Lamm M 1.2 against Tenor 300 and Boulder 2060

What's wrong with the Halcros?

Dear Batiport: You have a great audio system. Congratulations !.
What is wrong with your system music/audio reproduction? What are you looking for ? What's wrong with the Halcro electronics ?.
If we are a music lovers and we want to recreate this art at our homes then we all want that our audio system can reproduce the music/sound: ACCURATE TO THE RECORDING, nothing less and nothing more.
The audio signal that comes in the LP/CD/SACD/DVDA it is a degraded signal that has to go through several steps before we can listen it. Our duty is that this already degraded signal goes through our audio system with the less posible degradation ( accurate to the recording ). Our electronics not only has to have a good design and a good execution design, they have to have a dead flat frecuency response and minimal electronic distortions ( your Halcro meets these parameters ). If you change to tube electronics then you will be walking in a wrong direction, I tell you why: there are not a single tube preamp/amplifier that can be ACCURATE TO THE RECORDING, all tube electronics are EQUALIZERS, their frecuency response change according the speakers changes impedance ( there is no flat speaker impedance through the speaker frecuency response, always change ), something that not occurs with SS electronics. Maybe the people likes this equalized sound, but this is not the issue, and maybe some people don't like the non-equalized sound.
Many times I did to my self this question: when I go to a concert hall to hear a piano concert: I'm hearing a equalized piano sound or I'm hearing a piano sound?
I'm not against the tubes I am in favor of MUSIC and if you are in music favor then you can't go with tube electronics because they are not ACCURATE TO THE RECORDING. If you want a recording sound reproduction make-up then go for the tubes. I stay with the music.
Rcprince told to you that the Boulder/Halcro electronics are " neutral and give more of the recording " but he don't like it, Kmccarty told us that " Boulder ( SS ) are neutral and detailed, in the same way MUSIC is ", Rcrump told " Avalon needs a high damping factor, that any tube unit will allow ".
Now, Jtinn told " Tenor deffeat the Halcro DM68: and the differences was night and day ", shure was night and day, he is comparing two differents products: an amplifier ( Halcro ) against an equalizer ( Tenor ).
Rlapporte told " the Boulder is always considered more " musical" "> We don't buy an amplifier because is or is not musical: it don't exist a " musical amplifiers ", it only exist amplifiers ( the musical amplifiers exist only in our imagination ), some are accurates and some don't.
BTW, maybe you can improve your quality sound doing something with your front end and maybe in your room condiitoning and its interaction with your speakers or changing your speakers ( yes, you can do something with your audio system cables, too ).
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Huh? Sorry Raul, but the Tenor Hybrids use tube drivers but use solidstate for the output. How can that be an equilizer? I heard the Halcros in Omaha and I was not impressed. Very low distortion which they also claim, but to me, not very musical. For your info there have been many recordings done using TUBE electronics so I am not sure where you got your info. To each his own as they say.

Michael

Dear Michael: The problems in the sound reproduction in a tube ( hybrid or full tubes ) amplifier start in the moment that the signal goes into the first tube inside the amplifier, if you want to know more about it send me a personal e-mail ( is a large history ).
My issue is not in favor of any SS amplifier, it is only in favor of an ACCURATE TO THE RECORDING sound reproduction, that any tube amplifier can do it: at least till today.
I know that many recordings done using tube electronics but this does not means it was for the better, and this too is a long long history.
Don't belive me and go and ask to the tube amplifier designers and then you will see.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

True to the recording. Unless you were in the studio at the time of the final mix, I don't believe anyone can say for sure what the artist and sound engineer intended for us to hear. I spent years standing next to a crash cymbal. When I sit and listen to my system, I do not wish to duplicate that experience any more than necessary. I want to save what hearing I have left. I think we all agree that the above amps are excellent and with appropriate front ends, will give an enjoyable listening experience. Its been my experience that musicians have a perceived sound in their head that they are always striving to get out of their instruments. If they change brands of instruments, or mouthpiece and alter that sound, they will continue making other changes such as reeds, ligatures etc. And usually come full circle to the sound they had before they went on their search. I do not think that is too unlike what we do with stereo systems. We are always trying to improve, but in the process quite often come back to that sense of rightness in our head. I personally do not care about measurements. If I hear something that sounds "more right" in my system, I would probably buy it, whether it be amps, cables, speakers, etc.