Transients hurting my ears on hifi solid state amps
I've looked at many discussions on listening fatigue and similar topics, but haven't really found the answer to the specific problem I've been having.
To me, modern higher end solid state amplifiers tend have too much slam or too sharp transients and that ends up hurting my ears even at 60db levels. Even listening to mellow jazz, the piano notes are just uncomfortable to listen to because of the attack.
I currently have Buchardt S300 Mk II speakers, which are not high sensitivity by any stretch, and are rather smooth sounding, but I don't know if they could contribute to the issue somehow?
The worst case regarding amplifiers I tried was the Rogue Sphinx V2, which is 100W hybrid Class D with tube preamp. Another I had at home for an extended period and had an issue with was the Arcam SA20, which should be a relatively smooth sounding amplifier, and it did get a little closer to what I was looking for.
I currently have a Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated and I'm very happy with it. The amp I tried to replace was a Marantz PM6005, which is also very smooth. Both are under the recommended power rating of the speakers (even though that's relative for a tube amp), so I'm wondering whether that could be part of it.
I listen mostly to vinyl (Graham Slee Reflex M preamp) with some digital too (Denafrips Pontus II). Both are relatively smooth and vinyl, while usually being softer, doesn't solve the issue.
I'm looking to switch back to solid state (class AB) for various reasons and I was wondering if anybody had had similar experiences and recommendations for amps? Most amps, especially higher end, tend to emphasize the dynamics, punch, agility, etc. and I struggle to find anything that would seem to fit the bill. Tubes seem to do the trick for me, especially with some tube rolling, but not sure where to go with solid state. The budget would be around 2000$.
I took a look at the specs for your existing amplifier and the proposed Pass and Luxman, as well as those for your speakers. I have concerns that any of these amplifiers will properly drive your speakers which are 4 ohm and recommend 40-200 watts to drive them. I had suggested in an earlier post that Class A might solve your problem, but sole focus on Class A at the expense of the necessary power depth might result in a less engaging system. I had suggested that you consider class AB solid state amps with high bias to class A, I still think this is worth exploring. I suggested the Coda #8, with up to18 watts of class A, simply because I have experience with it, I am sure there are other good options. Your speakers need some horsepower, I would be wary of going too low just to satisfy the class A desire.
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@atulmajithia What is meant be 'excessive'? Usually the problem is that the amp doesn't have enough feedback, and design concerns make it impossible or impractical to add more. FWIW our class D amp uses about 37dB of feedback and has not problems with brightness of TIM. IOW its all about the design rather than how much feedback is used. |
I work from home, and I listen between 8 and 12 hours a day, though most of that is not critical listening. I am also sensitive to "bright" components. I currently have 3 turntables, a Herron VTPH-2A phono preamp, and a BAT VK-30SE preamp. On the digital side, I have a Node 2i and a NAD 5000 CD player, both running into an SMSL VMV D1SE. My speakers are Magnepan 1.7i. I can listen all day to any source without fatigue. I can make a recommendation of a class AB amp that would work for you within your budget. I'm currently using a Bryston 4B SST2. I find it fatigue free. If you're lucky, you might be able to get one used under 2k. However, the 3B SST2 used should be well within your price range, and buying one used, there should be a significant portion of the 20 year warranty left on it. You should be able to use your current integrated as a preamp and run the pre outs to the external amp.
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