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Any recommendations for a 'warm' sounding amplifier ? (1 Viewer)

Samson

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Any recommendations for a 'warm' sounding amplifier ? I was considering the Marantz MM9000. Do you guys have any other suggestions ?
 

Chu Gai

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define warm...i'd expect any amplifier I bought to have a flat frequency response, wouldn't you? however if its a question of attenuating the high frequencies, then perhaps room treatments are in order as well as speaker positioning.
 

KeithH

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Samson, I have limited experience with Marantz amps, but many people consider them "warm" and "musical". By contrast, I have often read that Yamaha amps are "bright". Of course, there is no consensus here, so ultimately, you will have to listen and decide which amp works best for you.
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Marty Neudel

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Mar 16, 1999
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Samson,
how much are you willing to spend? If the sky's the limit, then I would recommend you listen to the McIntosh Autoformer amps. This series is about the warmest on the market, and includes 2 tube-type amps (although the solid state models are very close in sound).
Marty
 

Rich G

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Aug 22, 2000
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Just to show the differences of opinion. I have heard:
Marantz-musical
B&K- on the bright side
Rotel- warm
Yamaha-bright
Adcom-bright side
I have only listened to two of these mfgs amps and found that the tonal qualities of the music had more to do with the speakers being used not the amps. I have to agree with Chu Gai on this. Check your speaker positions and room treatments.
If you are just looking for information to narrow your search, check out the "warm" amps listed and please let us know what you find.
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Rich G.
 

David Susilo

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May 8, 1999
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If budget is a constraint, try listening to Pioneer Elite power amps. They are MOSFET amps and tube-like sounding
 

Doug_B

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I don't have any long term experience on this topic, but I have demoed a few amps on a couple of occasions where the only change in the system was the amps. Each had a different sound, and since with most of the amps I had no preconceived notion of the "general way they were supposed to sound", I will vote that there are differences (although such differences can manifest themselves differently and/or to different degrees with different speakers). The bottom line for me, as I shop for speakers and an amp, is to demo a bunch of combinations, select a couple of the best, demo at home, then decide. I do see some value in obtaining opinions on warm vs neutral vs bright just to make the process a bit more manageable. However, I think the major constraint, especially when home demo opportunities are limited, is finding dealers that have your speakers and your candidate amps.
Doug
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[Edited last by Doug_B on August 22, 2001 at 08:30 AM]
 

Shane Martin

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I'm waiting for someone to pop in and claim double blind testing has revealed that amps sound the same. So based on that Buy an Audiovox.
More seriously, B&k, Parasound and Rotel are warm sounding amps for sure.
 

Eugene Hsieh

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quote: I'm waiting for someone to pop in and claim double blind testing has revealed that amps sound the same. So based on that Buy an Audiovox.[/quote]OK I'm here. Actually single blinded studies have shown that mid-end hi-fi units without processing, in stereo mode, for music, do in fact all sound the same statistically at usual volumes. (Stereo Review) Indeed, these companies always want to show that they actually do have a flat response curve, ie. +/- 1 db at 20Hz-20000Hz with X%
In my personal experience, a Marantz sounds basically the same as a Yamaha as a Denon as an Onkyo, when using the same line of speakers in the same store. I don't know what an Audiovox is. Indeed, my Kenwood 1080VR (which has now been replaced) sounded the same as the above with the same speakers, although it wasn't tested in the same store, and at moderate volumes only. When stressed out, I think that's when the differences may become more apparent. I would not want to use a Kenwood 1080VR to power a pair of Paradigm Studio/100 speakers at reference volume, but it works fine with my Studio/60 at moderate volume. I've listened to a Rotel amp, but I can't really comment vs. the other ones because it was in a different store with different speakers, and I don't remember what the preamp was, although I must say it really did sound just like the Pioneer receiver next to it, using the same speakers.
On the other hand, it really depends on the room and the speakers. If you do home theatre, it may pay to get the re-equalization feature in your receiver.
Indeed, despite buying Link Removed , I have bought a decidedly low-mid end receiver (with a 0.7% THD rating no less) to power them. I got the Kenwood VR-510 . I was considering a Yamaha RXV-1000, Denon 2802/3802, and Kenwood Sovereign 5080/5090, but not because they would sound any better (at least in stereo mode), but because they are much more feature rich, and I suspect better for harder to push speakers. (I have listened personally to the Yamaha 1000 and the Denon 2801. I can't truthfully comment about the others however, one may argue. I doubt there are audible differences between the 2801/2802/3802 though.)
EDIT Again:
By the way, as with all things, YMMV. I may not be ready to retire yet, but I don't have the ears of a 16 year old.
And I have nothing against the more highly regarded receivers. They're usually (but not always) better built, and like I said I was considering them myself.
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[Edited last by Eugene Hsieh on August 22, 2001 at 11:11 AM]
 

Manuel Delaflor

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Any one have opinions on Nakamichi amplifiers? I can buy an AV1S (yes I know it only do prologic, but I want it just for music) which can give 120watts RMS in stereo mode.
I think it *should* be better than most Kenwood, Yamaha, Sony or other "consumer market" brands and sort of "medium audiophile brand" ... Am I mistaken?
[Edited last by Manuel Delaflor on August 22, 2001 at 11:06 AM]
 

Eugene Hsieh

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Any one have opinions on Nakamichi amplifiers? I can buy an AV1S (yes I know it only do prologic, but I want it just for music) which can give 120watts RMS in stereo mode.
Into 4 Ohms? 8 Ohms? With a test tone? With full range music? With 0.00000001% THD or with 2%? Don't believe many of the numbers out there. I think somebody online has a website of published ratings with consistent testing by a third party though.
quote: I think it *should* be better than any Kenwood, Yamaha, Sony or other "consumer market" brands... Am I mistaken?
Interestingly, Kenwood has a new "high end" brand, which is the Sovereign line, and it seems to be getting a thumbs up. Yamaha is looked at as one of the better brands on this forum, while at the same time it isn't by some. Indeed, it has had two lines, with some models almost identical across the two lines, but with different listed specifications. One is a department store brand, while the other competes against Marantz and Denon and the like.
One thing is that I find that the "consumer" models overrate themselves, in comparison to the "high end" models. It's interesting that Yamaha does both.
What I'm trying to say is that while there IS a lot of crap out there, brand name means very little in the greater scheme of things.
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Eugene Hsieh, VisorCentral FAQ Editor
1000 km on a tank of gas??? Check out the Prius and drive the future now!
[Edited last by Eugene Hsieh on August 22, 2001 at 10:50 AM]
 

RobertR

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I'm waiting for someone to pop in and claim double blind testing has revealed that amps sound the same.
I don't know anyone who says that all amplifiers always sound the same under all circumstances, but expectations can have an interesting effect. For example, I read about a guy who had fans of tube amps and fans of transistor amps do a blind listening comparison. When he played the transistor amp, the tube fans all denounced the "cold, mechanical, harsh" sound, and lauded the "warm, liquid" sound of the tube amp. The transistor fans made corresponding remarks about the tube amp.
The funny part is....
Without telling them, he was always playing the same amp! :)
 

John-D

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Feb 27, 2001
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198
........ now don't get offended Samson, but you really have a knack of shaking things up around here..
laugh.gif

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Samson

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May 15, 2001
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........ now don't get offended Samson, but you really have a knack of shaking things up around here..
You must be referring to my recent post on whether or not speaker cables needed time to break in. Frankly, I wasn't looking for such an enormous response to this forum question but it seems like one of those controversial questions.
Getting back to the topic at hand on 'warm' amplifiers. I have listened to different receivers and amplifiers and there is a definite difference in sound. In my limited experience I've found the Acurus amplifier and Onkyo receivers to be more detailed and dynamic. I found that Pioneer Elite receivers had a much 'warmer' and less fatiguing sound and Carver amplifiers to be neutral. YMMV.
 

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