Warm, Smooth yet Transparent Amp

Hi Charles, I also enjoy reading your contributions on these forums. I guess it all depends on how one uses the terminology. I know that many here misuse the word neutral, and feel that neutral and transparency are interchangeable words, this bothers me. I feel that neutral means natural, with there being no added warmth nor added treble emphasis.

I understand that you don't equate transparency to thinner and lean sound, however, you must realize that the majority of folks on this forum do interpret transparency this way. When asked for reco's for transparent cables, Nordost will always come up. When asked for reco's for transparent electronics, ARC will always come up. You get the idea? Many manufacturers will try to pursue the word transparent by highlighting the treble region artificially, thereby bringing more apparent detail to the music. While we may have a different understanding for an audiophile term than the majority of users here, when I try to answer questions, I assume the term is being used in the most common way as understood by the majority.

I'm not saying that you can't have your own definitions for these terms, and therefore feel that both yin and yang can be accomplished simultaneously. However, by using the most common conceptions of the words transparent, and warm and smooth, I still feel that these sonic qualities will lead you in opposite directions tonally.

That said, I'd love to get my hands on some high quality SET amp(s) like your Coincident's. Cheers!

"warmth" i believe is something to do with distortions and colorations and it's not part of precise signal delivery.
transparency is explicively part of precision and performance.
i believe that by gaining warmth the transparency is jeopardised.
i own sunfire 300 mk2 amp that i've purchased for very low price for more than 10 years and every time i was thinking of upgrade, i was thinking again to keep my amp and it's never got upgraded ever since. with tube SETs you may not achieve the desired performance simply because you don't have efficient enough speakers. the most transparent and precise tube amp i've ever heard and not only for your budget, but overall was quicksilver M60 90's model. it's extremely hard to find, but if you get lucky snatch it quick.

Hi John,
Well you certainly understand my point of distinction within the audiophile
vernacular. Here's my example of transparency. If you were in a room and
someone is playing their instrument (no microphone) there's nothing
between you and the sound (ultimate transparency). You'd hear all the tone,
timbre, pitch and harmonic overtones that instrument has to offer. The
sound will be naturally full, rich and vibrant just as they're intended to
sound. They won't sound lean, bleached, two dimensional and
sterile(Pseudo transprency). I'm reminded of this every time I visit the local
jazz clubs (without exception).
Charles,

Hello Charles,
Yes, your description of transparency sounds very enticing indeed, I would call that natural transparency. The word transparent has taken a ugly turn for me on these boards, as most will equate it with that artificially created sound where the treble region is emphasized to provide the illusion of more detail. I find that sound lean, thin, anemic, and soul-less. There are many detail freaks in the high end these days, who are looking for the ultimate in resolution and transparency, no matter how artificial it is when compared to live, unamplified music.

I'd love to visit more local jazz clubs, but unfortunately, my wife is not a fan of that genre of music. So we compromise, no jazz for me, no country for her, and we just attend live Symphony Orchestral performances (we both enjoy classical music). :)

John,
Yes, "natural" is the key term.