2. amps-preamps
  3. 1296396391

Wyred 4 Sound experience with 804Ds

I purchased a W4S ST-500 a couple of months ago for my 804Ds. I found an immediate improvement on my NAD amp in terms of soundtsage depth and width, clarity and detail from lows to highs. What I have noticed though is that, music dependent, the sound's can be little cold and lean. With warmth in the recordings it's not an issue and the sound is fantastic. I don't use a tube pre.

I thought I'd mention this for the benefit of those considering a W4S amp, and potentially other Class D amps. I suspect that these amps work best with "full bodied" speakers, and there might also be a lot to be said for synergy with tube pre's. In my case I'm sniffing around a Mcintosh MC302 to bring some of the warmth I had with the NAD back. I can absolutely see why these W4S amps are so highly praised, but my experience suggests there might be room for some qualification/care when choosing them.

Any experience from other 804D owners also valued.
128x128ullodea
jdec
123 posts
 
Funny that Srajan Ebaen mentioned this in the review of the ST500:

"In my extensive amplifier comparisons the ST-500 was considerably warmer and denser than three different Mosfet amps from ModWright, FirstWatt and Nagra; two valve amps (one Yamamoto 300B SET, one Trafomatic EL84 push/pull); one Power Jfet (J2); and two other transistor amps (F5 and Burson PP 160)."
ullodea's avatar
ullodea OP
16 posts
 
I also find that odd, in fact his review was very influential when making my choice. Just posting my experience for the benefit of potential purchasers, as I know I'm not imagining it.
jult52
155 posts
 
I've just started using exactly this amp with my Maggies and have exactly the opposite experience, finding it a very warm sound (which I like). This warmth is identified by a wide swathe of critics, not just Ebaen.

The W4S is detailled. Could it be revealing something about your DAC or Pre that had been covered up by the NAD's coloration?
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Ullodea,
This cool character could simply be a unique finding with your system. Overwhelmingly most have found this amp to reside in the warmth camp.
ullodea's avatar
ullodea OP
16 posts
 
Jult52, Charles1dad: it probably is a unique product of my system, I think the problem's in the mids. Could be that they're being sucked out by my (probably not so well matched in pedigree) CA dacmagic. Back to the drawing board.
More to discover