Tight bass

[hertz]

Guys, how much is the contribution of the amp to tightness of the bass. I have been reading up on damping factors and how some amps have an ‘iron grip” on the bass drivers which results in very tight, controlled and tuneful bass.
I have quad 22L speaker driven by a NAD C 350 integrated. The sound is very good except for bass which can be considered as slightly fat. I have heard the same speakers with NAD, rotal, Aragon power amps and the bass was definitely tighter with a tactile, tuneful feel to it. Is it the amp causing this ? I have had my setup in different rooms with similar effect.

[Wireworm5]

I can only comment on my Bryston amps. Tightness is not a term I am sure I know the meaning of. I prefer to use the term bass with authority. Yeah you know its there, a stark contrast to my Yamaha. I think my amps bring out the best of a speaker but how tuneful and articulate the bass is is still dependant on the quality of the speaker. As I said before the sound is only as good as the weakest link. If your speakers are the weak link then that is what you will be hearing. Not what the amp is fully capable of.
Just my .02 cents

[hertz]

Thanks wireworm. I have heard the same speakers with other power amps with bass like what you describe. Very authoritative, tight and tunefull. I was wondering if my amp is the culprit here. I guess I need to borrow a good pwer amp and check it out with the quads

[Mr Peabody]

High current is synonomous with tight authoritive bass. I don't care what speakers you have, you will not get that unless your amp is capable of reproducing it. A high current amp will control most any speaker, just some will sound better than others. For instance, you take that Yamaha, it won't do good control bass no matter what speaker you use where you take a Yamaha speaker and hook it to a Krell and the Krell will slam it just as well as a Dynaudio speaker but the Dynaudio will yield much superior sound quality.

If you've heard the Quad's do good bass on other amps, then get a better amp. Check Audiogon for a used Krell integrated. Bryston does good bass control but going separates will be more expensive. Depending on the model and circumstance you can pick up a used Krell integrated that will outperform most separates and own a piece of gear from the masters of bass. They also have an integrated that you can buy new for $2,500.00, I think it's a KAV-400xi. If your budget is too small for used Krell you might give a listen to some Adcom. Not nearly the control but still a big bass sound. If you are into Pop or Rap you also want to be careful what you ask for, that type of music wasn't much fun through my Krell gear. It had such a tight grip that you didn't get any of that rumble. Don't get me wrong, Krell would play extremely low and deep, but it didn't allow anything to stray. My Adcom system driving Dyn A60's doesn't have the detail or control of a Krell integrated but the slight bass hump makes Rock and Pop sound fuller. If your listening habits are diverse and this is your main system, my recommendation would be the Krell.

[hertz]

Thanks Mr. Peabody.
My music taste is primarily Jazz and classic rock, folk and some western classical
Jazz :
1. Older stuff like dave brubeck, ray brown, jazz at the pawn shop, miles davis, ben Webster, duke ellington etc..
2. Newer artists like Diana krall, Norah jones, selena jones etc..
Classic rock.
1. pink floyd, dire straits, dave mathews band and some new stuff like James blunt, Jack Johnson etc..

I do not listen to Rap, pop at all.
I am looking at detailed, musical and controlled bass which goes very deep but never sound boomy or fat. I have a friend who runs the Plinius SA150 (class A) with a pair of dynaudio contour towers. I just love the bass in his system. Sadly I can’t afford those amps. I need something below 1500 $ new. Integrated would be fine. I am hearing awesome stuff about this new Cambridge audio flagship amp AZUR 840A which retails for around 1300$
http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summar...itle=Azur+840A
Any thoughts ??

[terraform]

For tight non-boomy bass, start with your room. From my limited experience listening and playing it seems the room has the largest impact on the sound quality, then comes the source and finally the components and speakers. But, still learning here... perhaps in addition to upgrading your amp room acoustics could be improved. I know in my setup my room is the weakest link. Also, if you listen at loud volumes I recommend bi/tri-amping, or just because you can.

But go borrow an amp and try it out. My B&K ST-202+ is rated 200x2 and costs under $400, if you can find one.

[Mr Peabody]

Are you ruling out used gear? I checked Audiogon and they have a few 300i & iL for $1,200.00 give or take. The 300iL is a newer model with better sound quality. I'd recommend not paying $1,200.00 for a 300i, just because of age and I think you can buy them cheaper. The amp is definitely still worth $1,200.00 and would be far superior to the Cambridge.

www.spearitsound.com has Audio Refinement integrated new in the box for $695.00, regular retail was $995.00. You can also get AR's stereo separates new for little over $1,600.00. Contact Jack Tozzi there, he also sells Cambridge as well as Krell and would be a very good source for comparing CA, AR & Krell. I haven't heard the 840 yet but I'd doubt it would compare to the Arcam Alpha 10 integrated. I compared the Alpha 10 to a Krell 300i when I ended up buying my first Krell. I can't tell you how much more substantial the sound was even compared to the Arcam. The Arcam was 100x2 and the 300i 150x2 on paper but the real world difference was light years apart, the Krell was a beast, yet reproduced music with a nice finesse. The Arcam having a leaner sound quality may have actually been able to give more detail but the Krell sound was more like real instruments. The Krell would be the closest thing to the Plinus. Jack also has some demo Conrad-Johnson solid state power amps but I didn't see much there to match them up with in your price range. I think you'd like the C-J sound and it would work for your type of listening. But in new, you should take a look at the AR separates they are new with a heavy discount. That might be your best bang for your buck. Jack would be the one to ask though.

[musicman1999]

Hertz,a friend of mine has the 840a,and he has had a big grin on his face ever since he took it home.I have not heard it myself,but i cant wait to do so.

bill

[accastil]

all of the components, including the speakers most of all, has its influence on the bass reporduction. mostly, the amp and the speakers make it. it is important that your amp is capable of producing a hi-current drive to your speakers to be able to do this..provided your speakers are capable of handling the bass line of course...

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Also keep in mind that acoustic suspension subs are known for tight, tuneful bass. So the type of sub you get (whether ported or bass reflex) will highly depend on what type f bass you get, along with the damping factor of the amp itself.