New Amp

[frenchmon]

One thing that I have noticed as much better is the staging of this amp. It is easy to hear the 3D effect in my music room. (More on that later). The Rotel did nothing like this. but the Vincent takes the music....puts all instruments in its own space...sorta spreads them out...gives everything dimension. (If the listener is sitting and a serious listener,) you can sorta see with your minds eye as well as hear the depth and space of instruments front to back, and what you hear is never a in your face presentation, but it begins slightly in front of speakers with the depth going back behind the speakers,....especially noticable with live recordings. With studio recordings you get a great sense of texture and space around the instruments with greater focus on it all as a unit playing together. I love the cymbal work from a good drummer...they sound so real but are never hard and fatigue.

A few years ago there was a buzz about a pianist....Brad Mehldau. So I purchased a CD...Brad Mehldau Trio live. After putting in the CD when I had the Rotel, I couldnt stand to listen after a few tracts. The CD was absolutely a terrible recording, and I thought the guy was an average muiscian at best....so I thought. The piano was in the left speaker and the drums and upright bass was in the right speakers with no sound in the middle...and this was a 2008 recording. After the first and second tune, the audience clapped and that two was in one speaker or the other with no imaging or sound stage worth nothing. I was disappointed in him and that CD for a few years after several times of trying to listen to it. Tried it again last night and its all the way different. Not only are the left and right speaker audible, but theres an image.... between the speakers are audible as well. There is a sound stage with depth! Brads talents shine, and everything is a unit. My Elaine Elias CD...."Brazilian Classics" with Jack DeJohnette/ Peter Erskine on drums and Marc Johnson/Eddie Gomez on bass is just wonderful. The drumming and Bass as the rhythm section is just flat out beautifully transparent and the attack of each is absolutely stunning to hear...these highly skilled musicians shine as I've never heard before. The bass has the deep wood like sound with deep tones of a upright bass and the cymbals once again sounding so real with excellent decay. The Vincent puts the whole presentation in a studio like presentation as if each musician is in their own space. The Rhythm of the drums and bass would make the most harden "SET amp" lover very proud, as the 10 watts Class A with is ability to decipher the music with fine tones, weight and substance is a pleasant surprise...I think it with the bass gives it the skin of the flesh so to speak,

My listening room, which is in a room in the basement, is very personal to me. The only other person who comes in there is my son. I have a carpet floor, and have nice rugs hanging behind and to the left side on the walls. Not the best but it servers its purpose well. the right side has a patio sliding glass door but most times I keep the blinds closed as not to get to much of a reflections. My ceiling has the rafters exposed. Some one once told me if no pads on ceiling its best to have the rafters exposed to keep reflections down. I cant hear a echo and I do have reflections down as much as possible with the little I've done. But through reading about room reflections, and hearing them in some of my friends listening rooms with no sound treatment what so ever is a big mistake in my book. I hear things in my listening room with my gear that I never heard in my friends listening room. I think its becasue a lack of any sound enhancements. Reflections can keep the finest detail from being audible. And can keep the sound stage from being heard in all its glory. One guy has Pass Labs gear, and the other has ARC and McIntosh gear.....gear just as good and perhaps better in technology and sonics than what I have. Both these guys are very proud and enjoy their gear as much as I do. But I wonder how much better we would enjoy it if we had better sound enhancing panels? I will make suggestions to my audio pals about sound, but once I get the few added pieces I need for my rig, the last thing is better sound enhancing material. I enjoy this hobby to much not to do as much as I can to help me enjoy it even more. More later.