Non-fatiguing solid-state integrated ?

The RSX 965 was the best sounding AVR I ever owned but fraught with QC issues and back for service every couple of months. Replaced with the 972 which sounded horribly fatiguing. Neither my ex or I could stay in the room with it. I still have a modified RCD 971 CD player.
 
Art K. said:
The RSX 965 was the best sounding AVR I ever owned but fraught with QC issues and back for service every couple of months. Replaced with the 972 which sounded horribly fatiguing. Neither my ex or I could stay in the room with it. I still have a modified RCD 971 CD player.
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I can't say I've ever listened to a Rotel AVR. Plenty of integrated and Seperates.
 
I know a lot of people like Emotiva gear, but I find them very sterile and just uninspiring. Cambridge CDP's sounded to bright until I listened to that new high dollar CDP/DAC player they just came out with...that thing is off the chain. It was in a shoot out with a High dollar Audio Note DAC and held it own.
 
chicks said:
Solid state amps are fatiguing? Huh. No wonder I can only listen for 16 hours at a time! So if I go toobz, I can listen for what, 24, 25 hours without getting tired? Thanks, really good information. :rolleyes:
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Try 16 hours of death metal and power pop from a CA 340SE then come back to me. :scratch2:

Guys, thanks for the recommendations, and I take the point about it being a broader issue than simply amp choice - like many here, I'm steadily working my way through different options. It may well be that I need to tailor my playlists for late-night listening a little more carefully. :D
 
slippers-on said:
I know a lot of people like Emotiva gear, but I find them very sterile and just uninspiring. Cambridge CDP's sounded to bright until I listened to that new high dollar CDP/DAC player they just came out with...that thing is off the chain. It was in a shoot out with a High dollar Audio Note DAC and held it own.
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Interesting - can you be a little more specific re model number, slippers-on ? I recall you were looking forward to hearing the new CA amp, but I didnt know about this CDP/DAC.
 
estreeter said:
Interesting - can you be a little more specific re model number, slippers-on ? I recall you were looking forward to hearing the new CA amp, but I didnt know about this CDP/DAC.
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this was the first generation Emotiva a few years ago. also the CDP ERC-1 I believe. They where really sterile...no feeling whatsoever. It was just a hi fi system...sounded very hifi-ish. also a buddy bought two of their subs late last year. One sub went out 1 month after he purchased it and he sent it back for a refund. 7 months later the other sub went back. By this time he threw out the box for the sub...Emotiva would not take it back with out one of their boxes and packing materials and wanted to sell him a box for $35. ...They would to even let him go to UPS to get it professionally boxed so he could ship it back.

The new Cambridge stuff is really good. The CDP/DAC is really a nice piece. They ain't cheap either...the CDP/DAC is like $1850 as well as the new integrated amp.
 
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slippers-on said:
this was the first generation Emotiva a few years ago. also the CDP ERC-1 I believe. They where really sterile...no feeling whatsoever. It was just a hi fi system...sounded very hifi-ish. also a buddy bought two of their subs late last year. One sub went out 1 month after he purchased it and he sent it back for a refund. 7 months later the other sub went back. By this time he threw out the box for the sub...Emotiva would not take it back with out one of their boxes and packing materials and wanted to sell him a box for $35. ...They would to even let him go to UPS to get it professionally boxed so he could ship it back.

The new Cambridge stuff is really good. The CDP/DAC is really a nice piece. They ain't cheap either...the CDP/DAC is like $1850 as well as the new integrated amp.
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Sorry - I wasnt being clear - I meant the model number for the CA CDP/DAC ? At $1850, I am assuming its their top of the range model ? I know their 751BD gets rave reviews as a universal player, but I dont know where they are at with dedicated CDPs.
 
komoyuki said:
There is many options out there in that price range. I just do not know to start where. Do you need a lot of power? what is other gears you have? You will have to be more specific on what you are looking for.
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Hi Komoyuki,

Apologies - my current rig is very basic and I'm a bit embarrassed to even add it to my sig, but I'm looking more for general recommendations than a specific combination. I know that system matching is (all) important, but I wanted something broader as I hope to be able to upgrade everything eventually. Common sense dictates that you start with the speakers ( and/or headphones) and work from there, but its good to get some broad brush amp recommendations.

estreeter
 
I'm very pleased with my Bryston B100SST integrated, It's been Replaced with the B135SST2 this year and list's for about $4,500 I believe. If you feed it a fatiguing source thats what you will get, it doesn't sugar coat the music. It just gets out of the way. Every song is different. It's like listening to all my faverite music for the first time. If your looking for that warm Tube like sound look elsewhere. If your looking for an Amp that is Transparent, with abusulute Bass Controll, and want the kind of low level resulution that makes every insturment sound distinct, no matter how congested the music gets, Bryston Amps do that. It sounds better than the most optimistic review I've read on it.

From what I've Read, Rega's Brio-R for a much more reasonable $900 is said to be a very good Amp. I mean I love my Bryston, but today I'd look at something like that.

If the marketing people are doing their job correctly, because our percptions of SQ are easily influinced, we can sometimes be 100% convinced of one Idea, despite several other Idea's that have worked for others for many years. There are many approaches to improving SQ and designing Audio Product's. It's my opinion that many technologies Tube/SS, Belt/Direct Drive TT's, Ported/Sealed or 2/3 way Speakers, CD's/LP's, ect, when properly implemented can all do a fine job.
 
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chicks said:
Solid state amps are fatiguing? Huh. No wonder I can only listen for 16 hours at a time! So if I go toobz, I can listen for what, 24, 25 hours without getting tired? Thanks, really good information. :rolleyes:
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I completely agree. Never quite understood the fatiguing descriptor in refence to solid state. Good audio is good audio, regardless of source, in my experience. The "warm" thing I get, but if my sansui 4000 isn't warm, then I guess I'm ok being left out in the cold.
 
Remember folks sound is very subjective, personal, and abstract to each of us. I don't think the OP was trying to be disrespectful, merely sharing their experiences. Personally, it is speakers and sources that tend to create the fatiguing experiences for me. That's where I always begin when I experience listeners fatigue.
 
I'd look into the modern Luxman amps like the L-505U or some of the Simaudio
integrateds. Can't go wrong with either.
 
Thanks again, guys - I seem to have narrowed it down to about 50 or so amps (!), but I am particularly interested in one or two. The FET suggestion is something which seems to keep beeping on my radar screen.

The Nait XS recommendation tickles me on several levels, not least of which was a mini-review on these pages which concluded with this summary:

Pros: explosive dynamics
Cons: explosive dynamics ....

Gotta love a sense of humor.
 
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