Will YBA Integre DT Match Harbeth Speakers Well?

I previously owned the YBA 3DT series amp & pre, and was not impressed. I think it would be a big step down from your Plinius SA-100. Suggest you try some tube rolling on your preamp to fine tune the sound to your liking.

Thanks for your response Pdreher. Now I can forget about the YBA. A few of my friends suggested that the ARC LS-16 might be the culprit due to its clean and soft sounding nature coupled with a low gain. Due to my limited experience with preamps I am not sure if a better preamp may give me the sound that I like. I will keep that in mind. For the record, I have swapped Amperex and Mullard tubes in the ARC and cannot detect any sound difference.

Thanks for the thought.

Look at upgrading your preamp. I use Aesthetix Calypso with NOS tubes to good effect with my SA-102 and Harbeth M-40.1's. Also hear great things about ARC LS-26, although I don't know about compatability with SA-100 impedance. Do some research... most of the fun in audio is doing the research, calculating and anticipating system improvements.

I would second the Calypso. Having had it and loved it. I only changed to try something different. It would be my go to pre if I were to change back. It is very clear and clean sounding and would compliment the Harbeths very nicely.

Thanks for the responses. I will be trying two preamps very soon to get a feel of things that might come. They are not quite up to the Aesthetix Calpyso's standard but may suit my system and/or listening preferences better than the ARC LS-16.

I have a PASSION 300 integre as well as a YBA power amp 600. Both are a better than the integre DT. The Passion 300 interge is a very warm amp and would match the Harbeth speakers (we have tested this combination).

The YBA 600 pre/power is a different class all together. Perfect timing and a huge sound stage. It costs double the price though. Having said that, the YBA 300 integre is so unique and emotional piece of equipment that I had to keep it as my second system!

Would strongly recommend testing these. From I hear the Plinius is a great amp. Why do you want to change it?

Ptekkis, thank you for your views on the Passion 300 integre amps. I have heard elsewhere that the Integre DT has lightweight bass and not very powerful, and can imagine the YBA 600 to be in an entirely different league altogether. I do not doubt the quality of the higher models in the YBA line.

The Plinius is a great amp that has a lush and warm signature, and I am not going to sell it. It is just that my latest experience of testing some integrateds has shown the Plinius(or the ARC preamp) to be little soft-sounding in the mids with skewed tonality. I suspect I would be able to obtain a higher level of musicality and tonal accuracy with more transparent and musical amps. Don't get me wrong, the Plinius is still a very good amp on its own that has a desirable sonic signature to most folks. It's just that I am seeking another amp that will be able to get me closer to the sound I am looking for and take me off the merry-go-round. I am currently looking at the Bladelius Thor II. The good thing is this integrated has a preout that can enable hook-up to a power amp. The YBA 600 pre/power is not within my budget but will keep the Passion 300 Integre in mind.

Cheers.

Harbeths are not exactly chameleons and, in my experience, it's hard to move the needle very far from the Harbeth house sound. But I'll be interested to learn what you discover.

Drubin, I agree that there would be very little deviation in the Harbeth house sound with different amps. However, there would still be perceptible and appreciable differences. The latest NVA integrated amp I have now has proven this with a more tonally accurate midrange up to the high frequencies compared to the Plinius/ARC. Where the NVA lost to the Plinius is in the bass department with the lack of punch and slam. I can perceive a different sound in both vocals and instruments between both amps. Sound of percussion such as cymbals are quite different between the NVA and Plinius/ARC, and the degree of changes are pretty apparent. On the other hand, voices sound more natural and organic wtih the NVA. All these differences are not really day and night but are easily noticeable to my ears. With all these findings, I am now seeking an alternative amp with all the traits of the NVA but with better control in the bass region and possibly a little bit more here and there.

I understand. One amp I found that worked extremely well with Harbeths (to my ears) was Nuforce. Have you ever tried that?

Sorry, I have not listened to Nuforce before.