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Brand Reputations?
I've been reading about amps lately and usually people tend to lump brands together by general characteristics you find in most of that brands line. I was hoping some of you could share your thoughts on what brands of amps offer what different qualities. An example would be I've heard people say Bryston are powerful and offer a strong low end. Or that it doesn't typically matter how old a McIntosh is, they are solid performers in all areas. I know this is all opinion. But then again, isn't everything in audio?
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mcIntosh makes Tube amps as well -- which are better than their SS amps - at least the few I've heard. UHF magazine actually dislikes most McInotsh SS amps and blame their design topology. But they have support as well.
Brystons pretty much sound the same -- all have low noise and tight control over a speaker's woofer cones -- this works well for some speakers but not for others.
Amplifiers should be carefully mated to speakers.
It would be nice for more companies to start to designing the entire audio chain so one can hear the system objective the designer has in mind.
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I really don't buy the "brand characteristics" you read and hear about. I think that's just audiophiles being lazy. I read things like Arcams sound warm, and Creeks sound neutral...really, every Arcam model from the beginning of time? My experience with most brands is that the sound characteristics will change from year to year, or even model to model, you've really got to listen to each unit to make that judgement call for yourself. With the exception maybe of every Adcom I've heard, which tends to sound bright, but with a good handle on the bass. Maybe they just approach every thing they touch the same way? Maybe I just haven't heard every Adcom.
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Originally Posted by RGA
It would be nice for more companies to start to designing the entire audio chain so one can hear the system objective the designer has in mind.
I have a huge problem with this approach. It'd be great if everybody's brains worked the same, everybody's ears were the exact same shape, every room's acoustic environmnent was identical, and most importantly, you believed the system objective of the designer was perfect or even good for all applications. I can guarantee at least 50% of the world will perceive what real music sounds like differently than any one designer, that's a massive set back there. I haven't heard a system or piece of gear yet that I couldn't find something I didn't like about. And my tastes (as I suspect everyone else's) are just too unique to fit into a "one-size fits all" mold.
The truth is no matter how talented or how large the company, nobody can be everything to everyone. Usually, a company has a particular strength, something it does just a bit better than everything else it does (or maybe a whole lot better). You'd really be limiting yourself by sticking with one manufacturer's complete line.
I think someone would be much better off, even if they did agree with the designer's total system philosophy, to pay less attention to the specifics of each component and pay more attention to the macro basics of each component that contribute to the sound (ie: warm presentation, SET vs SS). Then use that as a template and find similar components by other manufacturers just to see if they get a small piece of that chain a bit better.
It's doubtful that you couldn't swap out one component, try every other competing product at the price point, and not find an improvement. Likewise, it's possible you'll find a piece that's just as good, or almost as good, but far cheaper, and a much better "value". For this reason I would try the system maximization approach.
But definitely, buy gear with system synergy in mind.
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I would agree that an amplifier company usually has a certain sound characteristic or signature that they stick with. Take most any brand and go from the entry piece up and there will be improvement in detail and quality but the main characteristic of the brand will still be there. For instance, I have heard several Arcam amps and I would never tell anyone they were warm, they are fast and detailed with extended high end. Those basic characteristics come out in all the Arcams I've heard it's some may have better detail or smoother highs. You'll never find an amp company that goes from one amp being warm to the next being aggressive in the same brand. I find that you have companies like Bryston, Krell or Levinson in a group that make very powerful dynamic amps and you have other companies like McIntosh or Conrad Johnson (solid state) that go the opposite direction a tend to give a warmer or more romantic sound. All of these companies have great reputations for quality you will have to listen to some equipment and get a feel for which you prefer. But if someone is familiar with a certain brand you should be able to rely on what they say about the reputation. You can't find a Krell that sounds like a Conrad Johnson or vise versa. Companies have a design philosophy they follow and this philosophy is offered at different price points but they don't jump from one philosophy to another as you go up the line.
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Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
I would agree that an amplifier company usually has a certain sound characteristic or signature that they stick with.../.../....Companies have a design philosophy they follow and this philosophy is offered at different price points but they don't jump from one philosophy to another as you go up the line.
I agree that most of the expensive brands have typical sound. According to the reviews in the better magazines the differences between brand A house sound and brand B house sound are diminishing. the exotic maufacturers seem to be heading for a more neutral presentation. I personaly believe that the quality of the music reproduction chain from one end to the other has shown a fairly steady improvement for the last 10-20 years. Now the company that has a distictive sound that may have previously masked a weakness stands out as being different. By the way I believe this to be true of turntables, CD players, amplifiers and pre-amplifiers. The stuff still isn't cheap but there is more bang for the buck.
Of course the "SET, simplicity is best group" will probably disagree.
To my ears the differences between a cost no object Burmester or Boulder system and more reasonably priced system is less than it was a few years ago. For the price of a house you used to get spectacular sound, now it only costs as much as a luxury car. The funny thing to me is that I hear no change at all in the sound of the mass market receiver equipment. I think they either can't hear this stuff or they are in complete denial. None of this is pure black and white there are of course degrees and subtleties and I naturally I haven't heard every brand that is available.
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In my experience with owning a Hafler pushing Cerwin Vega's, the sound was very powerful, loud and clean. Hafler makes mostly professional equipment now, so that's probably why his home audio amps had that strong and powerful sound. In my experience with an Audiosource amps pushing Cerwin Vega's and other speakers I found the sound was very very clean with excellent sound quality for the price, along with getting very loud. Like the other people who replied it's all a matter of personal opinion, what kinda music you like, budget, etc.
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Audio manufacturers usually apply their reaserch and development to all of their products (In some form or another.). As a result, amplifiers made by the same company will generaly exibit some of the same characteristics. Same technology = same result.
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