In Reply to: Has anyone gone from a DHT-SET to a SS system and stayed there? posted by Frihed89 on August 11, 2014 at 14:11:57:
I pretty much have. Staying there as a listener, probably. But as a critic/dealer/advisor, I will keep my Audio Note rig because I understand and appreciate what it does.When you get used to extremely good solid state -- in my case Crimson, Blue Circle's latest stuff -- it's hard not to hear even a fine SET rig as a more of an interpretation than a transmission of recordings and the music on them. That my AN rig is a lovely interpretation is why it's not going anywhere. But I have moved, perhaps a result of age and more experience with both audio and 'live' music, perhaps just growing impatient with audio as an end in itself, toward more objective sounding systems.
Of course it helps that the ones I listen to don't sound like SOLID STATE, even the good solid state I remember -- my Krell KSA50S or a Pass Labs Aleph 3 -- remember JA's rave review of the Pass amp when it came out? They just sound like instruments and voices, as I know them. I don't 'hear my gear,' which would disappoint some folks. When you pay that much for gear you want to hear it. And when you stop hearing it, you get bored and feel pressed to flip it for new gear you can hear. A great many audiophiles I know love the personality and character of their systems. They love their systems. I don't love my ss systems, I love how much music excites and pleases me on them.
An acquaintance of mine who works for Audio Note/UK came by a year or so ago with a long-time friend of mine, Dave Cope, who also works for Audio Note. They were here to diagnose an issue with my turntable and I got them to listen to my Resolution Audio/Crimson/Tocaro system "just for fun." The acquaintance remarked that it sounded damn good, for solid state. Cope simply smiled. He has extremely good, non-ideological ears. I'm not saying he was won over -- he loves Audio Note (and some other SET) gear for the right reasons. That is home for him, has been for many years. But he heard a version of what I heard and tacitly acknowledged it.
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Follow Ups
- Yeah, pretty much. - Bob Neill 08/11/1414:50:24 08/11/14 (14)
- "When you pay that much for gear you want to hear it." - b.l.zeebub 16:22:25 08/11/14 (13)
- Closer to the music, exactly why I love my Wavac! NT - jnr 16:31:22 08/11/14 (12)
- If by WAVAC you mean... - b.l.zeebub 17:06:29 08/11/14 (11)
- Less colored systems - Frihed89 22:47:13 08/11/14 (5)
- RE: Less colored systems - b.l.zeebub 05:11:36 08/12/14 (4)
- Do you consider the pro amp you're using uncolored? - Rick W 09:40:12 08/12/14 (3)
- RE: Do you consider the pro amp you're using uncolored? - b.l.zeebub 10:57:07 08/12/14 (2)
- RE: Do you consider the pro amp you're using uncolored? - morricab 13:05:00 08/12/14 (0)
- Thanks, interesting equipment with good pedigrees. nt - Rick W 11:29:55 08/12/14 (0)
- How can tubes get us closer to music? - Bob Neill 18:12:01 08/11/14 (3)
- RE: How can tubes get us closer to music? - genungo 11:27:52 08/14/14 (2)
- RE: How can tubes get us closer to music? - Bob Neill 12:20:37 08/14/14 (1)
- Getting "close to the recording" might be different than... - genungo 13:53:19 08/14/14 (0)
- If we all liked the same thign there would be a very long line. Mine is the EC300B . . . - jnr 17:43:03 08/11/14 (0)