Aragon 8008ST vs Sumo Andromida III

Related Equipment

NAD C542 CDP

VTL 2.5 preamp

Paradigm Studio 100 V3 speakers

2ea Paradigm Servo 15 V1 subs

Run of the mill AR interconnects

Flat copper speaker wire (can’t remember brand name)

I purchased an excellent condition Somo Andromida III at a sweet price to tide me over while my Aragon 8008ST is in the shop. I fully expected the Sumo to be decent while perhaps not as good as the Aragon. At this time in my system I have to say the Sumo is every bit as good as the Aragon.  It is still too early to make a final assessment but I have noticed the Sumo is definitely more forward which makes it sound more detailed at first blush. The Sumo also has a bit of a shimmer in the treble that the Aragon did not. The Aragon sounded a bit darker in the mids as well. As far as bass goes I will say the Aragon seemed a bit tighter and more weighty. The Aragon also had a bit more dynamic (thump in your chest impact) than the Sumo.

With the Sumo being brighter I immediately speculated that it would fatigue me and wear thin at higher volumes over extended listening. To my surprise the Sumo just kept sounding better as the volume increased right up to the point where I couldn’t tolerate any more SPL. It was not fatiguing at all.

I believe there are solid reasons for these surprising results. I had fully expected the Aragon to be clearly better. Firstly the Aragon died so it is entirely possible it was not performing to spec for some time leading up to the failure. I wouldn’t have noticed a gradual change over the years.

Secondly the Sumo has higher input impedance than the Aragon and matches up to my VTL 2.5 preamp with better synergy.

I noticed that the Aragon supplied roughly the same output when at approx one quarter volume as the Sumo does at about half volume. Both amps have the ability to play much louder than that level so I believe this is as a result of a small impedance mismatch between the Aragon and VTL and not an indication the Aragon is more powerful. It is entirely possible I have never heard the Aragon at its best. Having said that it is also possible the Sumo is no longer at spec and I’m not hearing its best either.

Anyway... When/if I ever get the Aragon back Ill do a head to head compare.