will changing to solid-state make the bass in my wilson sophias better at low volume?


I've noticed that my sophias really shine when they're cranked up a bit, which is great, but I'm wondering if I can't get more of that, esp. the bass, at lower volumes. my tube amps (Cary Slam-100s in triode) are ~50w/ch, more than the 25w/ch minimum wilson recommends. it seems to me that I could either get a sub or try a solid-state power amp. it'd be easy enough to try either/both, but I'm curious what people have to say. thanks!
musicslug

Showing 1 response by gerryah930

I have Wilson Sasha 2 speakers and also have had some issues with tube amps and bass control. I think that you received some great suggestions, including adding a subwoofer, using a loudness control,  and trying a more powerful tube amplifier.

It probably is my bias (pun intended) and the type of music that I enjoy (violins, violas, and strings) but solid-state amplifiers are not a good solution for me. I  recently tried a Luxman M900u ampilifier and a D'Agostino Momentum S250 amplifier, and although they were both great, I could not live without the mid-range timbre provided by a valve amplifier. I now use Audio Research 250SE monoblocks along with a Luxman CL1000 preamplifier (and an Esoteric X-01XD SACD player).