SS Amp for natural vocals

Oh, Rafael, overnight I thought about your comment that RMS power ratings can be misleading and then you go on to quote some amp's ability to put out 3500 watts into .1 ohm for 500msec. Well, I'm thinking that instantaneous power is interesting to know, but at what purpose? .1 ohm is next to shorting. Do any actual speakers present such a load? What musical event is going to occur from 500 msec, right before your amp fries or shuts down?

I DO agree that RMS can't possibly tell the whole story; however, I think that it's a good starting point. Yes, you only use 1 to 5% of that power continually, but I hear a correlation between power and control of the woofers in large speaker systems. I think that RMS is a good place to start in understanding an amp's ability to handle large, inefficient speakers.

BTW, the Continuum's two built in Power Factor Correction modules each deliver 385V DC, so I don't think that's a limiting factor.

Dave

"Well, I'm thinking that instantaneous power is interesting to know, but at what purpose?"

Let me quote from Spectron Web Site again as its very educational, for me at least:
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Stereo Times reviews Spectron Musician III SE
"Power and Finesse" by Donald Shaulis

"I have never heard Moussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain/Pictures at an Exhibition [Telarc B000003CSH] before. Oh, I have owned the CD for years but I never really “heard it” before. The Spectron presented the softer passages with such inner detail they became seductive but the real surprise came in the crescendos. The peaks reached were a revelation. It wasn’t that the Spectron could play loud, it was that I wanted the music louder. For the first time the crescendos were reproduced with full fury but no smearing or harsh edge that demanded the volume be reduced. Now, after many years, I finally “get” this fine recording..."
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I am not professional reviewer and I can't say it so eloquently.

Good Luck with your choices.
Rafael

Well, that recording has been a favorite of mine since the 1980s. I "get it" and it will set you back in you seat, even with my old Bryston or my current Conrad Johnson CA200. I'll pull it out this weekend as part of my initial testing of the Continuum in my system.

Another great recording is Atlanta Symphony doing Firebird on Telarc. The sudden peaks actually shock me (I jump in the chair), even though I expect them.

Dave

My former Pass X350 had wonderful, fleshed-out, liquid,
rounded, alive vocals.

It replaced an Aragon 8008, with no other
changes in the system (in fact I A-B'd them back and forth), and found the difference in vocals dramatic.
The speakers were Aerial 10T's. They sounded like new speakers. This was both for male & female singers (John Lennon, Jim Croce, Diana Ross, Carly Simon).
The Pass runs very hot, though.

I now use an Edge NL12.1 which I am very happy with for vocals (and has much better bass than the Pass).
I never heard the Pass X350.1, but people here say the bass has improved.