Transients hurting my ears on hifi solid state amps

I was unable to see any photos you posted of your listening space. I may be off-base but your comments about the transients suggest a room in need of treatment.

Do you toe your speakers in directly to your ears? If so, I suggest reducing the toe-in before you do anything else.  Also consider giving them an upward tilt so you listen closer to the mid-woofer axis than the tweeter.

Luxman 505 Uxii has a smooth detailed sound. Worth looking into.

Croft Integrated Phono. 3 tubes in the phono/preamp section and 45 watt MOSFET output. Sweet and detailed. Add an aftermarket NOS Mullard tube (in the output buffer position #3) to take any edge off. (new unit, Save the wait and $400 used unit)

To me, modern higher end solid state amplifiers tend have too much slam or too sharp transients and that ends up hurting my ears even at 60db levels. Even listening to mellow jazz, the piano notes are just uncomfortable to listen to because of the attack.

This is caused by higher ordered harmonics that are part of the distortion spectra of the amplifier. In this case, those higher ordered harmonics are not masked by the lower orders. The ear is keenly sensitive to the higher orders as it uses them to sense sound pressure. It also converts all forms of distortion to a tonality; the higher orders are interpreted as 'harsh and bright'.

An amplifier that has enough lower ordered harmonic distortion (the 2nd and 3rd) can mask the presence of the higher orders and so sound smoother. This is why most tube amps sound smoother than most solid state amps.

Getting a solid state amp to do this or have low enough distortion so the harmonics are actually masked by the music is a bit of a trick, but they do exist.

Thanks for the quick replies. I totally agree that the listening space is crucial, not off-base at all. I have had the system in different rooms and my listening room is currently treated with a good number of GIK panels and bass traps. The room can cause issues, but I don't it's affecting the main issue I'm hearing.

I usually don't toe in speakers at all, and the Buchardt recommends to keep them straight. Toe-in does make the sound brighter, but I don't feel it affects the main issue I'm trying to describe. To exaggerate, the transients feel like loud noises that make you instinctively close your eyes.

My ears are evidently particularly sensitive to this. I knew that I could only listen to headphones at very low volumes, but before getting into better gear, I had never had issues with speaker systems. Would be interesting to hear if anybody else has had something similar.

Thanks for the Luxman recommendation. That's a brand that I associate with the kind of sound I'm looking for, but haven't had the chance to test and it's unfortunately not in my budget.

Perhaps your phono cartridge is not tracking properly or is worm out?

Thanks atmasphere! That’s a very detailed explanation and makes sense to me. Sound pressure is exactly what I’m feeling. I know Nelson Pass talks a lot about different ordered harmonics regarding his designs. Not sure they would be right, but out of my price range unfortunately.

Thanks for the Croft recommendation too, I’ll look into it. I think I had it as an option at some point, not sure why I decided against it. I’m ideally looking for an all solid state design, but open to having tubes in the pre.

I have two turntables with very different cartridges (MC and MM) and I don’t feel that makes the difference. Adjusting VTA, especially on the Hana SL, makes a difference in terms of smoothness/harshness, but it’s not the main issue. I also feel the issue with different DACs.

You might like the Konus Audio Integrale, coming from someone who primarily listens to vacuum tube amps.

I can't provide suggestions in your budget, but what you describe is definitely an attribute of some SS amps. Of course we should be cognizant of room acoustics and address problems there when necessary, but I've heard enough examples of gear across a few systems/rooms to realize that each amp has its own, very distinct sonic fingerprint.

My friend has AudioNet mono amps (the small ones), and they're very striking in their complete lack of fatigue and ease of listening. They ALMOST sound like tube amps in many ways. 

Start with buying much better equipment , such as Pass labs, Coda Boulder Gryphon, Goldman, Hegel , Naim ,Luxman and many others

myself I bought the excellent Coda CSIB integrated amp which is high bias in pure class A , with many amps or preamp the coupling capacitors ,even power capacitors can be upgraded and sonicly greatly improve its sonics ,

if you can’t afford a expensive amplifier then seek out a quality Audio technician and have it modded, Swiss capacitors like Elma Silmic actually have silk and give a smoother presentation , bypassing power capacitors with quality.1 uf poly caps smooth out the top end also , as well as the resistor type in Arcam very basic parts quality ,rule of thumb on average only 25% of the cost actually goes into it .The rest  R&D overhead and markup. There are many other things including quality WBT copper gold connectors ,vs the cheap gold plated brass that comes with most  pieces of equipment .in my system every component has upgraded connectors including power cords and Loudspeaker connectors and the very important Loudspeaker Xovers.

@haskisoundi 

You might be able to find a used Hegel H360. It’s class A/B and has more than enough power for your speakers. It’s neutral to a bit warm sounding. It’s probably going to be more than 2K, but you never know.

All the best.

JD

I had that happen to me.....I sent the speaker back to the manufacturer who fixed the problem,

What is your budget? If it is just a few hundred you could consider a vintage MOSFET power amp like a Hafler. Should sound relatively “sweet” due to the lower order harmonics without breaking any banks.

@zonkler +1! Those old Hafler DH200/220 amps are forgotten treasures! Capable of going up against today’s overpriced amps. I have one, along with the Hafler preamp!

@jasonbourne52 Yep, my DH220 is just lovely. Only drawback is the class A heat but the upside is in my northern climate it doubles as a space heater in the winter. Depending on the poster’s power needs a DH120 or DH500 would be just as nice.

I'm in agreement with @tuberist.

What are the room acoustics like? Early reflections and slap echo will cause fatigue from high frequencies.

My advice would be, do not spend money on equipment, cables, or tweaks until you have addressed room acoustics.

What is your wire? Interconnects  speaker and power.cords? Do you have a power conditioner  that some things are plugged into? Those things all need to be looked at. Also the newer trend is to talk about sparkle  on top twenty  years ago they called that bright. Do your speakers have two sets of pots on them? Do you have the flat bars between  them are you plugged into the top or bottom  set? So receptacles  cab sound bright as well. You have a basic  problem there you need to find it. 

op

room and setup - a few pictures speaks a thousand words

buchardt s300's are hardly sharp sounding speakers, i had them, they are warm sounding, with a rolled off tweeter

solid state amps will accentuate treble much more prominently than a primaluna, which is also warm and fairly rolled off

my money is on the room, or just how your hearing is easily irritated by treble

Hi there,I found the primaluna took a while to settle down.I tried several things to lower the frequency.Take the speakers further out from the wall,it could be your speakers with other things like power sockets and cords,maybe interconnect.Shunyata pc are smooth. .You will get there.My pl hp is a good thing,i have since gone back to seperates,and love it.

I crave and insist that my rig sounds accurate, coherent, and clear. I recommend a Pass XA-25...smooth as buttah...

I currently have a Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated and I'm very happy with it.

Are you happy with it, and it does not have the shrillness?

The amp I tried to replace was a Marantz PM6005, which is also very smooth. Both are under the recommended power rating of the speakers (even though that's relative for a tube amp), so I'm wondering whether that could be part of it.

Is the Marantz the shrill one?

I listen mostly to vinyl (Graham Slee Reflex M preamp) with some digital too (Denafrips Pontus II). Both are relatively smooth and vinyl, while usually being softer, doesn't solve the issue. 

Ok - so digital and vinyl both showing thing the same thing, sort of rules out the digital and vinyl being bad - or they are both equally bad.

I'm looking to switch back to solid state (class AB) for various reasons

What are those?

… and I was wondering if anybody had had similar experiences and recommendations for amps…

Thanks everyone for the advice. There are indeed a lot of things to look at that could help out, even though I still feel there's something related to air pressure and very fast transients that's particularly bugging my sensitive ears, and that it's coming mainly from the amplifier. I've had 3 amplifiers that were fine (Audio Analogue Puccini SE is the one I haven't mentioned) and two that were not, all other things being equal. But certainly working on the rest might make more amplifiers work for me.

I'll see if I find a picture of my main listening room, it's temporarily not used as such, so I can't take one now. I do have panels in first and second reflection points, as well as some extra panels and bass traps. But I tried the amps mostly in another room, which was less treated, so there might be something to that also.

My interconnects are mostly Morrow Cables. I know they are not the smoothest and especially the ones containing a part of silver could be particularly problematic. But I didn't find that changing them to other interconnects (QED for instance) helped, other than losing a lot of definition and clarity. I will try to find some good cables to try out. I use Isotek Initium and Premier power cables mostly because they're the only ones doing a Swiss version. No power conditioning, just an audiophile power strip without any filtering. The power cords do make the amps have more clarity and rhythm, and I believe the transients are faster with those cables. I did also try with normal cables, but they didn't completely solve the issue. Perhaps I should change my power socket (I'm renting, so wanted to avoid) at home so I could try other power cables, such as the Shunyata.

Thanks for the recommendations again. I would love to try Pass Labs or First Watt amps, and they are on top of my endgame list, but I would like to avoid class A because of the heat and electricity consumption. They are also currently out of my budget unfortunately (ideally max 2000$, perhaps stretching to 3000$). Because of the current use case, an integrated with auto standby would be better than having to manually power on and power off various components (e.g. when watching TV or putting background music). Some other recommendations were also too expensive. But if it's correct as @audioman58 states that moving to higher end amplifiers would help, that would be very positive news.

From the ones listed, Naim is the one closes to my budget and easiest to test around here. Hegel would also be a possibility, even though stretching the budget a bit and I don't like paying for a streamer and a DAC I won't use. Perhaps a used one would make sense as proposed by @curiousjim, even though I'm not sure I need to go as far up the line as H360.

I also checked the Hafler amps, somewhat limited supply here in Europe and I'm not sure I want to go the vintage route for now.

Any recommendations regarding Naim, could the Nait 5SI be ok or should I move up the line or go with an older model?

I feel for you as I have the same problem. I would suggest that it is your hearing. My daughter is an audiologist and she explained it to me. It is a condition called Hyperacusis. If you suffer from this you will find that you are sensitive to certain frequencies which feel like they hurt your ears. It is most common that higher frequencies are the worst offenders. Like you the upper register of the piano (mainly above middle C for me) is a strong offender. My daughter is a pianist and I cannot sit in the same room as she when she plays. Other things that you might find uncomfortable in this register of your hearing are: clanking plates when a dishwasher is unloaded, screaming babies, violins, a nail being hammered in, being in full loud restaurants which have a lot of reflective surfaces etc.

Hyperacusis usually comes on gradually during late middle age, but can come on earlier if you have damaged hearing

Unfortunately there is no cure and it is a sign that your hearing is permanently damaged and needs protecting if you go into anywhere loud. So wear ear protection if you go to gigs. You may also get tinnitus with Hyperacusis, but not always. The good news is that if you protect your ears in loud environments it should not get worse.

Regarding Hi-Fi: I had to sell my Naim gear as it sounded harsh and affected my Hyperacusis. I demoed many solid state amps, front ends and speakers. I ended up with a Vitus amp and DAC - they have a wonderful sound with no hard edges that affect my hearing. Speakers I chose were Boenicke (a Swiss company making very natural sounding speakers). I also recommend Luxman amps, they were very smooth and didn’t affect my ears.

Good luck!

If if you can narrow it down to certain frequencies an equalizer might be the easiest solution. I know it‘s frowned upon by some but compared to trying more and more amps and other gear (which you are otherwise happy with), this might be a step worth taking. There are affordable ones on the market that otherwise don‘t compromise the sound quality.

(I‘m thinking about it myself.)

With solid state  vs tubes tubes take on more even harmonics when there are peaks ,Solid state in theory odd harmonics which are peaks 

that is why Mosfets by character character can be warmer or look at pass labs specs just to see what is in their DNA build to get an idea,  Bipolor shave a bit softer leading edge like vacuum tubes 

my Coda uses all 3 types , no brightness at all and myself sensitive to brightness

also another potential fix. Is a warmer sounding dac, or audio cables 

Cardas is know for a warmer cable in their reflection models , just on Sourse to start.

Look at Oddessy Audio… Klaus the owner is well respected in the industry. His Khartago Extreme SS Amp can be had for $1450.00. One of the best builds for the price… Read the reviews these amps are keepers you don’t see many of them used and they come with a 20 year warranty that’s transferable. Klaus also makes great PreAmps in both SS & Tube, just be prepared to wait a bit on his pre’s being he can’t make them fast enough due to the demand and reputation.

You also can check out Tube4hifi.com,also known as VTA. Roy the owner makes some amazing preamps that you could add to your SS amp. His SP-14 is an industry classic. Check out the online reviews. He also does some pretty amazing things with his Dynaco 70 Amp Mods.

Both of these guys are pretty respected in the industry and it might be worthwhile to check them out being they could go over amplifier characteristics and nuances with you and probably meet your needs.

Myself I’m using an Odyssey Khartago Extreme Amp & Tubes4Hifi SP-13 Preamp and really enjoying my set up…

www.odysseyaudio.com

www.tubes4hifi.com

Get an older krell class A amp. They are very smooth and non fatiguing. The ksa series and you can have them rebuilt for under a grand. The build quality is exceptional and it’s pure class A. They do get hot but man do they sound sweet. 
 

Try a different power cord.  Or speaker cables.  Experiment.  Everything DOES make a difference.

I currently have a Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated and I'm very happy with it.

Are you happy with it, and it does not have the shrillness?

Yes, I'm very happy with the Primaluna, but looking for a solid state alternative

Is the Marantz the shrill one?

No, that and the Puccini are SS that are smooth enough for me, but lack in other areas.

I'm looking to switch back to solid state (class AB) for various reasons

What are those?

I currently have my main system in the living room, which is also connected to TV and used for background music, so the hassle of warm up time, no stand by, etc. is leading to less listening. Also, I'm trying to avoid something that heats up as much and uses that much current.

Thanks @duckworp for the detailed account. Sorry to hear you have the same or a similar issue, but happily you have found a good option for music listening. Your problems sound very familiar, albeit perhaps a little stronger. It does seem that very high end gear can produce fantastic sound without being aggressive and hopefully, taking care of the issues solid state produces. Thanks for the feedback on Naim, it does have a reputation for dynamics and liveliness, so perhaps not the best option. Perhaps a used Luxman could be in my budget.

The EQ is an good idea to investigate, especially as they can be had for cheap. It would be interesting to see if certain frequencies are the issue.

Thanks again for all the fantastic suggestions, I will look into Odyssey, Krell, etc. that are options closer to my budget.

If I did go that class A route, does anyone have experience with First Watt amplifiers in this context? I know the different models have different flavors and I'm not sure which would be most suitable (if any). Used or a DIY kit could make that option more affordable. Any relatively cheap solid state preamp recommendations for a class A power amp?

You might look at Accuphase. Their x80 series of integrateds are very cool and tip-top quality. Said to be very smooth and rich on the sound. You can insert a DAC card, and a Phono Card, both of which are high-quality, given they are not standalone.  I think the sweet spot is the 380 and 480. 

That said, they are pricey, and the US pricing is messed-up when you compare it to the rest of the world.  They make a Class A SS, but even more pricey.

I think that Class A is your solution, however I understand your concerns about heat and energy usage. A good compromise are SS amps that are heavily biased such as the Codas. When I upgraded from NAD to the #8, the change was remarkable in terms of smoothness and lack of fatigue. I realize this is out of your current range, but thought it worth sharing my experience. Other amp brands may offer similar designs. 

I had a Rogue Sphinx and completely agree it was one of the brightest amps I have ever heard. Sold it off after a few months.

As others have mentioned, moving to a good SS class A amp was the solution that worked for me. I now have both a Pass 30.8 and a Modwright KWA 150 amps. Both are outstanding, possessing great detail without harshness/brightness.

Modwright, especially, comes up on the used market at very reasonable prices and Dan Wright is the best, by far, audio manufacturer I have ever dealt with.

  -GAR

Sounds like clipping and straining except for the Sphinx which I find fatiguing. Tube amps tend to soft clip so that could be a solution- find a deal on a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II or III and you will have plenty of power and dynamics with zero fatigue.  I love the sound of that amp. 

Parasound HINT will also work- used and demos should come close to your budget.  

Consider a used Luxman L-550AXII. I had one for a bit, but unfortunately it was damaged in shipping. It’s sound quality is what led me to go with their L-509X. The L-550AXII idle power consumption is “only” 170 watts, which might be less than a tube amp.  

THE OP's BUDGET IS $2000 ! 

Might want to consider a Naim Super Nait 3, or Ayon Sprit V.. I have a Aesthetix Mimas..None of these are bright or edgy I’ve owned them all. Look at power cords. Shunyata’s Venom line is amazing for the price. Consider a good Power conditioner like a Shunyata Hydra Delta D6. If the Naim is too much $$ look for a used Naim Super Nait 2... In fact with your budget I'd stick with buying pre owned.. $2K is a bit low for buying new.

I currently have my main system in the living room, which is also connected to TV and used for background music, so the hassle of warm up time, no stand by, etc. is leading to less listening. Also, I'm trying to avoid something that heats up as much and uses that much current.

^This *mirrors my thinking. I have PL amp, and while it is pretty good… I have the same thoughts, but the warm up time is not a deal breaker for me… but then again I do not wait an hour, I just fire it up and go.

We are moving house, so about 1/2 moved, and the new location is a lot cooler than the old one… but I get the heat part.

So I am at a bit of a crossroads whether to sell the PrimaLuna, and sell some mono block VTLs, and get a SS amp, or just stick with the PrimaLuna or VTLs.

In your case it seems like you have the PrimaLuna, the Marantz and the Puccini… which are all ones that produce good sound.

Hence either move them all on, and get something else… or keep one/all and stick with what is a known working commodity for you.

Given the budget, and the fact you have 3 amps that were/are fit for purpose… seems like it is a safe bet to just stick with what works.

THE OP's BUDGET IS $2000 !

Thanks, indeed, many of the suggestions are clearly above my budget. I did mention I was flexible until $3000 and perhaps this could get me something second hand, even though Switzerland is not the best country for that, it being outside the EU and having a small internal market. I can also go higher if I really see that's what I really need to find what I'm looking for, but that depends on how well I can sell some of the other equipment and also on making sacrifices elsewhere. However, it would be great to have options in the $2000 range.

One of my main frustrations, especially having limited possibilities to hear things for myself, is that reviews rarely talk about this aspect clearly. The Rogue Sphinx gets rave reviews from all the main outlets, but I don't remember having had a sense of it being so aggressive from reviews. Smoothness and lack of fatigue are things that don't come up in a coherent way, so I find it hard to identify which amps would work for me based on reviews.

^This *mirrors my thinking. I have PL amp, and while it is pretty good… I have the same thoughts, but the warm up time is not a deal breaker for me… but then again I do not wait an hour, I just fire it up and go.

Glad to know I'm not alone in this also and I hope you find the best solution for you. It is a dilemma and energy prices and long-term tube availability questions are not necessarily in favor of tubes unfortunately. I personally thought it wouldn't be as much of a hassle and to some extent this is more of an issue for my wife. I do only wait for the minute or so it takes until it's on, but that combined with it not having auto stand-by (the amp sometimes stays on the whole night or other long periods by accident) and not being able to turn it on from a remote all accumulates. Tubes are also a hassle, a driver tube just gave up and the amp thought it was the power tube, so it took me a while to know what was wrong. The feeling of never knowing when some tube is going to die adds to the burden somehow. I do miss something simpler, even though I love the sound of tubes.

Given the budget, and the fact you have 3 amps that were/are fit for purpose… seems like it is a safe bet to just stick with what works.

I agree, but that would be only the case for the PL. After being used to better, the Marantz PM6005 is too entry level for me and there's too much missing for me. I sold the Puccini. I though it was too colored and didn't really do it for me. I was really smooth for a SS though and a step up from the Marantz, even though maybe not enough.

Might want to consider a Naim Super Nait 3

There have been conflicting advise on Naim, but it has been mentioned a couple of times. Could the Super Nait specifically (2 included) be a possible solution? I've had some good experiences with Naim in other systems, but in very different settings, and I have sometimes found it bright and abrasive, but that could have been the speakers too (Focals in one case). It definitely got me emotionally a few times.

Thanks for the Shunyata recommendations, perhaps my Isotek cables are not helping.

I think that Class A is your solution

That's the feeling I've had for a while and I'm open to that despite the downsides. Budget is also an issue, as there are not many good class A options around $2000 (or even $3000). Separates are also not ideal for practical purposes (in addition to their price), except if the power amp has stand by and can be woken up by the pre (I have no idea whether this exists / is common). Apparently European versions have more eco modes and other such options for regulatory purposes. 

A quick summary of recommendations so far:

Class AB

• Croft Integrated (tube hybrid)
• Naim (Super Nait) (possibly not as smooth as other options)
• Hegel H360 (possibly not as smooth as other options)
• L-505UX II
• Luxman L-509X
• Accuphase E380-480

Class A

• Used Hafler DH200/220
• Used Krell
• ModWright KWA (A/AB)
• Odyssey Khartago Extreme
• Luxman L-550AXII
• Parasound Hint (A/AB)
• Pass Labs (XA-25) - what about INT-25?
• Accuphase

Cables / accessories

• Shunyata (Venom) Power Cables and Conditioner

I didn’t take into account every recommendation, especially not the very high end options mentioned simply as current equipment. They should be more or less ordered according to price.

The most convincing tend to be, unsurprisingly, above my budget, so I’ll have to think about that.

Any comments on this list are welcome, especially as to how they compare, or if someone believes I shouldn’t consider some of these options. Any additions, especially in more reasonable budgets would be very useful, and hopefully not just for me.

If I had the budget, a Luxman or Accuphase would be my favorites at the moment, especially as they exist as relatively normal integrated amps. I would also prefer established brands in this price range. Or perhaps a Pass Labs integrated, but that stretches the budget much too far and they are to my knowledge hard to come by on the secondary market, especially in European versions, and I can’t try them out anywhere close by.

Regarding Luxman and Accuphase, would the class AB models be "smooth enough" or should I focus on class A as some have recommended, despite power consumption (and price, especially for Accuphase)?

I solved a similar problem with what I termed "glare" that, after trying a few combinations of gear, was firmly convinced was mostly a room problem.   Unfixable because of space, use and WAF.  In desperation I tried an equalizer.  Not recommended.  Then a month ago a last ditch demo and purchase of a used Luxman L-505uxii.  It really mitigated the problem and is a fantastic match with my speakers.  I had Herron pre and Pass XA-25 power (tube pre, class A power) and I do miss the smoothness in some backing vocals.  Overall a very smooth, engaging, dynamic, and powerful presentation though, with a surprising low noise floor.  I'm in love.  Like yourself, I wonder about going up/sideways in the line.  The 509x for the better pre or going with the class A offerings - rumored to be phased out by Luxman in the near future.  The 505 used was $3300, almost two years old.  Finding deals on Luxman is difficult to say the least.  I'm gladly keeping the 505 for now.  It's sooo engaging on 95% of my listening. 

Based upon Duckworp's post, have you scheduled an appointment with an audiologist/ENT?  All the suggested equipment fixes are nonsense if you don't address the root cause of your problem!

You got the wrong amp if this happens.

Suggest adding the Sugden A21SE to your list of class A amps. It is well reviewed everywhere and very available for audition in Europe. Also cheaper than othe options.

I am very sensitive to sharpness as well, and although finally I went with luxman (more neutral) the Sugden was on my list.

Based upon Duckworp's post, have you scheduled an appointment with an audiologist/ENT?  All the suggested equipment fixes are nonsense if you don't address the root cause of your problem!

I thought that @duckworp post was veery good, and something that I had a similar reason to visit an audiologist for once.
But the fact that the OP said that three of the amps they mentioned were fine, that sort of runs counter to it being the OP’s ears. 

Based upon Duckworp's post, have you scheduled an appointment with an audiologist/ENT?  All the suggested equipment fixes are nonsense if you don't address the root cause of your problem!

I didn't indeed react to that part in detail. I have been to an ENT and although he could see that subjectively I was sensitive to loud noises, there was nothing physiologically wrong and nothing that could be done from a medical point of view. I've been more sensitive than average for as long as I can remember, feeling the need for earplugs when others didn't, struggling with headphone listening, etc. I play instruments and have been in bands. As said, listening on a speaker system, I never had this issue before going to higher end models and my theory was that the higher precision and faster transients translate to a higher perceived air pressure.

Suggest adding the Sugden A21SE to your list of class A amps.

Thanks, added!

 ...purchase of a used Luxman L-505uxii.  It really mitigated the problem and is a fantastic match with my speakers.  I had Herron pre and Pass XA-25 power (tube pre, class A power) and I do miss the smoothness in some backing vocals.  Overall a very smooth, engaging, dynamic, and powerful presentation though...

Thanks, that sounds like a similar case to mine indeed. There is a 505 for a similar price than you paid in Germany currently, which could be an option. The 509 is very tempting and seems like a big step up, but too much over by budget, even used. Looking at the reviews of the 505, the smoothness doesn't get a lot of mention, rather the precision, quickness and power. I worry that it might not be smooth enough in terms of what I'm worried about regarding these fast transient and air pressure. However, if this is rather an issue of frequencies, harmonic distortion as several have mentioned, or glare as you put it, perhaps I'm looking at the problem wrong.

I do have a feeling that part of what works for me in tube amps is that they are usually described as "slower" and that slight smoothing of transients agrees better with my ears, in addition to the smoother presentation. So I fear that powerful solid state amps could be an issue, therefore the lower powered class A amps feel like a safer choice. But again, perhaps this is a wrong diagnosis from my part.

@wlutke Can you described a little more in detail the difference in sound compared to the Pass Labs, especially regarding the aspects I mention?

haskisoundi,

The thing I focus on regarding Luxman is the absence of ear fatigue. The offending frequencies are benign and unoffensive yet the speed and pace are outstanding.  It's been awhile since I've lost track of time, playing for hours with my attention on other things.  I experienced that with the 505.  The Pass never passed (Ha!) that test.  To be fair, the Pass at 50Wpc class A, 80 class B, did not wake up the woofers in my 90dB speakers at all (Acoustic Zen Crescendo II).  A sub, though very helpful, did not pick up the pace like the Luxman. The musicality and engagement of the 505 is undeniable yet there is some grain and loss of micro detail in comparison to the Pass.