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Looking for integrated w/ good dynamics kick

A little background first...

A few years ago I picked up an Anthem Integrated 2 (bipolar amplification w/ tubed 6922 preamp stage) and until it gave out (transformer went bad) and had to be replaced I never realized how amazingly dynamic the unit was. Excellent punch in the bass region.

So this past year I went ahead and replaced it with a Simaudio Moon I-5 which was a nice amp. After a while though I decided that I wanted something with at least a tubed preamp stage to 'smooth' things out. The I-5 reminded me of the sterility of having an all solid state setup though the bass was decent.

The I-5 was sold and my current amp is a Valve Audio Predator which is supposedly rated at 200wpc, but it seems a little light on the bass. Admittedly the Predator bests the I-5 in detail and absolutely smokes the Anthem Integrated 2 in that regard as well. It is extremely smooth sounding but the dynamics in the low end have not been satisfying.

It would be nice to stick with an integrated but at this performance and price point (~$1800) there aren't many options, let alone hybrids. What would be a nice combination or integrated that offers the smoothness and detail of the Predator w/ the dynamics that the Anthem offered?

Speakers are Audio Physic Tempo IV's and DAC is an MHDT Paradisea+. The source is an Echo Gina24 via coax spdif out playing back FLAC from a PC.
jeenam
jeenam OP
131 posts
 
Cft: How do you like the Predator? I think it's an amazing value and honestly have no desire to move to another unit except for the bass issue. Another member here sold it off for ~$1800 recently so it was a no brainer. That's around $400 more than the typical price of a Simaudio Moon I-5 and to my ears the extra $500 is worth every penny.

Also, admittedly Audio Physic speakers aren't known to be on the heavy side in regards to bass and the spdif output of the Echo Gina24 could be affecting the sound in a major way. The MHDT Paradisea+ is a non-oversampling DAC so source jitter has a huge effect since the signal is not re-clocked.
bjesien
1,308 posts
 
Sorry in advance:

Sim and RW had me listening least
VAC and MAC unleashed the beast.
Plinius was good bet never stood
the same ground to Mastersound.

Listen to many because you will find
most sound like
my behind.

cft
19 posts
 
Hallo Jeenam
I just love the Predator. Unfortunately I moved it to my no.2 system in my study - stunning detail & balance with the Vandy's though.
When I have the $$ I will be buying the Black Widow power amps.
Regards
jeenam OP
131 posts
 
This follow up is a long time coming. The Amperex tubes were removed and replaced with the stock Electro Harmonix which firmed things up a bit. Also, my external sound card was outputting in +4 mode which turns out didn't mix well with the inputs on the Predator. After testing a few things, the output gain on the sound card channels was turned down to -10 (consumer level) with a further 20db reduction in signal level through the Echo Audio mixer interface. From there I just leave the volume knob on the Predator around 10 o'clock and it sings.

Schalk also confirmed the above would lead to better dynamics as he mentioned the inputs were designed with the input signal of a cd player/dac in mind.

The truth is this thing has a ton of power. Unfortunately in my small apartment I may never have the opportunity to see what it can really do if given enough room to play at louder levels.
jeenam OP
131 posts
 
Again, another follow-up on this amp with a few more comments.

I have now moved to a new space and it has made a HUGE difference in the sound. My previous listening room was around 12x19 w/ hardwood floors and one of the walls consisted of glass doors and a window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Long story short, the room made everything too bright sounding. The comments regarding the amp lacking dynamics/kick/punchy bass were shortsighted and not a fault of the Predator. The problem was the bright room all the gear was hooked up in. Carpeted flooring and not having an all glass wall (with no curtains covering the glass btw) has resulted in a very satisfied customer. If you're looking at picking up one of these on the used market do not hesitate. There's one floating around on the forums for sale now and at the asking price it will easily surpass the sound qualities of a Simaudio Moon I-5 integrated - there really is no comparison.
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