Transients hurting my ears on hifi solid state amps

Thanks @wlutke for the detailed description! That sounds very enticing and I'm surprised that you find the Luxman more engaging than the Pass Labs. Perhaps it's a question of lack of power, but in any case those speakers look amazing. I think the level of micro detail would be sufficient for me on the Luxman, but the slightly less powerful and slightly more laid back presentation would perhaps be a safer bet.

Thank you.  I misquoted the power on the Pass though.  It’s 25 Wpc at 8 Ohms, 50 Wpc at 4.  The Crescendos are 6 Ohms.  The Pass is a very good amp.  It just wasn’t compatible.  Acoustic Zen recommends 50 Wpc minimum.  

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.

When I had my bout of needing to see an audiologist it was a sudden onset, and it went away in a few weeks.
So I suppose if the amps that were good in the past are still around it would be worthwhile to use them to see if they are still good, or whether the hearing is now sensitive.

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.

It is sound pressure, not air pressure.

I doubt that the amps are any “faster”, as most amps play 20kHz just fine, and nothing is going to arrive faster from a 2kHz signal, than a 20kHz signal.

And if it is grating harmonics that spray into the upper frequencies then that could be cured with the amps that were mentioned as being good sounding.

But a fishbone diagram would include things like:

• ears
• distortion signature
• clipping affecting distortion signature

so we sort of need a way to ameliorate or exonerate the most probably causal mechanism (candidates).

Once we know the mechanism, then we can determine the best equipment to use to mitigate the mechanism.
(But I do not go straight to power cords, power conditioners, now cables as mitigation mechanisms… I like to take a more direct approach than a “buying festival” to play “pin the tail on the donkey”, where I am hoping to hit the solution by accident or chance.)

Your comment that "toe-in does make the sound brighter" left me wondering if that was due to higher frequencies being more directional, as I understand basic acoustics. Being aimed towards your ears would account for the "brightness." Pardon me if this has already been suggested.

It is highly likely that power level is your problem. Even at low volumes, moderately efficient speakers can benefit from higher power and it can significantly reduce fatigue.

I recommend looking into separates. Pre-owned Parasound A21 amps can be found for ~$1200. Their distortion profile is primarily 2nd order, which is very rare among amps below $5K, and output enough power to provide plenty of headroom for nearly any speaker. Pair an A21 with a low distortion preamp like the Topping Pre90 and you’ll have a very smooth and low-fatigue setup that can takes up little more real estate than an integrated.

Another thing: if you’re one who typically indulges in adult beverages during your listening sessions, practice cessation for a few days, and try listening earlier in the day when you’re alert and rested. Listening while already fatigued just accelerates listening fatigue IME. Alcohol tends to have that effect as well.

I remember learning that our ears are most sensitive in the frequency range where we are experiencing hearing loss. Apparently it's common for the high pitched voices of children to bother some grandparents. ;-) 

Thanks @holmz for the various very good points and suggestions. Just a clarification on one point, as this is one of the things I'm trying to understand here:

I doubt that the amps are any “faster”, as most amps play 20kHz just fine, and nothing is going to arrive faster from a 2kHz signal, than a 20kHz signal.

With fast I mean that the transients, the typical example being the hit on a snare, are quick and powerful. So in a graph measuring the sound pressure, the peak would be higher and narrower on a "fast" amplifier and lower and flatter on a "slow" amp. The sound is more compressed in a "slow" amplifier and thus the hit of a snare or the initial transient of a piano note will be felt as softer by the ear.

I understand that there are other factors discussed that heavily influence the perception, but I do believe that this is part of the equation. Low powered amplifiers would in my understanding be therefore more suitable to avoid the problems I've had. It is not so much sustained notes that cause issues for me, but the percussive sounds and initial attacks on many instruments.

Pre-owned Parasound A21 amps can be found for ~$1200. Their distortion profile is primarily 2nd order, which is very rare among amps below $5K, and output enough power to provide plenty of headroom for nearly any speaker.

Your argument is exactly the opposite of what I'm discussing in my previous post and I find that really interesting. I would need to experience that for myself and see whether the distortion profile would be enough of a key factor. I definitely get the idea of more clarity making it easier to hear details and thus make listening less fatiguing. I wonder whether this is what I'm sensitive to. The combo you propose does sound very attractive and reasonably priced.

 I misquoted the power on the Pass though.  It’s 25 Wpc at 8 Ohms, 50 Wpc at 4.

Thanks for the clarification @wlutke, 50 did sound a lot from what I remember about those Pass amps. My speakers are not the most efficient either, so not sure it would be a great match, except if my low power hypothesis is correct. I don't mind if the sound is smoothed out a little, like on my tube amp in triode mode.

I am experiencing a like problem. In my case the "listener fatigue" symptom came on like flipping a switch. No changes to my rig.

Fingers are crossed I have had a E/N/T infection that became worse, so it is to the Audiologist for me as soon as I am convinced I am feeling better.

How am I sure of this? After my system started sounding like poop I have tried everything to solve it through DSP/EQ via Roon. Days of going through all the possible offending frequencies, speaker placement... even the old Yamaha NS10 trick.... gauze over the tweeters lol! 

I will give David Hafler (RIP) his props. I purchased a DH220 in 1981, another in 1985 which is in use now. Both amps sounded great! I had the 1985 upgraded in 1989 by Musical Concepts. Sounded better all the way around.

A little over a year ago it was upgraded again with all Fantasia Audio boards, caps. All jacks and speaker terminals replaced with Cardas. Morrow Level 3 power cable hardwired. Total investment since 1985.... $1500.00, $41.00 a YEAR! Oh, and in my configuration of nearfield, 1M w/85dB Elac's, I am locked into Class A only using Nelsons most important First Watt moniker... If the first watt doesn't sound good lol. 

I mention this as I am all Morrow level 3, except some power cables. Way broken in by their 400+ hour reccomendation.

Good luck!

I don't have the challenge you have.

I would encourage you to give Moon a listen.  

I had McIntosh tube pre and SS amp.  I upgraded to Moon 390 pre-amp/network player and M400 monoblocks.  I notice I feel like I'm listening to music at lower volumes only to realize I'm listening to peaks at 80+dbs and there's a quiet background with undetectable distortion resulting in multi-hour listening sessions several times a week.  

The amps are AB and the monoblocks are A for the first 10 watts.

 

Thanks @holmz for the various very good points and suggestions. Just a clarification on one point, as this is one of the things I’m trying to understand here:

I doubt that the amps are any “faster”, as most amps play 20kHz just fine, and nothing is going to arrive faster from a 2kHz signal, than a 20kHz signal.

With fast I mean that the transients, the typical example being the hit on a snare, are quick and powerful. So in a graph measuring the sound pressure, the peak would be higher and narrower on a "fast" amplifier and lower and flatter on a "slow" amp. The sound is more compressed in a "slow" amplifier and thus the hit of a snare or the initial transient of a piano note will be felt as softer by the ear.

I understand that there are other factors discussed that heavily influence the perception, but I do believe that this is part of the equation. Low powered amplifiers would in my understanding be therefore more suitable to avoid the problems I’ve had. It is not so much sustained notes that cause issues for me, but the percussive sounds and initial attacks on many instruments.

I get the description of the hypothesis.
If the speakers were hard to drive then more instantaneous current would help if, and only if, one did not have enough current to keep up.

It would be like speaker compression, but I suppose for the amp.

And I suppose one could (maybe) see if it shows up in the impulse response of the system.
But it might be easier to have the same snare drum hit recorded from the 4 amps (3 good and one bad one), and compare them in the time domain?
If the bad speaker was high amplitude than the other three, then it would show as you describe.

My hypothesis is that the bad sounding amp likely has more harmonics or IMD.
So I am thinking exactly along the lines of what @helomech mentioned:

I recommend looking into separates. Pre-owned Parasound A21 amps can be found for ~$1200. Their distortion profile is primarily 2nd order, which is very rare among amps below $5K, and output enough power to provide plenty of headroom for nearly any speaker. Pair an A21 with a low distortion preamp like the Topping Pre90 and you’ll have a very smooth and low-fatigue setup that can takes up little more real estate than an integrated.

(And user atmasphere talks about in various threads.)
… So it might be better to take the snare drum recording and do the comparison in the frequency domain.

Of course going to that effort one would want to do both.

I am not sure there is any way to reach an objective conclusion as to what the causal mechanism is for what you are hearing, without doing some measurements, But I also know that I also usually have problems with the SS gear showing up only in those sorts of sounds. And also I find sibilance to be distressing to me ears.

If it is as you say, then I would think that it would show up more in music with has a high dynamic range, where the peak level would be much higher than the RMS level. And then on music that’s more compressed, we would not have the snare drum attacks at the higher amplitude to begin with.

Have you noticed something like ^that^ which correlates with the bad sounds?

Benchmark AHB2

Pushing the budget but just lovely. 

Denafrips Hyperion

I'll be ordering soon.

If it is as you say, then I would think that it would show up more in music with has a high dynamic range, where the peak level would be much higher than the RMS level. And then on music that’s more compressed, we would not have the snare drum attacks at the higher amplitude to begin with.

Have you noticed something like ^that^ which correlates with the bad sounds?

@holmz Yes, I hadn't thought about it in the context of this discussion, but I remember that highly compressed records (DR 5 or 6 for example) were much easier to listen to and in many cases I didn't have any trouble with them. In more audiophile recordings, for example the typical Diana Krall example, the piano notes were uncomfortable. Even in something as calm as Case of You from Live in Paris (ORG 45RPM LP) I was wincing at the initial attack of the notes. I think the compressed music was more a solution in the case with the Arcam than the Sphinx. I did have the latter for less time, but it was quite an extreme version of this issue for me.

Unfortunately, I don't have the two offending amplifiers to do measurements with, but that would indeed have been very interesting.

My issue certainly comes from a combination of things and I'm certain distortion and other characteristics play into this. What I'm not sure is whether a highly dynamic amplifier will ever be acceptable to my ears, whatever the other characteristics.

As mentioned, I'm limited in what I can try out nearby, and also in buying and selling used gear to try them out, and therefore trying to narrow down the options. But I will try to find ways of testing these hypotheses. Of course the ideal result would be that I don't need to limit myself to less dynamic, less powerful and "slower" amplifiers. The downside is that most of the options with the correct distortion profile, etc. are quite pricey, even though some reasonable options seem to exist.

^I think we are making progress.^

Unfortunately, I don't have the two offending amplifiers to do measurements with, but that would indeed have been very interesting.

Don’t worry about the offending amps.

Just take the offending albums and try them with the amp that works well, and use it tio test out candidate amps.

^I think we are making progress.^

Yes, thanks, that was a good suggestion regarding compressed music and I'll use that also when testing out amps.

There’s lots of good suggestions to try here.  May I suggest you also look at isolation pucks for your amplifier and related equipment.  I found I was having the same trouble. I couldn’t listen to Mahler symphonies as the peaks hurt my ears - even at moderate volume.  I have pretty nice gear, but a furniture grade cabinet - not a dedicated audio rack. (My wife and I want to live with the equipment - not look at it).  

It occurred to me that my gear may have been experiencing microphonic induced distortion which can happen even at moderate volume. I was able to solve it with isolation pucks. In my case, Isoacoustic Oreos. Nordost sort Kones also worked well.  Even low volume can affect equipment.

I hope you find a solution which brings back the joy of listening to music again.

Best, 

Put large plants around your speakers.

It occurred to me that my gear may have been experiencing microphonic induced distortion which can happen even at moderate volume. I was able to solve it with isolation pucks. In my case, Isoacoustic Oreos. Nordost sort Kones also worked well.  Even low volume can affect equipment.

I hope you find a solution which brings back the joy of listening to music again.

Thanks for sharing that experience. Certain types of distortion seem to really be key for many aspects and it's good to know that proper isolation can be of such a help

Here's where I'm at currently: I'm leaning toward class A, despite my worries about power consumption and heat. This is based on the hypothesis regarding transients and dynamics, but also other reasons, related to the distortion characteristics and the sound signature, often associated with most class A amplifiers.

Looking at the options discussed, the Pass Labs INT-25 is on the top of the list at the moment. I'm trying to be open to higher budgets given the options discussed, but even ex demo or used units remain perhaps too pricey. But the smooth, warm, liquid sound that many reviewers note could be exactly what should work for me. I would likely be underpowering my current speakers, but in a way, that might be a good thing.

In the case of Luxman, I think I would need to go to the 590 (similarly priced to the Pass), or perhaps 550. But even if it's considered smooth, it is a very different sound compared to the Pass Labs, a more neutral and balanced presentation, less forgiving of bad recordings, so I'm not sure if that's for me.

Reading about Sudgen and seeing reviews comparing it to Pass Labs, there seems to be more energy in the highs and there isn't the same smoothness and warmth. I wasn't convinced that was the one for me. There is also no standby mode, which I would ideally like to have.

Not sure about class A/AB amps, such as Parasound, given their high power ratings and reviews being less clear about the smoothness (the best proxy I have found for the sound I'm looking for).

Accuphase could be an option, both class A and AB, but they are expensive and their availability is limited, both new and used.

I would like to stick to integrated amps, just because of the need for an easy to use, that's the reason I feel the need to move from my current tube amp. However, I was wondering whether there are class A separates where the power amp can be turned on and off (or toggle the standby mode) from the preamp? I've seen mentions of this communication being possible, but haven't seen a pairing that does this. Space is not really the issue here. As mentioned before, First Watt amplifiers would be high on my list, but they don't fill the ease of use criteria.

The ideal would still be to find a class AB amp, but I haven't really found a way to judge which models could work for me. Higher end amps are usually very powerful and I worry that it translates to an overly microdynamic sound. Most reviews don't seem to find the options discussed (listed in a previous post) that easy on the ears, for example Stereophile says about the Croft:

the Croft didn't spare me the bad news of the peaky top ends that made cymbals sizzle overmuch, over-emphasized vocal sibilants, and suchlike.

Thanks in advance for any comments on these current conclusions I've drawn, as well as possible suggestions for alternatives to the Pass Labs, be it class A integrated or communicating separates, or class AB options that you think would fit with what I'm looking for.

But you already have the PrimaLuna and like it?
The reviews and measurements in stereophile look good.

If the main reason to move away from tubes was the heat, then I am not sure it will get better.

It seems like a sideways move to me.
But I’d probably trade my PrimaLuna for a Pass.

It is indeed in part a sideways move and that's why I would ideally find a class AB solid state option. However, heat wasn't the only reason to move away from tubes.

Other examples were the one-minute warm up time during which the amp is on mute, having to switch it to my preferred triode mode, having to keep it turned on in case I want to use it again in the near future, as each cycle damages the tubes and because you need to wait for a certain time before starting it up again to save tubes.

There are also security concerns with children and just the hassle of tubes: their long-term availability, searching for the ideal NOS tubes, finding the best combination, etc. Some people like tube rolling and the possibility to adapt the sound to their liking, but I would prefer an amp with no tweaking possibilities that can be just left as is. I'm being very negative here, but it's just to make the point regarding the accumulation of things that have been bothering me at different points. I do love my tubes in guitar gear (including in various pedals) and wouldn't ever imagine going solid state there, but it's just a very different use case.

The Pass lacks auto standby, which is its biggest drawback. But you can turn it on and off with the remote any time without needing to worry about hurting any component of it. And if its left on unattended, there's not the same danger as if a tube goes bad. But the current draw and heat at idle are definitely concerns on the Pass. To me, it would at least be a pretty good step in the right direction in terms of what my concerns are with my PrimaLuna, even though it's not ideal as you point out. In addition, I do believe, and hope for the price, that it would be a move up in terms of sound, as you also allude to.

You mention the Stereophile measurement look good, are there aspects I should look out for in measurements that could help me identify the amp that might work for me? I've never really tried to understand measurements.

Ok - WRT my contrarian and questioning post, it looks like you’ve thought it all through.

well done sir!

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'.

@atmasphere 

You are obviously very knowledgeable about this, so I would like to ask you a follow up question about this:

Since the OP is referring to "transients", could it also not be due to his amplifier using excessive loop negative feedback, which might be causing Transient Intermodulation Distortion?

Thanks @holmz! ;) You're completely right to question my choices and conclusions, that's often the most helpful thing to do. I do tend to overthink things as you can see, but it definitely doesn't mean I'm necessarily right.

Since the OP is referring to "transients", could it also not be due to his amplifier using excessive loop negative feedback, which might be causing Transient Intermodulation Distortion?

I really appreciate all the technical discussion as I'm not knowledgeable about those aspects at all and it would be great if that could help me identify the right amps for me.

Something more reasonably priced and class AB would still be the ideal option, even if I catch myself dreaming about Pass Labs and other amazing amps like that.

Denafrips Hyperion

I'll be ordering soon.

I think I mentioned I have a Denafrips DAC and really like it, so I'd be open to options from that brand. Any particular reasons this amp could be a good option for what I'm looking for? The lack of a return policy is not ideal in this situation.

I took a look at the specs for your existing amplifier and the proposed Pass and Luxman, as well as those for your speakers. I have concerns that any of these amplifiers will properly drive your speakers which are 4 ohm and recommend 40-200 watts to drive them. I had suggested in an earlier post that Class A might solve your problem, but sole focus on Class A at the expense of the necessary power depth might result in a less engaging system. 

I had suggested that you consider class AB solid state amps with high bias to class A, I still think this is worth exploring. I suggested the Coda #8, with up to18 watts of class A, simply because I have experience with it, I am sure there are other good options. 

Your speakers need some horsepower, I would be wary of going too low just to satisfy the class A desire.

Since the OP is referring to "transients", could it also not be due to his amplifier using excessive loop negative feedback, which might be causing Transient Intermodulation Distortion?

@atulmajithia What is meant be 'excessive'? Usually the problem is that the amp doesn't have enough feedback, and design concerns make it impossible or impractical to add more. FWIW our class D amp uses about 37dB of feedback and has not problems with brightness of TIM. IOW its all about the design rather than how much feedback is used.

Clarification on my post, the Coda #8 is class AB, and delivers 18 watts of class A, but, is rated at 150w class AB. 

I work from home, and I listen between 8 and 12 hours a day, though most of that is not critical listening.  I am also sensitive to "bright" components.  I currently have 3 turntables, a Herron VTPH-2A phono preamp, and a BAT VK-30SE preamp.  On the digital side, I have a Node 2i and a NAD 5000 CD player, both running into an SMSL VMV D1SE.  My speakers are Magnepan 1.7i.  I can listen all day to any source without fatigue.  I can make a recommendation of a class AB amp that would work for you within your budget.

I'm currently using a Bryston 4B SST2.  I find it fatigue free.  If you're lucky, you might be able to get one used under 2k.  However, the 3B SST2 used should be well within your price range, and buying one used, there should be a significant portion of the 20 year warranty left on it.  You should be able to use your current integrated as a preamp and run the pre outs to the external amp.

I have concerns that any of these amplifiers will properly drive your speakers which are 4 ohm and recommend 40-200 watts to drive them. I had suggested in an earlier post that Class A might solve your problem, but sole focus on Class A at the expense of the necessary power depth might result in a less engaging system. 

Thanks for your research. That could indeed be an issue. My theory was that underpowering the speakers to some extent might ensure a softer sound with less of this to me transient-related problems. I also know that power rating is not everything and that tube amps, and to a somewhat lesser extent class A amps, are more powerful that what their rating tells us.

I use my PrimaLuna almost exclusively in triode mode, which is 25W and I enjoy the sound and there's weight and power to the sound in general and bass in particular. However, I do miss things that the more powerful amps could do detail retrieval, projecting the sound into the room and soundstage. The ultralinear mode, which gives you 42W, improves objectively on these aspects, but there's a magic and to me a more engaging sound that comes with the triode mode that I miss and I always end up going back that mode.

I also don't necessarily consider these to be speakers that will be with me for many years to come, so I could accept having an amp that isn't a perfect match for a while until I have the budget to upgrade the speakers.

However, I would like to be at least not limited to low-powered amplifier. One of my main worries is that as you go up to better amplifiers, the power rating usually goes up too, class A (and tubes) being the exception. I still struggle to identify amplifiers that could work for me irrespective of their power rating and any help on this is welcome.

class AB solid state amps with high bias to class A

Does this simply mean amps where after X watts, it switches from A to AB? This type of amplifier could be a great solution and the Arcam, even though I had issues with it, had something that I really enjoyed and it used what they call class G, but is basically A/AB in my understanding. I'm trying to stretch my budget, but the Coda is quite expensive, especially when factoring in the preamp cost, and I would prefer an integrated. Are there any other suggestions for this type of amps?

I can make a recommendation of a class AB amp that would work for you within your budget. I'm currently using a Bryston 4B SST2.  I find it fatigue free.

Thanks for sharing, great setup and great amp. If going the separates route, I'd unfortunately also need a preamp and I mentioned I would like the ease of use of an integrated, or at least be able to control the power amp (on/off/standby) from the preamp. The amp does seem smooth, especially in the treble, but when I read things in reviews such as "The piano notes were sharply defined", The bass notes from the drum kit struck quickly or "the cymbals for the drum kit sounded sharp", I worry if this amp would be work for me in terms of this "transient" issue that I'm fixated on. Again, I find it hard to identify the amps that work for me based on reviews, specs and measurements.

I get fatigue very easily if the gear is fatiguing or the room is fatiguing. I would check you room first to see if you have too much sound waves banging around in there. 

If you room passes that test and you still have fatigue then it is your gear. I have tried a lot of gear recently and the most relaxing and smooth gear has been the new Class A KRELL XD amps. I do not think you can get fatigue from this gear, as much as I have tried.

The KRELL K-300i integrated is amazing. I sold it to buy the KRELL DUO 175XD. I am going to sell or trade-in that 175XD for a more powerful XD amp. If you can find a K-300i jump on it. I spoke to a KRELL dealer recently and he said the K-300i integrated is selling extremely well. I also owned the CODA CSiB and preferred the KRELL K-300i (smoother).

My issue now is that I listen to way too much music. Not sure how long my ears will last at this rate. For example, yesterday I started at 8:30AM and finished at 2:30AM. The last 5 hours were with headphones.

No fatigue at all. I used to get a lot of fatigue before I sorted out my room acoustics and gear. It was mostly the room causing fatigue with my 2-channel and the gear for my headphones. I now use the KRELL amp(s) for both.

Get an air purifier and take some allergy medicine stat ! 

Thanks @yyzsantabarbara for the propositions and sharing your experience. Those Krells look amazing and the integrated would be perfect. Unfortunately they are out of my price range currently.

That's a pretty impressive amount of listening indeed! I'm jealous now ;) Hard to imagine that one could listen to too much music, but I understand the worry for the ears. I know there's a relation with how many dbs you can listen for how long without damage, so I imagine with the adequate volume you can listen as much as you'd like.

I'll definitely do my best with the room acoustics. I can currently only listen in the living room, which has issues acoustically. I've put some panels and did my best, but I'm limited by WAF and other factors. But there is something inherent in some amps that don't agree with me (at least combined with the current speakers) and I had issues in 3 different rooms of the apartment, one of which has a lot of acoustic treatment.

Looks also like I really need to save up and invest in higher end gear at some point...

@jdub39 thanks! How I'm feeling definitely affects this problem and I have allergies. That's a good point. I do have an air purifier in the bedroom and allergy medication at hand, I'll test out if I see a relationship between these things.

@haskisoundi 

Definitely a relationship between the two and no better than trying to listen when one has a sever cold. If you can get your allergies in an manageable state it will help with high pitched sounds as you won't be reacting to the worst offenders ragweed and cedar (and all weeds, grasses and tree's in between ) plus mold and dust. I've enjoyed more days listening since paying attention to this one metric alone and has stopped unnecessary system changes.

Best of luck

Thanks for all the very helpful insights and comments! Based on those and other information, I ended up with the Hegel H95. Class A amplifiers were very tempting, but pricey and didn't fulfil the requirements for ease of use. Finally, it came down to Naim and Hegel, but the Naim was supposedly the more aggressive of the two. The H95 was also described as smoother and having less leading edges on notes than the H120 or H190 for instance, which seemed to go in the right direction.

I'm really surprised by how smooth the sound is with the Buchardt S300 mkII, especially out of the box and even with the internal DAC, which is known to be rather bright and Chord-like. It's a completely different experience from the Arcam SA20 and, of course, the Rogue Sphinx. I wonder if part of the smoothness comes from the lower power (60W vs. 90W and 100W respectively) and whether the Arcam is more aggressive than I thought it was compared to other amps. Very dynamic recordings can still have transients that are slightly hard for me (e.g. snare hits) and some harsher frequencies are at times present, but I can totally live with those.

In general, it's evidently not as smooth, rich, full, 3D and mellow as the PrimaLuna in triode mode, but I was very impressed by the sound quality of the Hegel. Detailed, engaging, lifelike, very good soundstage, not stuck to speakers, beautiful spatial cues, etc. It doesn't project voices for instance in front as some do (including the Arcam and Rogue), but everything is very nicely separated and you can focus on the different instruments and voices easily.

Based on my experience, I can recommend the H95 for those having trouble with fatigue or finding amps too bright or aggressive. I have no experience on what happens once you go up the line, especially if you have sensitive speakers, but from what I've gathered, in terms of transient energy, leading edges as mentioned above, and slam, you will get a less smooth and mellow experience. However, I am curious to hear the H190, and especially the H390, even though I'm more than happy with the entry-level model and not planning to upgrade anytime soon!