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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
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.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,784 posts
 
Maril555, we did run into some problems with silver-plated wire and it was both brightness *and* dullness! A lot seems to depend on the wire- its gauge, how its extruded, purity, the thickness of the silver plate, etc. We've heard some that are just fine (Purist made some wire for our use at one point). Copper is a lot easier- just make it pure and don't make the gauge too big :)

Saki70, the Voltage Paradigm showed up about the same time transistors did. I'm sure that's not coincidence!

In a crossover wherein the speaker designer uses series elements to cross over the driver, the actual crossover frequency can change a little if care is not taken to be sure that the upper and lower rolloff points in question do in fact crossover enough! IOW, you often need a dip in impedance at the crossover point in order to be sure that the crossover will be effective. This will cause a loss of power in the amplifier at about the same point that both drivers will be running, hopefully resulting in flat frequency response. Its a matter of taking care- the same scenario might not work so well with a transistor amp- the crossover point might have to be adjusted.
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