Germanboxers, I did not choose my terms correctly. By 'holy grail,' I did not imply that your quest for 3D tangibility was mystical or unrealistic. I meant to say that it was the essence of good audio: convincing audio illusion. I have heard very few systems pull it off regardless of amplification, etc. I too have made inept, stumbling attempts at system building while chasing various sonic attributes.
I have a few friends who own Claytons and love them even on higher efficiency speakers. That being said, they have also been described as being "darker sounding" for class A SS, and that may be part of the reason why you like the Atmas better. Believe it or not, many people felt the older generation ASR amps were too dark sounding. Go figure. I do know that using SS amps can make life harder in terms of achieving synergy and good sound. Tubes are much more forgiving particularly with a digital front end and high efficiency speakers. I briefly experimented with the Emerald Physics CS 2.3s, and high powered SS (TRL Samsons) was not copacetic.
You have already cobbled together a nice system. No need to chase a lot of new variables. The one variable worth investigating is the new secret sauce in Gary's system, one that produced exactly what he (and it appears you) were looking for: Dale Pitcher's new conditioner.
It is supremely irritating that you cannot email members any longer.
I have a few friends who own Claytons and love them even on higher efficiency speakers. That being said, they have also been described as being "darker sounding" for class A SS, and that may be part of the reason why you like the Atmas better. Believe it or not, many people felt the older generation ASR amps were too dark sounding. Go figure. I do know that using SS amps can make life harder in terms of achieving synergy and good sound. Tubes are much more forgiving particularly with a digital front end and high efficiency speakers. I briefly experimented with the Emerald Physics CS 2.3s, and high powered SS (TRL Samsons) was not copacetic.
You have already cobbled together a nice system. No need to chase a lot of new variables. The one variable worth investigating is the new secret sauce in Gary's system, one that produced exactly what he (and it appears you) were looking for: Dale Pitcher's new conditioner.
It is supremely irritating that you cannot email members any longer.