Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!


I am assuming some of you have experienced the following.... All else being the same in the chain, you replaced a power amplifier and started hearing more resolution and detail, perhaps a lil more in a track that you have heard a thousand times.

Ime, the higher you go up in price doesn't necessarily guarantee that you could experience the above mentioned. It seems to come down to the nitty gritty of the circuits under consideration, i.e., the black art of power delivery and analog circuit design.

What is a power amp you may have experimented with that provided the maximum detail and resolution at any price? (Not just perceived changes in tonal balance, etc).

I am hoping to shortlist a power amp based on some suggestions here for a future purchase.

 

P.S. If you are an ASR type of guy who thinks all power amps sound the same, this may not the right thread for you, I suppose...

deep_333

@deep_333  It would seem there are as many great amps as there are members offering opinions.  I assume many are recommending what they have in their own system.  So I'll just give a +1 to Hegel amps.  I've owned three, working my way up to the H30's in fully balanced mono blocks.  I recently sent back a pair of $70,000 (CDN) BAT REX 3 Tube mono blocks as they provided not an iota of sound improvement over the H30s ($27,000 CDN for the pair).  My manta has become "only shop where they have a 100% no questions asked return policy"  Good luck with your quest.

I was also a Benchmark AHB 2 owner for 3 years. Excellent amp for the price but I too found a slight hardness in the lower treble around 2k-3k Hz. Also the overall sound was not as relaxed and laid back as I liked. My goal in replacing it was for a musical and open sounding amp with refined highs, neutral midrange and solid bass. It came down to Bryston 4b3 and Accuphase P4600. Once I heard the Accuphase’s new amp I was sold. Beautifully musical, tight bass response, non fatiguing with a refined extended high end and enough detail to make the music sound real. 

Fortune cookie say’ "One does not see what is in front of their eyes, one sees what is behind them". Same holds true for what a person hears. We all hear what we want to hear rather than what sound is created. That also accounts for why measurements don't tell the whole story.

Comes down to design.  In simple terms, if the component has any filtering of the AC then you in general will get more details and a blacker background - think AC filter chokes.  They power supply caps can make things sound like mush or can have speed and clarity.  Same goes for resistors.  Mills, Amtrans, Audio Note non-magnetic, etc.  That is why upgrades can alter and change the sound tailored to your liking.  No to mention the ability of the transformer to offer top to bottom impact on the sound of a system.

You all have to begin to look under the hood and see what is going on and learn.  It is not hard to learn what makes sound do what it does.

Happy Listening..

You did not mention $$ budget , there are many great amplifiers if money is 

no  object ,being into Audio for decades ,owning a Audiostore  for a decade 

and semi retired now travel  to many audio get togethers and have heard most equipment that's brought into the U.S and many shoot outs between components of all types. Having owned 6 figure audio systems in the past, Now I seek out the best sounding products for the least amount of monies ,that is much harder to achieve  and have found a bunch of equipment for all types of taste .System, synergies  is the most important part in building a solid audio system . You are only as strong as your weakest link in the chain. Many people over look more things then they think is Relevant .1 qiuick examples from your-router- modem combo any wall wart  in the audio chain is destroying the quality of your music- pure garbage , I put a Linear Tube Audio LPS power supply to the router  a Substantial improvement to the incoming signal $700 on Audiogon  nice and clean . I also use a decent Ethernet hub  current  LHY sw8  hub , decent  but could be much better $600, Ethernet cables atleast a few hundred $$ from router ,end point Ethernet cable most important . I use also a Denafrips reclocker  I have a Hermes , in my wife’s the Iris 12th  for little $$ 550, if on a budget totally cleans the incoming signal before going to your dac I use I2S cable which is the best  for sonics , this is just for digital your source maybe the most important part of your music chain ,for you cannot make it better once the signal is compromised.