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Recommended solid state amp for user with tinnitus

Hello all,

I'm 58 and been a music lover since my teens. Through a variety of jobs in noisy work environments (metal working), target shooting, loud rock in my teens, etc., etc., I have been a sufferer of tinnitus for many years.

I am finding the 20-year old Martin-Logan Stylos speakers in my home theater are aggravating the tinnitus. I am replacing them as the front left-right mains in my home theater with the new Monitor Audio Gold 300's (gen 5 2019), along with a PS Audio DirectStream DAC. My  Marantz AV7702mkII home theater processor will be the preamp for 2-channel playback. The speakers use a MPD (Micro Pleated Diaphram) high-frequency transducer for the tweeter,  90 dB Sensitivity (1W@1m) • 4 Ohms Nominal Impedance • 3.5 Ohms @1 kHz Minimum Impedance, 250 Watts Power Handling (RMS) • 100 - 250 Watts Recommended Amplifier Requirements (RMS).

I was looking for a solid state amp in the $2000 - $5000 range that would work well with the Gold 300 speakers and keep the sound warm and non-fatiguing with good resolution. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. I'm wondering if McIntosh might be suited for my situation(?). Any suggestions for solid state are welcome.

In my office, I have a PrimaLuna HP tube amp, PS Audio DirectStream DAC and Monitor Audio PL100 monitors, and they tend to be much easier on my ears and tinnitus issue. I do NOT want a tube amp for my system that I am asking for recommendations on, no way to place it in my cabinetry.

Thank you in advance,
Sam
128x128samster777
helomech
1,525 posts
 
Have you tried addressing your tinnitus? I suffered tinnitus for years until I began taking vitamin D supplements and cut back on the drinking.

That said, it seems the inclination for those with tinnitus is to seek very smooth amps, like McIntosh, or those of class A topology. However, I found such amps were actually more fatiguing over long listening sessions. I moved onto a class AB Yamaha that is not exactly smooth but somehow is far less fatiguing. I have no explanation for why that is - maybe its circlotron circuit design that is very rare these days.


bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,509 posts
 
A good tube amp might provide welcome relief from solid state hardness in the treble range, as well as some other benefits.
gryphongryph
352 posts
 
The Usher R1.5 is class A the first 50w then 150w into 8ohm a/b
it is said to be very tube sounding, maybe worth a try!
flatblackround's avatar
flatblackround
279 posts
 
Tinnitus can be very frustrating, especially for audiophiles.  I suffer from pulsatory tinnitus hearing loud swooshes of blood flow in my left ear with every heartbeat.  I can turn it down by adjusting my head and neck position. Crazy and maddening.  An MRI ruled out any major health concerns.  I have learned to live with it and when it comes to music I turn up the volume. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,227 posts
 
Hi Samster, I'm a family doc and frankly, the only thing medicine has been able to do with tinnitus is make it worse. The technique I use the most is masking. Running a fan in the bedroom at night is an example. The constant droning will drown out the tinnitus for some people. Tinnitus will occur at different frequencies and may or may not be associated with hearing loss. The problem for many tinnitus sufferers is that their threshold of pain is lowered. Under no circumstance do you want to go louder than 95dB. I suggest you get a dB meter. I prefer analog displays not digital. 
I would think that the speakers and room acoustics would make a much bigger difference in regard to your ringing than the amplifier. You want to be able to tolerate a volume loud enough to mask the tinnitus but not so loud as to further damage your hearing. Certain frequencies will mask the ringing others will make it worse. If you can borrow a scientific tone generator you can exactly profile your own tinnitus then you could use a digital equalizer to cut back the frequencies that bother and advance those that mask. 
Having said all that I think the Benchmark AHB2 would be a great amp for you. If one is not enough power then you can add a second down the line. Good Luck,

Mike
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