotion. |
@taww -- +1 for Belles amps. Quite a few Pass amps I've heard err on the side of a slightly dull or boring sound (though they're obviously highly resolved, refined and perhaps too smooth), whereas I feel Belles (i.e.: the SA-30 and SA-100) are more naturally lively/alive and dynamic sounding, yet extremely cohesive and musical; I even dare say they're authentic in their sonic nature. |
I"m a tube guy but recently had a Digital Amplifier Company (DAC) Stereo Maraschino (STM) integrated on demo. It gave my 300b a run for its money on Charney Audio 100db horns. I have had Pass, ATC, and Coda in the past and this little amp sung like a champ. Digital has come a long way and Tommy at DAC has a very special product. Never once did I experience any of the bad anomalies associated with digital amps. The sound was detailed yet tuneful with deep extended bass and sweet accurate highs. My dac is DAC's HS version and the two paired together very nicely. I'm hoping to purchase a pair of DAC mono's in the near future and very possibly move away from tubes for good. Heck you can save a lot of money and electricity with DAC amps, and not feel like your in a Class A sauna! http://www.cherryamp.com/ |
Not modern, it don’t forget about the SIT amps from Yamaha and Sony from the 70s and 80s. They go for about $800 or so. And remember, Nelson pass ordered a shipment of the V-FETs (SIT- Static Induction Transistor) to make his limited run of SIT monoblocks. Limited, b/c the transistors are expensive and special order. |
I had a stock McCormack DNA .05 Deluxe it was my favorite of all time, including tube amps. I recently got a TOTL upgrade to the same amp (Platinum) and can attest to it be much better than the stock amp, a purely stunning amp. There are always .05's around for ~$700. I'd give the nod to Belles amps as well. That is as far up the food chain as I have ventured. |