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Bel Canto and Wyred monos

Hey all,

I've got a Mccormack DNA-125 driving my Martin Logan EM ESLs that I really love. Were it not for one big issue, I wouldn't even think about upgrading - and that issue is that it's really big. Like, too big for my rack, meaning it has to sit on top under my TV.

I decided recently to look for amps that were either standard component width or less, and two amps that keep popping up are the Wyred and Bel Canto monoblocks. Both would fit comfortably in my rack, and seem to be very well regarded.

My only concern is that I regard the McCormack so highly I'm concerned that these amps may not represent a significant upgrade in performance, despite the difference in price. I love it's almost tube-like warmth and musicality, and am a little concerned that with the Class D amps paired with my great but neutral speakers and my tonally similar Class D preamp (the underrated PS Audio GCP), things might get too clinical.

Has anyone compared either of these amps to any of the classic Mccormacks or similar AB amps?
hudsonhawk
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,383 posts
 
From what I have read researching McCormack, I would not doubt that the McCormack amp might come across with more warmth, tube like or otherwise, than some.

For example Class D amps I use and have heard have some tube like traits in the midrange, but warmth is not one of them. Every SS amp I have owned prior to my current Class Ds were somewhat warm in comparison. My current Tube Audio Design Hibachi monoblocks I run in my other system at present concurrently as well.

They don't call it "Icepower" for no reason. More like a cool crisp winter's day than a warm summer evening. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact it is is quite good, but just a tad different perhaps than most Class A/B SS amps I have heard.
unsound
7,332 posts
 
Hudsonhawk, not trying to derail anything; it's just that to my ears the McCormack amps present the opposite of a "tube like warmth".
The McCormacks have a tight extended rhythmic bass with an extended high end, not a tube like warmth which would indicate a soft bloomy bass and rolled off treble. The only things the McCormacks have in common with tube amps is a forward presentation and liquidity in the treble.
desmondjim
67 posts
 
I have a McCormack DNA-125 and a Wyred4Sound ST 250 that I used in my main system. I find them both quite good but they have do have some differences. I find the Wyred4Sound to be a little warmer on the the top than the the DNA-125 and not quite as extended on top. The smoothness was nice but they were a little polite for my taste at first. I was able to correct that with brighter tubes in the preamp to add some sparkle. The mid-range and bass I think the ST-250 edges out the DNA-125 but not by much. I currently have the ST-250 in my system while the DNA-125 is in storage.

Cheers,
Jim
hudsonhawk OP
137 posts
 
Thanks Jim, that's incredibly useful.

I'm currently deciding if I will stick with the separates route (in which case I'd most likely get the Wyred) or get an integrated like the Hegel H100.

Unsound, that's fair, though I will say I'm not the first person whose described the amp that way. Either way it's a great amp, and a bargain for the money. I just want to make sure I find a replacement that is its better and hopefully gives me the warmth and intimacy I prefer from a system (if this system didn't have to double as our TV system I would just get a tube amp).
unsound
7,332 posts
 
^I agree; "Either way it's a great amp, and a bargain for the money."
I suspect the Bel Canto and Wyred monos might be warmer than the McCormack. But I'd also guess that the more forward nature of the McCormack might offer more intimacy.
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