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RE: Preamp shootout

I do not lean at all towards a thin sound...sorry to burst your preconceived notions about me. Also, i do not like an unnaturally rich sound that I have often heard with AN speakers. Once you have heard what pure high frequencies sound like from ribbons, stats, some horns and plasma tweeters then soft domes don't cut it for realism.

"Reference 3a with BE to me is ear bleeding - every albuum I have put through them or the Odeons sounds BRIIIIIGHT and thin and edgy"

Where did you hear Odeons? Which model? With what kind of amps?

Do I like a clear transparent sound? Very much so, do I like box coloration? Not at all. Do I like a rich NATURAL tone for my music...recording willing, yes. Contrast in recordings should obvious but not exaggerated. Really good recordings will sound neither thin nor warm/rich/dark but real and if you don't know what the difference is then go hear more live, unamplified concerts.

Your comments about Ref 3a speakers with Be tweeters is way off. I had the speakers both before and after the Be tweeter (Master Control MMCs). EVERYONE who heard both preferred them with the Be tweeter. A friend of mine had the same model and after hearing the improved transparency and openness he immediately bought Be tweeters too. Bright they are not...in fact the Be has a softness that is almost softdome like but with the clarity of a metal tweeter...I understand why so many top high end speakers went to Be tweeters. Only diamond does this clarity without harshness as well for a conventional dome type tweeter.

Ribbons and stats can reproduce warmth on a recording just fine...provided you use correct electronics with them and the recording has a natural sound. Obviously, not all ribbon speakers are created equal...just like not all boxes or horns are equal so one shouldn't over generalize. They will not exaggerate warmth as a lot of box speakers will do. The box and tuning will enhance this effect. AN speakers actually brag about the box contributing to the overall sound. While this is a pleasant coloration and seems to be low enough that it doesn't completely muddy the picture, it is definitely a coloration as it is an uncontrolled addition to the music signal.

I have heard your LM219ia, both with a good conventional speaker and with a near SOTA WE replica system. It has an inherent warmth to the sound that is its inherent signature. It is not extreme and greatly masking fine details but it is there nonetheless. Overall, it is a very good amp though...one that would likely work well with my Odeons. The AN speakers (at least the moderate priced ones I have heard) lean in the same direction and to me lack the realism I hear live. They might sound pretty and if you put them in a corner they have plenty of bass but ultimate resolution suffers somewhat as a result of the design choice, IMO.

"And the poison I choose is the poison where I can listen to my entire music collection and enjoy it."

I find it interesting that by implication you are saying that I cannot do this with my system. Sure i hear big differences in the quality of the recordings...didn't Peter Q. say that is a good thing?? However, very few become unenjoyable to listen to...a couple perhaps but most are just fine. The really good ones are spooky.

Take care what you say about my preferences. I am definitely not in the "lean and clean" crowd and have said repeatedly that I need the tone of instruments to be correct to be satisfied with a piece of gears performance. To call the Ref 3a Be speakers bright tells me just how far in the other direction you have gone.

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