2. amps-preamps
  3. 1115858133

Subtlety ? do any American amps do it?

Not heard that many but it strikes me that everything from the colonies sounds a bit stark and bleached. Spent a year trying to come to terms with a Pass Labs which is vastly overated ( and I mean vastly), listened a lot
to Mark Levinson and thought Thank God I did not spend a fortune on that - clean, clear, hifi and so bereft of soul that it was like a visit to the Dentist !
I'm not that biased, it's taken Naim years to make something resembling music - PRAT ? until recently bunch of narrow minded PRATS.I know lots of Naim fans and their mindset belongs to the third reich !
UK companies like Meridian and Musical Fidelity have managed to do the bizz for at least 30 years that I've known/used and they still manage to make a noise that at least resembles real music. MF get tarred with a do it cheap brush but anyone who has heard their gear and says it's crap is probably a dealer who wants to sell you something at 3/4x the price.
The Brazilians do it a treat - Heard Audiopax 88s at the last Edinburgh show and if anyone there had ears, they should have packed up and went home - different league does not describe it.
Realise this is antagonistic but want some input.
Even the UK press seems blinkered to the crap - Pass, Krell
- whoah, nice hifi, shame there's nothing remotely musical involved, apart from the laughter as they take our hard earned money !

I have a Quicksilver phonostage - lovely and a great customer focused company, had a Lancelot Camelot, super and amazingly friendly & helpful people but go to the Big boys and it's just a money grabbing frenzy ?
I dreamed of a Pass Labs for years and ? my next amp will be coming from somewhere in Europe !

Si
simon74
sorlowski
236 posts
 
maybe your problem is that you do not get SS amps ?
I do not like most of them too, does not matter US made (Krell, ML, Pass) or European made (gryphorn, MF) all of them are lifeless, spiritless hifi monsters (with a few exceptions, Jeff Rowland, Bluenote, Clayton...), try tube amps they saved me, I was starting to think that hifi is about noise and power, listen to VAC, Manley (I do not like Maintosh), if you like Subtlety the most, and you do not care about dynamic and power at all, maybe try SET amps (I do not like them , yes they are refined but sounds weak to me), I have discover myself in 50-100W tube amps.
simon74 OP
216 posts
 
Hi Guys,
I had a few glasses before posting but it had the desired effect. I'm sure there are loads of fabulous american amps,
shame I don't get to hear very many.
I'm using an Audio Mirror pre and agree, for the money, it's marvelous (it's actually based on a G. Nardi design for Audionote).
Thinking of taking another plunge of the deep end and buying a Supratek unheard. My aspirations are way beyond my budget so it's worth risk taking to get good value for money.
Looking at room treatments as I'm moving into a smaller & very live room - like everything thing else about our hobby there are a lot of different schools of thought to consider.
Thanks for the input , I like to enjoy my gear, my music and a bit of levity in the forums now & again !
I have far to many good friends in the states to think your all listening to'crap'
I've also heard some fabulous gear that cost buttons - valves seems to be the common denominator - maybe I'm allergic to solid state ?

Si
raytheprinter's avatar
raytheprinter
1,234 posts
 
Simon,theres not anything i can say about Supratek that has not been said,i have my Chardonney paired with a CJ MF2500A and am very happy,even with what some folks dont consider very good speakers(Paradigm Sudio 100 V2)my system sounds more soulfull than most more expensive systems ive heard!IMO
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
Some rather silly responses here to a rather antagonistic thread.
No country has a monopoly on good audio gear. I have US speakers, Danish amp, Japanese CD player, american DAC, british turntable and subwoofer.

In the past I've owned british speakers and amps.

I think some of the American hifi market is absurdly overpriced and overpowered, but I think great gear comes from all over the world. The trick is finding it.
elgordo
530 posts
 
Simon, you remind me of your namesake on "American Idol". Is there something about the name that makes you inherently rude? After owning a few British motorcycles, an MGB, two E type Jags and a Linn, I wouldn't own anything from the UK. It always seems to have a puddle of oil under it. Even your WWII machine gun was known to yank soldiers as the "Stench gun". Oh well, back to the world's shortest book: "British Haute Cuisine".
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