I have about $800 for a stereo receiver. . . . . (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Howell]

I'm pleading the fifth on that one. The forum will start looking for their torches and pitchforks if I tell.

 

[Alex_C]

BOSE????

 

[Alex_C]

Would you consider NAD a "warm" amp?

 

[Aaron Howell]

LOL, not Bose.

I found the midrange on the NAD to be a touch warm, but for the most part I find it to be a little bright. Not really bright, it doesn't have bite, but IMO it does over emhpasize the high end a little.

 

[Alex_C]

Can you give your definition of "warm". I don't really know what it means.
I just say warm when I mean "not bright". What's a warm speaker/amp? What's a laid back one?

 

[Aaron Howell]

I always thought warm was when the midband is more pronounced and has a rich and smooth tone to it.

As far as combos that give a lot of warmth I can't help you. I'm currently using mag. cone seas drivers and vocals/midrange are stunning.

In my own experience I have found the sound you get with a certain amp is still very defined even with different speakers. Some speakers pronounce certain attributes more than others, but the same amp characteristics are still very audible.

 

[Martin Rendall]

I think of "warm" as rolling off the higher frequencies too much. To me "warm" has negative connotations. I don't want my amp messing with the sound at all. If I really need to to that, I'll leave it to my pre-amp.

Martin.

 

[Alex_C]

Is warm the opposite of bright?

 

[PaulDA]

It is often used that way, but it is difficult to give a definitive answer, as your bright might be my detailed and my bright might be your harsh (similar problems with warm). Generally, though, bright tends to describe an emphasis of higher frequencies (from that person's perspective) while warm tends to describe either a lack of that emphasis or an emphasis on midrange frequencies. Dark, light, airy, crisp, liquid are all words thrown about in the hi-fi world to describe sound, along with bright and warm.

I try to describe sound without such words but occasionally lapse into using them as they can be a useful shorthand. They have a bad reputation among objectivists because they are vague and imprecise.

That's probably more than you wanted to know.

The short answer to your question is: sometimes.

 

[Alex_C]

That was perfect!

 

[PaulDA]

Glad I could help. To muddy things further, I was a great fan of the "warm" sound, as I'm sensitive to harshness at high frequencies. However, when my means allowed me to shop for speakers of the quality I now have (not high-end, by any means, but not entry-level beginner speakers either), I discovered I'm a fan of neutral, detailed sound. I also discovered the room has a great impact on sound. The speakers I ended up purchasing (Boston Acoustics VR-M60s L/R, VRC centre, VR-M50s SL/SR) sounded too harsh in the showroom and I nearly dismissed them. However, the owner (great store to shop at--if anyone in NE Ohio wants a store recommendation, drop me a PM) allowed me to take them, along with a couple of other brands, home and that made all the difference. No longer harsh (showroom area had hardwood floors and a giant window on opposite wall from the speakers), the speakers were crystal clear, with great bass extension, even without a sub. I've had them since April and like them more every day.

The moral is this: try not to pre-judge a speaker or any other gear based on its "warm" or "bright" reputation. Let your ears decide.

 

[RobWil]

NAD is considered by most to be warm to neutral, not to say they can't produce scintillating highs. I've found that in my system the interconnects play a large roll in whether it sounds bright or neutral. The silver interconnects will give a much brighter sound, although some may argue that silver should sound no different than copper....(ahhhhh-Chu!) excuse me! They obviously haven't tried them.

 

[John Garcia]

I agree, tonality is definitely influenced by the analog interconnects you are using, with cheaper ones actually sounding brighter, or harsher, than decent ones to me. You don't need to spend an exorbitant amount of money on them either.