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REVIEW: B&K ST-140 vs EX-442 Sonata (140M mono amps in one box)

Just some quick comments for the archives for anyone who is ever comparing early vs late B&K gear and trying to decide what to buy. I've listened, extensively, to a B&K ST-140 vs an EX-442 Sonata. The setup was a pair of AR-3a loudspeakers with SEAS Excel soft dome tweeters. I used a Lenco L-75 with Linn LV-X tonearm and Ortofon OM 20 cartridge into a Urei 1122 transcription phono preamplifier and then directly into each power amp using Cardas Quadlink 5-C interconnects. Speaker cables were CAT-5. I did both standard and blind A/B tests, the latter featuring me with closed eyes while a friend switched the amps back and forth.

The difference is as follows: The amps sound IDENTICAL except the ST-140 is a little thicker, more round, and slightly more laid back. The ST-140 is warmer and has a beefier mid-range, for example...snares have a nice, punchy attack vs a sizzle/splat. The EX-442 has slightly deeper bass and slightly more punch overall, yet not as much weight as the ST-140. The EX-442 is subtly more extended in the upper registers and is a touch more revealing. There is more information there with the B&K EX-442 than the ST-140. I chose the ST-140 in the final analysis because I simply found it to be more musical. It has more bloom and flesh-like presence. I love the sound of tubes, so that might explain my choice. If you are searching for ultimate resolution, the EX-442 is the superior amp. While the EX-442 isn't as friendly sounding, it maintains much of the same character as the original ST-140. It's extremely hard to tell the difference between the two, in fact, and all of these comments represent very subtle differences. And I'll also say that all this stuff you hear about the ST-140 having slow and tubby bass compared to the EX-442 is not true. The EX-442 is only marginally faster/deeper in terms of lower octave slam factor. The end.


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Topic - REVIEW: B&K ST-140 vs EX-442 Sonata (140M mono amps in one box) - Mr Blue Sky 14:11:55 07/9/11 (0)

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