All competently designed amps of low noise, low distortion and low output impedance will sound indistinguishable. Tube amps with their high output impedance are excluded. They will track a speaker's impedance curve and have a non-flat response.
Anyone else constantly curious about amps?
I'll start of by saying I have a really great sounding amp, the Mastersound Dueventi. It's a class-A tube amp running in PSET putting out 20 watts of power, which proves to be plenty in my room. I have other audio upgrades that would be more valuable. I've slowly been replacing cables, a new streamer would probably have the biggest impact in my system next, I'd like a new turntable now that I've stepped up my cartridge and phonostage...
But I just keep coming back to amps. For some reason I just feel a need to bring in something new. I can't afford it. It won't be the most high impact in my system. I don't really have anywhere to demo several of these options. But still, I've been on a two week long rabbit hole exploring solid state class A options like Pass and Sugden. I heard a top in system this past weekend with Jeff Rowland driving the system and I forgot how great those can sound, so I'm finding myself looking at their integrated. I know Norma amps sound amazing with my speakers, so I'm always tempted to bump that up the priority list.
Someone talk me off the ledge and help me with this sickness!
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- 66 posts total
Nothing wrong with the way you feel. Perhaps your analytical side says a streamer will net you the better sound but your subconscious is telling you an amp will do it. Without getting into the psychology of it. Perhaps your subconscious it right. Amps really impact the sound of your system... of course all the components do... but the steamer is a bit more about detail fine nuance and the amp is about heft among other things. Your speakers are not tremendously efficient... so, it is very possible a great amp would make a huge difference.
It also sounds like you are really wondering what a real audiophile piece of equipment sounds like. When I got my first job out of college I took out my first loan to buy a true state of the art piece of audiophile equipment... a Threshold s500 amp... $5K... $20K in today’s dollars. It was one of a couple revelatory leaps of faith I took that lead me to the great / rewarding journey I have been on to assemble the system I have today. Maybe consider, making that leap. Don’t rush. Take a trip to a city... spend the weekend, visit several places. Research the heck out of it. Then find some way to finance / pay for a really great amp. Typically I will have an amp for ten to twenty years, before I upgrade, I had a Pass x350 for 17 years and only lost 500 dollars from what I paid for it! Audiophile stuff keeps its value long term. |
I've long been curious about amps and wanted to try a variety of topologies. Solid state, both class a/b and class a, one of the class a powered via four wheelchair batteries. Push pull tubes with many varieties of power tubes, SET's using 845, 300B, 2a3. Now looking for a 2a3 or 45 SET to add to my 300B. Also looking at 300B's with interstage transformers. |
@ghdprentice I think you’re absolutely right. I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to several truly high end systems in homes with amazingly built out rooms, some designed from the initial home build. I’ve been spoiled and deep down I’m just continuing the journey to try to bring some of that home. And I think you are absolutely spot on with being patient, and being willing to travel to demo gear. I suggest that to others often, but more I’m really starting to enter the price points where I need to heed my own advice, and patience really is the key. While I would never finance that type of investment, I can save for it. And that’s what is going to be required. Patience, saving, exploring and committing. |
- 66 posts total