Goldmund vs. Atma-Sphere

I am using Talon Audio Hawks, a Wadia 850 w/ Great Northern Reference upgrade, and MIT cables. Tonight I brought home demo units of the S30 and SR2.3. Initial impressions are that the SR2.3 makes sounds that most closely resemble the real live thing vs. the Pass and the Atma-sphere, however at the expense of a bit of hardness compared to the other 2. The S-30 has a warm midbass that complements the Hawks very well, and has a general ease and is very open from the midrange all the way up. I would still like opionions from informed readers, in case in my excitement, I'm overlooking something. Also, can anyone comment on how similar the sound of the Stellavox is to the SR2.3? My dealer assures me they are very similar, but he may have other motives...

I am a Goldmund dealer,and Pass Labs are very good but if you want transparency and midrange the Goldmuund wins hands down.my 2 cents and many others who own the Stellavoxes.

The first question that comes to mind is: What speakers do you have?

The S-30 doesn't like low impdance loads, so some care is necessary in loudspeaker selection and/or interfacing. I'm using M-60's with Zero autoformers in a demo system, and the Zero's help considerably with what would otherwise be a rather nasty load.

I don't have any experience with Goldmund amps, but do have experience with and a high opinion of the Pass Alephs. The Atma-Sphere S-30 could be considered a tube-amp counterpart of the Aleph 3, offering the same general sort of sonic benefits over conventional tube amps that the Alephs offer over conventional solid state.

Sorry that I couldn't offer a direct comparision between the Goldmund and the Atma-Sphere. Disclaimer - in case it isn't clear, I'm an Atma-Sphere dealer.

Best of luck in your amplifier quest!

Duke