Got it working about 2ish, start with a bit thin and bright, but was told to go with it, as it needed to warm up, especially as its A class amp, so left it warming up and went back to work.
Well been back an hour and what a difference, the amp is warm to touch and much warmer than the 500 ever got. The thin, lean and over bright sound has completely gone and been replaced with a lovely warm silky sound, that is fast, detailed and transparent.
I guess against the 500/552 it has lost its forward sound, now you might say thats bad, but is it? Now tracks that are ment to be laid back are more so, but it can still do fast and punchy when the track is fast and puncy. The treble is also now more detailed and less harsh, not saying the naim is harsh, but it is compared to this.
So as you can probably tell, quite impressed with it and frankly its amazing what one box can do.
Been told it will get better as the days go on and it fully warms up, so thats something to look forward too, plus i have been messing with speaker positioning as its presentation it quite different and that has also made things better.
So moving on, its going to stay on and in the system for a week and then swap it over and see how the 500 stacks up.
Hi Dunc. Trying not to be needy here, but could you elaborate more on imaging/ soundstage and whether these attributes of the Vitus amp transpires into the same level of ābelievabilityā of your Naim gear or perhaps even more so please. All this of course when things settle in and ears get accustomed. As we share the same speakers, how do you feel it grips the Facts in comparison, and do you feel them coping with an increase in resolution ie do your hear more ambient space reproduced on the right recordings? Much appreciated Peter
Peter will let you know once itās all settled down, but for now the fact 12ās seem to love it, the amp has no problem powering them and they sound lovely and certainly didnāt need to have worried about them like I did
Using my witchat phantom cable for now, but I might try some other cables, obviously I canāt use any of the witchat morgana cables and using some XLR to XLR for both the rossini and aura, so both in fully balanced mode
Canāt remember the last time i manually used the volume on my 552, so doesnāt bother me one bit.
All over for tonight, but so far its been very interesting
Dunc, the things youāre finding are as expected and also typical of Class A; though I did reckon youād struggle more than you seem to have done with the loss of forwardness. Iād expect the Diablo 300 to deliver no less in terms of detail, texture and refinement but these are underpinned by titanic bass both in depth of detail and sheer power; and itās not flabby. Itās controlled in a vice-like grip and neither it nor any other element is overblown for impact. Every part of the presentational mix is just ācorrectā. Iāve no interest, incidentally, save for a passion for the unit and wanting you to not miss a potentially better proposition. Iāll leave you alone to enjoy your fun, now
Your description sounds like the comparison between the 282/HCDR/250DR and Sonneteer Orton in my system. The Orton is significantly less powerful and is not Class A though.
From my own experience, as a few things Iād look for in terms of distinctions especially for acoustic instruments, hopefully the following observations are helpful:
sweet detail may lose the harsh and raucous textures that are an intimate part of strings, woodwind and brass
smooth rolling power can be incompatible with microdynamics, so that piano for example loses some of its characteristic expressiveness
thereās a tough balance between seductive decay and a dynamic beat, with the former hopefully also enriched by textural detail so that its more than blank slam
If Billy Holiday sounds like Kiri Te Kanawa, somethingās wrong
Thatās a very good observation Michael. A fellow who moved from the Diablo 300 to a Gryphon Class A power amp found rock didnāt rock quite so much; lost some rawness. The amp had 4 levels of Class A bias 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% and he found he got back what he lost by reducing the bias.
Interesting that Gryphon offer this option. Do you know what it does? Does the amp transition from A to AB at a certain threshold or does it do something else?
I would be keen to get some insights from you on the following
can you hear more clearly on the recording what the people are doing (singing and playing the instruments) on the Naim or the other
which amp is more engaging to listen to - gets the foot tapping more
what about the speed of the bass, which amp got more control ?
as you increase the volume which amp holds the instruments more together instead of the blurring that sometimes happens?
at low volume listening which amp is more engaging?
what about the all important (for me) separation of the instruments? which one allows you to follow each instrument separately in the mix, and which one at the same time allows you to enjoy the music as a whole?
which one sounds closer/closest to a live musical performance in terms of enjoyment?
which amp company got the decades reputation of standing by their product and being able to service them, and what is the cost of service by the other company? How long that company has been in business?
The Diablo is Class A for the first 10 watts and then becomes A/B. The selectable Class A bias operates on the power amps but I donāt know enough about it to explain its precise operation. It may be tied to volume so that 100% bias setting will be pure Class A at all volume levels while the 50% setting may be 100% Class A up to X volume setting and A/B thereafter. I could be wrong. When using a Gryphon pre amp there is also an intelligent āgreen biasā cable connection between the two which, instead of drawing full current for Class A all of the time, it only draws it relative to volume setting and speaker characteristics. Less electricity usedā¦
Edit: on reviewing their website infoā, I think that the Class A biasing may be adjusted only through the āgreen biasā control line between Gryphon pre/power. So may not be achievable with a non-Gryphon preāā¦
Very interesting, especially considering I have been rather hair shirt about the value of controls ever since moving on from my Quad 33 in the seventies.