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Walking that fine line: What would you do ?

I recently installed an amp on loan from a friend in one of my systems. We swapped amps just to "compare notes". I had an amp that he wanted to hear and vice-versa. The fact that we are a couple of States apart makes it hard to do first hand comparisons with each other, so we have to be selective, especially with amps. Between the shipping costs and the potential damage, this is the first time that we've done this. If we were both happy with the results, we were simply going to swap amps and compensate the differences in cash.

As it turns out, i like the amp quite a bit. It seems to be a good match for the preamp and speakers that i'm using it with. There is only one "problem". Whereas the system has always sounded very musical with good accuracy ( hard to achieve ), i've now moved up a notch on the "accuracy" scale. I'm now hearing a little deeper into the discs. While most would call this a step in the right direction in terms of being "revealing", i'm beginning to think that it is "annoying" and "distracting". Don't get me wrong, the amp / system sound quite good, maybe the best it ever has. It is not "etched" or "analytical" by any means. I could use all of the superlative's to describe what i'm hearing, but i've now got one nagging problem.

I can now hear just how much the engineers are "twistin' knobs" on several recordings that previously sounded "warm and sweet" i.e. very enjoyable with no distractions. One in particular is Diana Krall's Love Scenes. On some songs, you can easily hear the faders come up as she begins to sing and drop down as she stops. This is evident as the noise floor increases and you hear more hiss. When the mics are open, you have less of a "black background" between musical notes from the instruments. On some of the other songs, they simply leave the mic open most of the time and you hear hiss throughout most of it. On a few others, the leave the mic open, then fade it in a few spots, open it back up, etc... Some of this was obvious before, but not anywhere near the extent that it is now.

While most of us would not consider this a big deal, it kind of gets annoying after a while. To me, it's kind of like looking for a smaller hidden picture within a much larger picture. Once you find it, it is all that you can concentrate on. How you could've missed it for all that time is beyond you. So it is with this system now. In other words, these "small details" now distract me from the "big performance" taking place.

Has anybody else run into a similar situation and what did you do ? I'm open to suggestions as i'm kind of twisting and turning on this one. I like the amp a lot, BUT.... Sean
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sean
sean OP
6,231 posts
 
Reference quality ? This is the system in my computer room !!!

Honestly though, i use this system a LOT and have spent a lot of time with various trial and error combo's. If i told you guys what i'm currently running and what i paid for it, it would blow that "high resolution takes big cash & big names" theory to shame. Between the CD source ( transport & dac ), preamp, power amp, PLC, speakers, cables, etc... i have about $2500 invested in it. It was all bought used and "well researched" before buying. In other words, i'm a cheapskate that prefers to do homework and break out the elbow grease instead of throw money at a "brand name" system. I do have a new transport and DAC that will be going into it soon, which i know are measurably more revealing AND musical than what is currently in there. This will bring the total up to about $3250 after deducting the cost of the current transport / dac.

So what did you do while you had a system of this type ? I'm liking what i hear, but almost want to go back to the slightly "masked" and "romantic" sound of NOT hearing all of the things that should NOT end up in a recording. Sean
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gregm
3,405 posts
 
Sean, we had a similar experience --again, with an amp (wide-bandwidth). Subtle detail become more palatable and comprehensible -- i.e. the instrument producing the sound was immediately recognisable. And yes, "knob-twisting" as you very well note, become painfully obvious! On the other hand, the tonal wealth of a violin (that survived the mastering...) emerged beautifully! Generally, MOST records sounded perceptibly DIFFERENT! So, we kept the machine and had some fun with perceptible recording or mastering tricks that were now obvious.

Very soon we got used to the "image within the image" and we no longer notice it!

What sounds worrying is the reference to "warm", "musicality" with yr amp vs. no such words with this one... unless this is fortuitous.

I would strongly urge you to try classical -- strings, piano, and voice. If "beauty" (timbres, tonal balance, harmonics, etc, enough to grasp you) is there, the amp's worth keeping IMO.

On the down side, many systems now sound slightly bland to both wife and meself!
Cheers!
sean OP
6,231 posts
 
Greg, it still sounds quite musical but is not quite as "warm" of "full bodied". It is cleaner, quicker, better bass definition, more accurate, etc.. whereas the other amp that i was running was a little more "colourful" and "sensual" sounding on female vocals ( which i liked ).

I'm glad that we have similar points of view on gear being "different". While some stuff IS noticeably better than others, a lot of it is just being delivered from a different perspective. Your suggestion to try some various types of music is a point well taken. I've been listening to a few discs quite a bit and i probably need to widen my horizons in order to grasp the full potential / differences in these amps. Both are fast / wide bandwidth designs, as i really don't like bandwidth limited stuff for "serious listening". It's okay for relaxing, background music though i.e. the bedroom, etc... Sean
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abstract7
541 posts
 
Sean:
I've had the same experience. It has changed my listening practices. There are some albums I simply can not enjoy on my main system. I like the material (composition), but the engineers turned a few too many dials--added too many effects--and then when listening to it I feel like I'm listening to effects--not music. I save those recordings for other systems (or in the car). What the system does for well recorded and well engineered albums however is exceptional--and I wouldn't go back.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I had a similar experience but a different result. I have nothing against my system. What I have found is some recordings that I liked with my old "budget audiophile" system, now sound like crap on my what I'll call my "Upper Mid-Fi" system. I can hear when recordings have been processed to enhance the sound. What sounded full and rich before, now reveals that they added Echo. On other recordings the orchestra balance is off because they boosted the midrange so it sounds good in the car and on a boom box.


I advise staying away from the current crop of classical DG reissues under the "DG Originals" label. I have been slowing replacing the ones I have with earlier releases that were simply the original LP analog recording transfered to CD with no changes. They sound a lot better on my newest system. (or I try to find the LP.) Some new EMI reissues have the same problem. The ones on London Decca are great!!

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