|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
67.188.166.191
In Reply to: RE: Stories from people who have moved from tubes to SS posted by beppe61 on November 25, 2014 at 23:10:49
...with my Thiel 7.2s I was using Manley Reference 350 tubed amps and wanted to switch to solid state for the simplicity in putting together my last system.
After much research, I bought a Pass X-350 and thought it was the best solid state amp I'd heard with these speakers.
Rich midrange, tighter bass and great dynamic contrasts.
After a month or so I began hearing a grainy texture in the upper midrange and I couldn't live with it.
So I bought the newer version of the Manleys, the Neo Classic 250s.
Here was everything the Pass did with better imaging, a more open, cleaner sound and a relaxed musicality that the Pass lacked.
I've never looked back, but have wondered from time to time how the X-350.5 would have sounded - people tell me it's a big improvement over the 350.
A lot of it has to do with matching to your particular speakers and what you value in the sonic presentation.
Follow Ups:
only I held onto the SS for a whole year, hoping it was just me. Back to tubes, and back to just listening to music.
Jeremy
On a smaller scale, I had the X150 and the X150.5. The X150.5 was more refined and smoother sounding. Coupled to the Cary SLP-05 tube linestage, it was a wonderful sounding setup.... with my Tannoy speakers. I tried with the Thiel CS2.4 and it was slightly under powered. The X250.5 or X350.5 would have been a better match.
However, I too have owned a pair of Manley Neo-Classic 250 amps and they were a match made in heaven with my Thiel speakers (the CS2.4 in my case). As you know, I tried to find a pair of solid-state amps to replace the Neo-Classic 250 and the closest I got were a pair of Ampzilla 2000 2nd Edition monoblocks. Very nice sounding amps!
I also tried W4S SX-500 Class D mono blocks which lasted about a month in my system before I sold them. Same for a pair of large Bryston 7BSST2 Class AB amps. These were a couple of the worse amps I've owned right up there with the Krell KSA-2250 in terms of being lean and sterile. The Brytons were smoother than the Krell though. That Krell was harsh!
To make a long story just a little longer... I found that the Rogue Cronus Magnum integrated tube amp does a great job for me especially now that I'm in a smaller listening room.
I tried too.... but I seem to end up favoring tube gear.
Abe, you said, "I also tried W4S SX-500 Class D mono blocks which lasted about a month in my system before I sold them. Same for a pair of large Bryston 7BSST2 Class AB amps. These were a couple of the worse amps I've owned right up there with the Krell KSA-2250 in terms of being lean and sterile. The Brytons were smoother than the Krell though. That Krell was harsh!"
The Krell is not even worth discussing.
But about those W4S amps, let me guess. Did they seem brittle, overly bright, in-your-face detail, forward soundstage? So unmusical that you couldn't wait to take them out of your system and put something, anything else in just for a little musical relief?
But about those W4S amps, let me guess. Did they seem brittle, overly bright, in-your-face detail, forward soundstage? So unmusical that you couldn't wait to take them out of your system and put something, anything else in just for a little musical relief?
No. Actually, I would take the W4S SX-500 Class D amps over the Krell KAV-2250 or Brystons any day! They weren't that bad sounding. They were OK but compared to other 'traditional' amps I've had whether solid-state or tube, the SX500 were lacking in bass detail. The bass was there, a little rounded, but also lacking definition. In other words, ever so slightly monotonic and noticeably inferior in their ability to separate the very lowest of bass notes.... as in the large upright bass instrument, as an example.
They were a little forward but nothing horrible and they couldn't match my tube amps in creating that almost holographic soundstage.
...having heard a lot of amps both tubed and ss, I have come to a conclusion.
Neither are completely accurate and both have distortion.
Some people (like me and maybe you) are more sensitive to the distortions of the ss amps and others are more sensitive to the tubed distortions.
Although matching with your speakers also plays a part, perhaps emphasizing some of the inherent distortion products.
about individual sensitivity to distortions.I believe anyone on the fence between tubes and SS must listen for themselves. Comments here, no matter how well intentioned, will not give the full story.
"You can’t know what the “best” is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn’t any such thing." HP
Edits: 11/27/14
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: