Anything as " fast" as SPECTRAL gear?

I hate to say this but when you hear a system that really is fast you'll know it when you hear it.

Things to look for: good decay (lots of it- good lower level detail), nice sound stage that is expansive rather than stuck as a little window right in the middle of the speakers (that 'wall to wall' soundstage can only occur if you have the bandwidth to prevent phase shift in the upper portions of the audio range), 'blackness' in the silent spots, but things like cymbals and strings have an effortless, relaxed quality...

Brightness is usually **not** an indication of speed (brightness is either a tonal coloration or the product of distortion); in fact a relaxed quality is a much better indication. Relaxed (even with the volume turned up!) yet excellent detail in the highs. The two go hand in hand if you have a fast system. Another thing- you might react more viscerally to the sound when there is speed. If you are tending to analyze the sound then its probably not fast.

Bel Canto C5i integrated fits that profile perfectly. My dynamic monitors more than ever sound faster and more detailed like Electrostats with this amp. Also less bright than with most any other SS amp I have used them with prior.

Naim

Fast and slow can apply to speakers where by i find horns faster than fabric domes.

Without question Spectral amps and preamps that I use get 'faster' with improved AC conditioning and isolation. I was amazed at the improvement a separate isolation transformer for my digital yielded. I would call it jaw dropping--and I already had a very good setup. It just shows you can't evaluate gear in a vacumn. Comparisons are truly edifying.