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  3. 956786121

Amp stands- Do they work?

I recently purchased a Pass Aleph 3 and loved it so much that I "had to buy" a pair of the Aleph 2 monoblocks. I have been A/B-ing them at my home for the last 3 weeks for most of my free time. The 2s have a lot more presence, but lack the for lack of better words "musical reality" the 3 has. Forgive me for the term, but if you've heard the 3, then you probably understand. Anyway, I have asked most of the guys at Pass Labs and they essentially tell me I am hearing things- that the 2s "have all the sonic characteristics of the 3, just more of it" I have eliminated all other variables except that the 3 is on the bottom of my rack (Salamander Archetype), and the 2's are on the carpet in front of my system. I am interested in anyone's input as to the impact a reasonable stand might have on the sonics of my amps. I currently am acting on this hypothesis and have put the 3 on the floor next to the 2's. If it is of any help the components are in order- my source is a Muse Model 5 transport, Illuminati D-60 digital, EAD 7000 MkIII D/A, Kimber KCAG, Muse Model 3 preamp, WBT 5151 -great cable!!!!!, Pass Amps, Nordost Red Dawn speaker cable, B&W 804s. Counterpoint PAC-5 conditioner, API Power Wedge 4A conditioner. Marigo RMX ref power cables. Amps are using stock power cables- Nelson Pass's recommendation. Thanks for listening and I look forward to any input.
tsquared
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Nanderson; Carl is one of the "good guys". And you may have just touched on the main nerve of this whole issue: music has emotion at its very core. Whereas blind testing is logical, intellectual, and cold. Of course there is a place for both (a very narrow place for blind tests), but when I listen to music for enjoyment, which is almost all the time, I listen for its emotional content, and for the way it "moves" me. you just can't capture those things in blind test listening, IMHO. And when kept in proper perspective (and I decide what that perspective is), I also enjoy Stereophile magazine.
nanderson
291 posts
 
I enjoy Stereophile Magazine myself, Garfish. Emotion seems to have taken on two different definitions, however, in this case. Somewhat like the difference between a soccer mob upset because their team is in jepordy of losing a game and rather than seeing how is the best team that day they attach the opposing team. That really does not decide anything except that the crowd is not mature. Musical emotion should carry you into another world but not discussions about silicon and machine screws.
nanderson
291 posts
 
I enjoy Stereophile Magazine myself, Garfish. Emotion seems to have taken on two different definitions, however, in this case. Somewhat like the difference between a soccer mob upset because their team is in jepordy of losing a game and rather than seeing who is the best team that day they attach the opposing team. That really does not decide anything except that the crowd is not mature. Musical emotion should carry you into another world but not discussions about silicon and machine screws. It seems to be a real sickness when opinions on record playing stuff makes one superior to another. Maybe we should have put Stereophile in charge of the cold war, we might have won a lot sooner.
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
Noel, is dumb blather all you've got?
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
Albertporter, I finally got around to reading your post again and thinking about it. I think I understand what you said. I interpret your answer as saying that with so many variables at play we ought to attack the problem by observation followed by deductive reasoning ie. learn from listening to components and tweaks for what they do and then deduce the impact it might have on another system. I often get a bit riled when I see too much inductive reasoning of the kind "if all amps measure flat then they must sound the same, so if you hear a difference it has to be a placebo effect". I am very impressed with the AC power work you have done. I thought my efforts were obsessive, but are clearly the work of an amateur. Your own transformer - I will look into that one further.
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