2. amps-preamps
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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 3 responses by sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
My guess is the Bryston is tuned for high resolution digital playback with that bent towards home theater applications.

The Harmon Kardon was built to play analog music..

The same thing is happening to speakers....older ones sometimes sound better for music in a lot of systems.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
If you go to live concerts...jazz club, symphony hall, theater stage, yada yada; the concert venue itself has a sound. The more famous venues tend to sound great.

A neutral amp is fine if that is what you want; to me it is like being in a neutral concert venue. Might as well wear headphones. My system give me the "coloration" that creates that live concert feeling.

To each his own. Many audiophiles do want to listen to perfect sound. I am not an audiophile in that sense. I am a music lover with a nice system.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I am with you Drum75...

I don't have a "reference system" to compare components with.
I compare against live music, which I am exposed at least weekly, sometimes daily. It is amazing sometimes how my conclusions differ from the audiophile crowd in general.

When they make audiophile recordings, a lot of time they put a microphone on every instrument. Conversely, when "music" is recorded, there are just a few strategically placed microphones in the hall/venue in front of the performers. Same is true in the studio.
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