What makes the Bloom around instruments . . .

Thanks for all of the responses. It makes sense.

Since it appears that it's a product of either my AC, Spectron or both, that's where I'll start to look.

It can't be the Wadia S7i since the bloom was there with the Pass but not with the Spectron.

Chuck

Bryon, I also think Chuck's speaker cables and such are more resolving than your anti cables. So maybe more details/resolution are heard in Chuck's system. Your two systems and rooms are different. Just a hunch, what do you think?

I run a 6SN7 preamp in front of a pair of digital monoblock amps and asked the same question.

Secondly, has anyone really heard bloom in a live amplified/un-amplified performance ?

Define bloom. Different components can introduce attractive sonics to a system that some may call bloom. Some CJ components to me have bloom. I have also heard very good designed preamps introduce a more attractive sonic signature that some may call bloom but not the CJ sonic signature. For example, direct heated tube preamps, transformer coupled preamps, CDPs, DACs have a sonic signature that is very attractive but I would not call that bloom IMO. I have owned the Pass X-250 (not the .5 series) and that amp had a sonic signature that was sligtly softer with a kind of golden sound. To me the amp was trying to sound what some would say is a tube sound. They may be right. That is probably what you are hearing with the Pass amp. The specton will offer a clearer sound without that golden sound. That is probabaly what you are hearing. Rx8man is hearing some a very good preamp in front of his digital amps so he has a more attractive sound versus what I would call "bloom".

So I think the attractive sound comes from a components design.

Hope this was helpful.

RX8 I have heard this sound. My father played the violin and would demonstrate the difference between a good instrument and a great one. The better instrument had a glow to the sound that was irrestible. The inferior instrument would just play the notes. Hope this helps. Bob