Seeking more 3d imaging, deeper/wider soundstage

Dear Bo,

I actually didn't expect further arrogance from such an indefensible position but from your above quote: "It is as it is. Maybe it sounds hard, it is not rude. Words can be read differently." It appears you just may not know any better!

Here is the original comment from Atmasphere: "Even a cheap system should image and play depth. More has to do with setup (not just placement of the speakers in the room) than anything else."

Followed by your reply: "When I read this nonsense you don't understand audio."

Now Bo, I'm not a master of the English language but I understand it reasonably well for an American, LOL. Your reply to Atmashpere was rude and dumb. Period. You seem to enjoy an absolute position on issues rather than taking a more defensible position.

Google Ralph Karsten and Atma Sphere Amplifiers and his almost 40 years of designing world class tube electronics trumps you being a dealer for Onkyo or Primare or any other brand desperate enough to allow you to stock their wares, IMHO. I'm also a fan of Pass Labs gear although I do not presently own any but I am 100% positive if you called Nelson Pass personally, provided he would take your call, he would tell you that Ralph knows his stuff. As a dealer, I can imagine that a stop into your store (provided it is a store and not in your parent's basement) would involve an IMMENSE AMOUNT of hearing you talk, which I personally would find less than desirable.

I doubt that Ralph will chime in further because he wisely steers away from controversy. He was just trying to give some free advice to the original poster based on his decades of REAL experience. You, on the other hand appear to have this intense desire to be viewed as the absolute authority on any subject without the requisite skills to back it up. I'm not saying I'm an authority on anything, especially audio, I just happen to enjoy it. I am reasonably experienced though at spotting bullies, ingrates, idiots, morons and other undesirables and you sir are beginning to check off some of those boxes. I am sure though, after reading up on Ralph's accomplishments and his extraordinary experience, you will publicly soften your position and stabilize what little is left of your waning credibility.

In the meantime, and until such time as you rethink your offensive stance, I would advise others to take your unsolicited "professional" advice and file it away with the old newspapers and used tissues.

Thanks for all the comments. My speakers are multiple feet away from both the back and side walls. I have also toed them in toward my seating position. Have also tried crossing them in front of seating position, I don't like that as much.

Sounds here like you may have already done the setup and experimentation that can make the difference between a hifi and a really good musical system. If you are satisfied that the speaker placement is as good as you can get it, it may well be time to look into component upgrades.

Now by my math given your room and your speakers, 60 watts in a tube amp should give you plenty of power. Tubes are well-known for improved imaging, smoother and more detailed sound. But you should consider that what a tube brings to an amplifier, it also brings to a preamplifier. If OTOH the preamp is loosing detail for any reason, there is nothing you can do to recover it downstream no matter the amp or speaker. So you might want to consider a tube preamp first rather than the amplifier.

Naturally while a tube preamp can bring a lot of benefit, if you are driving a solid state amp I don't think you will hear everything its doing. But at least it will let you know if you are heading in the right direction, and tube preamps are much less service oriented IMO/IME.

Of course if it were me I would consider both. I just like tube equipment better :)

Realremo,

Check input impedance of your current amp before going with a tube pre-amp. IF not 30k-50Kohm or higher, it might not be the best match. Not all SS amps handle higher output impedance of tube pre-amps equally well. 50-60K amp input impedance is a pretty safe bet in most cases.

If amp is not a good match, you might end up with tube amp and pre-amp sooner rather than later in any case.

Some tube amps have auto-basing. Some are very easily adjustable. Some like ARC require a great deal of skill and lots of patience. Read up on them. Does not necessarily cost any $$. In some cases you might need a multimeter which can be had for as little as $6.00 on ebay. Some amps hold bias better than others. For the most part it's not that difficult. Easier than maintaining set up on a Linn LP 12 ;-).

"Even a cheap system should image and play depth. More has to do with setup (not just placement of the speakers in the room) than anything else"

When I read this nonsense you don't understand audio.

Just sitting here shaking my head at what is probably the most laughable single line comment ever on A'gon.