2. amps-preamps
  3. 1220502548

Atma-Sphere S-30 MK3


To Atma owners and gurus;

I've just recently jumped on the Atma wagon and I must say that so far this has been the single most eye & ear opening amplifier experience in my entire audio life of almost 28 years.

The S-30mk3 has been residing in my rig for close to 4 months now and is still breaking in, but should be almost done anytime soon.

I do however complain of an un-natural tonality in general that comes and goes during the break-in period and which was also very clear from the beginning. This is also accompanied by a certain 'hardness'..much like looking directly into sunlight as opposed to looking through a pair of poloroids..This issue is really bugging me and was wondering if it's part of the break-in process of Atmasphere amps in general, as I have never experienced it with other amps, tube or SS..

This aside, the amp seems to be taking forever to break-in..!!! But, it certainly looks to be my holy grail in amplification.

Along the way, I replaced the stock Chinese 6SN7's with EH's and now settled on Tung-Sol's. The latter being the best sounding of the lot. I do wanna stick to current production tubes as much as possible. Don't wanna go on the NOS merry-go-round..:-)

The S-30 is driving a pair of Tannoy Edinburgh's, from the Tannoy Prestige Series, to wonderful effect and the sound is heavenly! Preamp is a BAT VK-3iX Special Edition and is also a very good sonic match with the S-30..

Appreciate any input and of course any advice from the Atmasphere gurus and lovers here..!

TIA

AudioGrails
128x128audiograils
saki70
907 posts
 
"The S-30 is a special case in that it makes more power at higher impedances, this causes some modern speaker crossovers to not work in the way that the speaker designer intended if they are used to Voltage Paradigm rules!"

The 'Voltage Paradigm' should not be passed over lightly !
In an earlier thread titled "mo' better bass:any substitute for watts" this idea was investigated . While that particular thread was addressing bass , maybe Atmaspere could explain how it affects the upper end of the spectrum here .

I know that Atmasphere does not like the term 'synergy' but that probably is what is being discussed here . Some components work well together and some don't !
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Tom, I think the dividing line between "factual" and subjective is might hard to draw - especially on the subject of how something sounds. I have no problem with a manufacturer saying whatever they want as long as their identity is clear; we can than apply as much salt as needed. For example, manufacturers tend to think their equipment will work in a broader array of system contexts than might be ideal for the "synergy" that Saki70 mentions. This seems to be the case with OTLs for example which with the right speakers are unbeatable IMHO, and with other speakers there would be better options.
audiograils's avatar
audiograils OP
23 posts
 

I've read the thread you referred to in your first response. I'll be posting here again with my impresssions once the S-30 has been fully broken-in. So far it's on the right track. Still waiting for the 'body' to fully develop.

Best,
AG
audiograils's avatar
audiograils OP
23 posts
 

I've read the thread you referred to in your first response. I'll be posting here again with my impresssions once the S-30 has been fully broken-in. So far it's on the right track. Still waiting for the 'body' to fully develop.

Best,

AG
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
NOS RCA GTA/Bs will add relative body and warmth should you find that breakin doesn't bring enough of it; though I'm not sure which of those driver tubes have the most impact on sound signature.
More to discover