2. amps-preamps
  3. 1188347634

Please tell me.

OK, so I recently got my OLD Harmon Kardon back. It's a PM 655 VXI (20 years old). I currently own a Bryston 4b SST... brand new (a 300/W monster). Why does the HK sound better??? It is SO warm and the bass is sweeter. Reminds me of the Krell KSA 150 I use to own. I can't believe HOW good it sounds on my dyns. WHY????? Is this really as good as it sounds to me????? I'm having a hard time justifying that I spent $2400 on my Bryston when I like the way my OLD HK sounds better. I realize the Bryston is "accurate" and less "colored" but it does not have the sweet warm sound that the HK does... tube like. I'm freaking out on the sound of this unit. Does anyone know anything about it? Please advise.

drum75
drum75

Showing 1 response by gregm

gregm
3,414 posts
 
Drum
...why try to "accurately" reproduce it? I don't consider instruments coming out of ANY stereo accurate
Yes, well... you are referring to two distinct audiophile approaches:
1) "accurately" reproduce what's on the medium /the recording; this means the result may be good or consistently horrible depending upon the information the medium contains.

2) reproduce a musical result (tonality, balance, musical coherency) that is satisfactory. This means that we depart from totally accurate reproduction of what is on the medium in favour of our own "sonic taste".

I think "audiophile-ism" starts with the second, progresses to the first, and ultimately attempts to incorporate the second.
Seriously "good sound" is an extremely complicated matter and, at the end of the day, you may be reproducing many individual instruments reasonably well -- but not when playing together...
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