Hi everyone, really quickly while I steal a minute away from my studying for the finals, I have a digital attenuator in the Meridian 518, so this allows me to connect my cd, which is the 500/563 trans/dac directly into any amp.
I've put my cd player on repeat for the last 30 hrs. So far, it doesn't sound any better than the amp I bought the CA50 to replace, which is the Aragon 8002. One thing I am weary about is, the speakers I have are said to sound good ONLY with tubes. So, I thought these SS amps that are capable of replacing tube amps would do the trick, and so far it hasn't.
However, I have to say, the bass is plentiful. The clarity is superb when I play piano conceirtos. But the vocals sound cold. Not something that will keep me glued to my chair for hours like my system did before the CA50 was removed.
So, I might have to dip further into my tuition funds and buy another amp to compare with. BTW, I am speaking of my graduate school funds, but I am still in undergrad.
It doesn't seem like anyone, so far, has had the same transition that I am going through.
Ok, back to da books. |
Max!!!! Buddy!!!
Actually, CA50 IS the lowest on the ARC heirarchy before their new VS series came out. Everything I said is true! No where did I claim the CA50 SUCKS!
MAX, I don't want your money, however, can you put the IEC thing on the back of my CA50 incase I want to keep it? Thanks!! |
I suspect some of you actually think I use a calculator and a spreadsheet program to evaluate what sounds good to me instead of using my ears... scary I say... very very scarry. |
Hi again,
Thanks for all your responses so far. Sorry to draw you all in with me into my frustration.
There is one other reason that I didn't include to why I want to go back to solid state. Well, I move around in my apartment a lot. And, I sometimes forget to turn my amp off when I end up in another room. I thought if I had a solid state again, this would allow me not to keep a close eye on the tubes and eliminates the need to replace them. Furthermore, and this is being very nit picky, I hate waiting for the tubes to warm up.
Of course, I am very happy with the sound coming from the CA50, but I am looking for a best of both worlds scenario here.
And I've just struck a deal with a fine gentleman from Audiogon on another amp that I've listed in the beginning of this thread. Should get it in a few days.
Also, the solid state amp I recently purchased is used, but it probably hasn't been used in a few months. So I am, not exactly burning it in but warming it back up. Sorry for the confusion.
If this solid state doesn't work, then I might just stick with the CA50 or look into some autobiasing amps as some of you suggested. |
Man, that sounds like exactly something my mom says. But she ain't paying my bills and neither are you. Let not have bouts of senior moments and digress. |
Hey Jax,
I've actually been pondering the same exact thing that you've "opened," this being slotting a tube pre- between the digital front and the current solid state amp I am using. However, here is another can of worms, the aesthetics side of my don't want to go there. However, just for experiment, and when I have time to do so, I might slot the CA50 back in the system and use it as a preamp just to hear how a tube pre will improve this system. But, numerous postings on audioasylum preaches against this method claiming things from "it defeats the purpose of getting this amp," to "I've tried it with and without a pre, and it sounds the best by going direct."
And, this leads to another can'o worms; this being the scientific method, and I'd you can't leave statistics behind. Just how MANY SS amps am I going to buy before I come to the conclusion that everyone knows already? Actually, I have no idea how to answer this question except by asking this: just how many amps did all of you guys owned in your life time? I will tally all replies on a spreadsheet and find the mean and standard deviation. If the central limit theorem rings true, I should be close to the mean. |
I had no idea that the CA50 has a solid state preamp. I read somewhere that it has a similar pre- section tothe LS15. But then that info might be wrong.
Regarding me wanting to go direct into the CA50's amp section, if you read that somewhere, it sure wasn't from this thread. |
Hi Jax,
Actually, a few months back, I did consult with Steve at Great Northern about modifying the CA50 over a few emails. He provided me with information regarding upgrading caps and wires and such, and he asked me to give him my system and room dimensions and such, and I did, but he neglected to follow up after the long weekend. Not saying it was his fault, but I really wasn't ready to plunk down money on a modification since they don't retain their value over time.
The cost of the modification is very prohibiting, although, not entirely unaffordable. It all depended on whether I am determined to stay with the CA50 or go with a solid state alternative. If I do decide to stay with the CA50, I do intend to make a few modifications to the CA50 such as installing a removeable IEC bay such as the modification Maxgain has done for his ARC pre.
Regarding digital front end, yup this is a whole new can of worms. Personally, I've only recently upgraded from a Cal Labs' Delta and Alpha combo to the Meridian combo, and the Meridian pretty much obliterated the Cals in my opinion. That being said, I haven't auditioned any of the newer CD players. Reasons oh reasons... there are lots..
Again, I would love to shift to a solid state pending if I can be happy with one. |
Update:
After purchasing Bogdan's silver cables, I've re-auditioned the amps I have. The Gaincard sounded less solid state. The ARC CA50 has less ear fatigue. And, the Pass now sounds incredible even without the CA50 bi-amping the HF.
Now, I use the 518 as preamp, and the dac directly connects to the Pass Aleph 3. Also, I am using a Mapleshade Doublehelix powercable on the Aleph instead of a Virtual Dynamic P2.
The Bogdan and Mapleshade combination really improved the Aleph amp so much so that I think I've successfully transitioned away from tube and back to solid state. |
Hey Max,
I did play around with a few borrowed voltage meter from work. We have lots of industrial engineers there that know what to do after reading your email. An amp that still uses tube technology impressed those old guys quite a bit. And, the CA50 still sounds great. And, I've been quite happy regarding my ownership. But, as for reasons I've listed all over this thread, I rather go with solid state. And, yes, Mr. EL34 has resurfaced... |
Hey Max, now I just need 29 more audiophiles fessing up to how many amps they've owned because you need at least 30 respondants to form a decent sampling distribtion.
Just a recap; I've had SS amp #1 in my living room for 80 hours now. At about 77 hrs, which was 3 hrs ago, I figure the amp finally warmed back up. It sounded full and detailed with tons of bass. In fact, a bit too much bass for me. So, I swapped out the Virtual Dynamic P2 PC and replaced it with a bass light Mapleshade PC. The amp suddenly started breathing. In other words, all the good stuff happened: sound stage, air, detail, and stuff. Previously, I thought the Mapleshade was the inferior PC. This goes to show, it's all about synergy.
Anyhow, I then went into my tool box and dug out two pairs of Mapleshade ICs. I first replaced the Harmonic Tech's Silway mk2 with a pair of Mapleshade. The same effect increased as when swapping powercords. Then, I removed the Alpha Core XLRs that I use as digital between the 3 digital devices I have, and replaced them with another pair of MapleShade ICs. You guessed it, much more of the same. But, most importantly, the vocals are no longer cold. The vocals aren't quite as intimate as when played through the CA50, but now it has more air, detail and presence.
The next thing I did was remove the 518 from the chain, thus the transport is directly connected to the dac via one Mapleshade IC. Boy, the chest thumping bass reduced to almost normal. And, vocals and melody are now flowing.
I still prefer the vocals on the CA50, but, everything else, the SS amp #1 is better. I also moved the speakers 2 inches farther from the wall, and this reduced the chesty bass by a bit. But, it is still more prevalent compared to the CA50.
I'd say I am almost there. But, SS amp #2 should arrive in a few days... |
Hey Phase,
I don't want to go through what you went through, selling and regretting, thus I am doing this expensive and arduous process of amp auditioning.
First off, I realize I never mentioned the first solid state amp has passive attenuator built in, which probably created a lot of confusion for a lot of people. Actually, I might have purposely left that out in case it was a too obvious of a clue for you guys to figure out what amp it is.
So far, I'd like to thank everyone for giving me constructive advices and criticisms. And, I'd like to thank the gentlemen"s" for allowing me to acquire your very good condition amps at very good prices.
I've received the second solid state amp today and plugged them in a lil over an hour ago. This amp, as described by many many many many current and previous owners, needs about an hour to warm up, and it gets very hot. I guess you guys can figure out what amp this is now too.
I don't want to say too much about the differencs between the sound between the 3 amps just yet. Main reason is, I am just too tired to do so at the moment. However, I did plug the CA50 back into my system for a few hours lastnight. And, if I am to choose my fave amp at this moment, the CA50 is the better sounding amp, or, at least, the sound the best with the Tannoy speakers I am using.
The Tannoys are has a 94db sensitivity. People on AA and Agon often claim the two solid state amps I've acquired are bass shy with most speakers. In my case, or this can be a matter of personal taste, the bass with these solid state amps are too strong. Or, on the other hand, my speakers are, as mentioned before, designed to sound best with tubes.
Anyhow, I leave it at this for now, and let the new solid state amp warm up a bit more for the rest of my waking hours. |
Hi Again,
Just to let you guys know, I solved the low end bump in my system as indicated earlier in this thread.
Right about the time I was going to leave the house to get some lunch, I thought, just for fun, I'd bi-amp my speakers with the ARC on top and, oh might as well say it, the Pass Aleph 3 on the bottom.
First 30 minutes impression: with all 45 watts of the ARC driving the HF of the Tannoys, the highs has never been free-er and open sounding with mucho more detail. with all 30 watts of the Pass driving the LF, the low bass was non-existent, but the midbass was creamy smooth with lots of presence. One thing about the Pass, you instantly feel a sense of energy in the room once you turn the amp on even without any music playing.
When playing my usual favorites such as Ivy and St. Etienne, the lows were a bit anemic. Thus, I plugged the Meridian 518 into the chain between the 500 and 563. The 518 smooths out the highs a bit and makes the lows more robuts. This was needed with music with more energy. However, when playing conceirtos such as Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1996, I prefered the sound without the 518.
After 30 minutes: The Pass now warmed up and is no longer anemic. It now provides a clear, liquid smooth mid range to mid mass with just enough low bass. I am not a big fan of low bass as you can tell.
Now I can listen to St. Etienne without the aid of the 518.
Anyhow, my system sounds incredible now, so I don't think I will be moving away from tubes just yet. I will, instead, invest in some NOS tubes to make the high-mids more sexy if that is possible then go from there... |
