What amp(s) are you using? Your setup (at least the Placette and input impedence of the amp) sounds remarkably similar to mine.
Well, that's because it IS similar to yours. I'm using the Placette with the Odyssey Dual Mono, which is very similar to your amps, though not identical. Front end is a Muse Model Two Plus either via a transport or a PC using a Waveterminal U24. Wires are Truthlink, Quicksilver and Tara going from source to speakers. Speakers are Silverline SR-17 (V3).
The story with this system may be interesting to others so I'll go on a bit more. I had been using the Portal Audio Panache integrated in this, my secondary system. I'd owned that amp for a bit more than a year and was delighted with it. It has amazing midrange clarity and drive and I'd always found it very engaging and easy to listen to. There was only one area where I could occasionally find fault with it and that was in taking an authoratative grasp on the low end. Recently that obsessive audiophile itch to change something came up and I had to scratch it. Reluctantly I sold the Panache to try something with more power that might take charge of the low end better. I chose the Odyssey Dual Mono, which I was somewhat familiar with the sound of since I'd heard it a few times in my friend's various systems (in fact he was the one selling his to me). I put it into my system with my Cary SLP-50A preamp borrowed from my SET system. Viola! Bass to write home about. But wait, where's that amazing midrange I'd gotten used to. The clarity had been replaced by a warmth. Though it did not sound bad at all, and I did like it right away, I still found myself longing to have the clarity and sweetness of the Panache midrange back. It was my friend, Peter, who'd sold me the amp, who suggested I check into passive alternatives. I did a bit of research and found a good deal on a Placette and decided to give it a try. It made perfect sense since the Panache has a passive gain stage as well. The idea worked like a charm. I was worried having read many threads about careful matching of components, and didn't think my numbers would be right. I also knew, having bought the Placette used, that I could easily sell turn it around at little or no loss. It worked! There was my midrange back in all it's glory, with the bass I was looking for and shimmering highs to boot. The experience of putting it in place an listening the first time was truly like opening up a window. Peter came over and had a listen and liked it a whole lot too. He was very familiar with the sound of the Panache in that room and knew just what I was looking for. And there it was. Startling clarity, balance and presence. Like almost all SS systems I've ever heard it has a flatter soundstage than tubes, and especially compared to SET, but it does have many nice qualities that tubes do not. Drive, detail, and clarity come to mind. Meanwhile Peter and I have ordered a Sonic Euphoria PLC to do a comparison with in our various systems. I have not even tried the Placette downstairs with the SET system, but I'm predicting it might work great since the input on those amps are 300K! That's my passive story, and I'm stickin' to it.
Marco
