What does "good" sound like?


I'm not sure where this topic should go, but here's the deal....My old roommate had an Adcom 5400 on my Kilpsch kg 3.5's with a Yamaha receiver and player(don't know the model #'s). We went our own ways and I decided to buy another 2 channel amp. I loved the way the Adcom sounded, but that was all I had ever heard. I did a little research and found many people loved to mate Aragon with Klipsch. So I ended up getting a 2004 mkII. It sounds way different, apples and oranges. I had no idea an amp could sound different. The problem is I don't listen to what most people listen to on here. I listen to mostly alternative/hard rock. Plus, it's in a different room with different components and wiring, although my wiring is better. I have a Yamaha htr5250 receiver and I had a Sony dvd player, it crapped out. I used to dac's from the Yamaha anyway because I thought they sounded better. With the Adcom I could really hear the guitars, they really stood out. Now with the Aragon the lead guitars are set really far back and the bass guitar and kick drum are really brought forward. I have to say, I like the Adcom better. The bass was pretty weak but the mid's and hi's were so much better. It seemed much more "alive" as you could hear guitar plucks and finger slides and much more detail. The Aragon is much better through the entire spectrum though, that thing will slam. I had no idea those little Klipsch's would go so low. So what am I missing here? Is it just that the Adcom was strong in the right frequencies and was more suited to the music I listen to? Or could it be the dac's are different? The room is different, but I doubt that's it. I don't think I have the right words to describe what it is I'm trying to say. Like, do I need better mid range or top end? I kind of want to swap out the Aragon for an Adcom 5500, but I love the aragon with movies because it has such great bass. Any suggestions? Thanks.
todd76
If the differences are really substantial, as opposed to minor or subtle ones, don't underestimate the effect of your room boundries and speaker/listening position set up. Usually differences in electronics are relatively minor. Why not provide the dimensions of your room, describes its openings (doors & windows) speaker placement and listening position, as well as any refelective surfaces on the walls or floor. Some folks here are really good at set up and should be able to tell if the set up or room dimensions are part or all of your problem.
tstan, I am a little confused here, but will offer some comments anyway. I am not clear on what the Yamaha receiver is doing in this chain,...are you using it as a pre-amp? You also mentioned that your Sony player "crapped out",...are you using a different cd player?

To answer your questions, amps DO have significantly different sounds, soundstaging, etc. However, I would not be sure the different sounds are due to the amp. It sounds like you changed rooms, cd players, wires and interconnects, and possibly other factors. The only way to be sure the different sounds are due to different amps are by listening to the exact same system, in the exact same room, and changing ONLY the amps. If your friend will let you, borrow his Adcom and put it in your current system and compare. If you still like his better, sell your Aragon and buy a used Adcom. I personally think Aragon makes a great amp for the money,...but it is what YOU like that sounds "good".
It sounds to me like a room thing. I find speakers sound MUCH different in different locations, especially in the bass. My guess is that the mids and his aren't recessed as much as the bass is overwhelming them. Are the speakers closer to corners than they were before? Is the room smaller? Both of these things can boost bass. Also, check to make sure that none of the drivers (individual speakers) are damaged. Maybe you have a midrange or tweeter that isn't working. Maybe you were so excited about the new amp, you cranked it to 11? Or maybe damaged in the move? Put some music on QUIETLY and listen to each driver up close to see if sound is coming out. By the way, many of us listen to various types of popular music. I understand the stereotype (pun intended)- boring middle-aged guys closing our eyes to see if we can picture Diana Krall standing in our living room (which we do), but most enjoy a wide variety of music.
Also, what you describe is not what many people would call good. Most audiophiles value a clean, articulate, non-fatiguing midrange over all else, and would prefer weak bass to booming thumpy bass that obscures everything else. So, No, this is not what "good" sounds like.
Buy a tube pre-amp, keep the aragon, and youll be 90% there with those speakers.