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amp or preamp to extend upper end

I went from a fantastic little Krell integrated amp to a Musical Fidelity M6 amp and preamp. Found that the high end is a bit rounded off -- that amazing detail I had on the cheaper Krell is lost. My dealer said that the owner of Musical Fidelity designs his equipment for this sonic signature intentionally. Maybe I just got to used to an over-emphasized high end.

Question: would replacing the amp or preamp have a more noticeable impact on extending the upper range (assuming the new equipment can do so)? Any suggestions? Speakers are Vanderteen 3s.
evolving
rleff
1,065 posts
 
Evolving did you try Almarg's suggestion?
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bdp24
9,788 posts
 
What Ralph just posted seems to me related to Atkinson's Vandersteen 3 measurements. SS amps can sound bright while lacking detail because fine detail is smaller than the resolution floor of the amp, the detail lost in the amp's graininess (just as detail can be lost in the grain of analog film, the size of the grain larger than the detail itself). The Vandersteen 3, while measuring flat, sounds a little soft (just slightly out-of-focus, to continue the photography analogy), lacking detail that it's flat FR is supposed to assure. The softness then is not the result of a rolled-off top, but of what? The original Quad speaker has a more rolled-off top end than does the Vandersteen 3, yet provides far more detail. Transparency is the result of time-related matters, not just frequency---though the two are inseparable, of course. Vandersteen designs are touted as being time coherent---why then are they not very transparent?
evolving OP
16 posts
 
Rleff I did try almargs suggestion and it actually helped. Although I only had to go up by about 1/2 db.

Bdp24 I think my next project (after figuring a good phono preamp) is to considering changing out the Vandersteen 3a, thinking about a pair of used Quattros...
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
06-09-15: Evolving
Rleff I did try almargs suggestion and it actually helped. Although I only had to go up by about 1/2 db.
Good! For the record, though, my suggestion essentially just seconded a suggestion that was made earlier in the thread by ZD542.

Regards,
-- Al
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bdp24
9,788 posts
 
Yeah, the Quattros, 5's, and 7's are much better speakers than the 2's and 3's. For their prices they'd better be! Brooks Berdan was a long-time Vandersteen dealer (until he was seduced by Wilson---the money?), and I've heard the old models a lot. The new ones not so much, but enough to know how much better they are.
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