2. amps-preamps
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Atma-Sphere MP3 or something else?

hey all

some quick background. I'm a headphones guy but use speaker amps/pre power combos for my Abyss TC (and previously Susvara). 

current gear is
Primaluna Evo 400 preamplifier
Nad M23 power amp
speaker cables to speaker/headphone adaptor box (with 0dB and -17dB attenuation switch); i use 0dB for the hard to drive headphones, and -17dB for more sensitive headphones like Utopia etc.

i have the Atma-Sphere MP3 on home demo for a couple of days/weeks. had some initial issues with a faulty 12AU7 tube, but Ralph @ Atma-Sphere was great in helping me trouble shoot the unit. Am still having some background mild hum/electrical noise, very faint and only audible between songs/during quiet music or passages. not a big issue; am guessing either the inherent gain or from the rather old 12AT7 tubes.  if i flick the switch on the speaker/headphones adaptor box to -17dB, then the background hum disappears.

from my own listening, i really like the MP3. i think it outclasses the Primaluna evo 400 especially in the low end and mids. top end is less clear/sparkly than the Primaluna, but overall it makes for a very warm, inviting, lush sound. music and staging, pretty much everything sounds grander and "bigger" with the Atma-Sphere.

i'm looking to get a new tube pre. the Atma-Sphere seems like a rather "old" model. i cant find any recent reviews or forum posts about it. anyone here still using the MP3 or have the newer MP3.3 variant? is the MP3.3 an audible improvement over the older models? is it still a "relevant" component? i was also looking at the Modwright LS36.5 but the local dealer doesnt have a unit on hand, so i cant demo it, and it'll be a blind buy.

 

128x128docroasty
docroasty's avatar
docroasty OP
81 posts
 

@decooney yep am using it in front of the Nad m23. I still have the Sierra 2ex but those speakers are used with an Audiolab integrated; I only tested it with the mp3 to see if the whine/hum was still present with speakers. otherwise, the slp-05 and nad M23 are used with my headphones (yea I know..) but I find my Abyss 1266 TC Phi sound best out of speaker amps. 

​​​​​​As for other amplifiers I've tried.. Audiolab 6000a, Audiolab 8300a, Benchmark AHB2, Pass Int60, apollon 1et400a, kinki M7. aside from the current nad M23, I also have the apollon 1et7040sa variant purifi; this actually pairs very well with the slp-05. I wanted to use these two power amps because I like how they have selectable gain. 

am waiting for my friend to test his newly received atma-sphere Gan monoblocks before I decide if I wanna pull the trigger on those somewhere down the road. 

​​​​​​​​​

decooney
2,174 posts
 

@docroasty ...As for other amplifiers I've tried.. Audiolab 6000a, Audiolab 8300a, Benchmark AHB2, Pass Int60, apollon 1et400a, kinki M7. aside from the current nad M23, I also have the apollon 1et7040sa variant purifi; this actually pairs very well with the slp-05. 

A worthy comparison group there. Will be interested if you conclude any of the Class D amps, M23 or Gan monos pair up better with the SLP-05 as good as or better than any of the prior solid state amps you've tried. Thx. 

docroasty's avatar
docroasty OP
81 posts
 

@decooney am slightly hesitant to try the Atma-Sphere Gan monos as they too have rather high gain (well, in comparison to the apollon and nad amps). between the Nad and the Apollon, it's pretty close; Apollon is slightly smoother up top but the Nad has imo better low end extension and slightly more bass. The Apollon amp looks nicer, is built like a tank, and has 4 selectable gain levels, which is useful. won't be going back to Benchmark anytime soon; I had the whole stack ie dac3b, hpa4 and ahb2 and the cold neutrality killed the enjoyment of listening to music.. 

decooney
2,174 posts
 

@docroasty "I had the whole stack ie dac3b, hpa4 and ahb2 and the cold neutrality killed the enjoyment of listening to music.."

Yep. Had the dac3b too. Not for long, for the same reasons. Another one of those so called "great measuring" components, and yet I lost interest in it rather quickly.  

Best of luck on the next steps and finding a good match.

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