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In Reply to: Appreciate your feedback .. posted by SoftwireEngineer on January 04, 2004 at 18:01:02:
In my system , the XR45 had noticabley less air & ambiance than the BC28 and somewhat less than the HCA-2. Now of course, the BC28 has tubes so some may claim this to be "artificial" and "coloured".On its own the XR45 sounded fine, having great articulation and clarity. Compared to the others, it sounded more mechanical, but not really unpleasant to my ears.
As mentioned previously, the other place the XR45 fell down was accuracy on tonality and timbre on various instruments, especially on the higher end of the scale. Piano, strings, cymbals, brushes etc.
High frequency issues seem to be the most common complaint of digital amplifiers. By no means is every one reporting it, so it may be some sort of system synergy concern.
I must also add that I am using 4-ohm 89db full-range floor standers. I am not sure of their impedence curve. The XR45 says 6 to 8 ohm speakers on the back. Most people say 4-ohms s/b fine. I don't know if this is true or not.
I will be comparing the XR45 to the HCA2 and BC28 in a few weeks in another system and see if the results are similar.
Follow Ups:
One other comment re "air & ambiance" that I have posted before.Have a read of the stereotimes review of the TACT Audio 2150 digital amp. The reviewer thought ultimate musicality came with the addition of tubes in the chain (rather than a direct digital feed).
Also, Solar HiFi feels the need to offer a tubed input stage option to its digital amplifier.
You can draw your own conclusions from the above. Others will draw different ones.
J North,
Thanks for the responses. I dont like artificial stuff in any form, any where. I do like my MMF-5 turntable though. The main reason I like my analog rig is that - it is transparent. It sounds REAL. That is my main criterion for my audio components. I think the Panasonic cannot drive difficult loads. Sony's new digital drive receivers also seem to be plagued with these problems. We have to wait for some more time for digital amplification technology to mature. I am pretty sure the capacitors and the low-pass filtering at the output stage use components that are not optimal quality which is what is affecting the overall quality of the sound from this amp. I am really trying to simplify my system. I have $600 worth of PSAudio Ultimate Outlet+Power cords feeding my $400 CD player 963SA now and a $200 worth of interconnect to the Int. Amp. I am just try to get out of this cables/accessories madness. I cannot use stock cables/interconnects because I know that what I have now make a difference. Anyways..thanks for your feedback.
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