Hi Esox; Well, amps certainly do come in all sorts of "flavors" and I'm glad to hear you found one that really improved your system. But as to component flavor, that's true of just about anything in audio-- including all sorts of wires and even outlets. I recently solved a brightness problem in my big rig by going from a silver plated outlet to a copper one-- small change, big improvement.
Several years ago Stereophile reviewer Tom Norton used the analogy: if you're watching TV and flesh tones are slightly green, the experience is vaguely irritating, but a small change in the tint control would render them normal and the visual experience would then be pleasant. Well, I think that analogy often fits audio too, ie small changes in music quality/character can create big improvements in enjoyment.
It looks like you just found one of those happy improvements, although yours was somewhat bigger than small. I've experienced a few in my audiophile days too. Thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers, and Enjoy.
Several years ago Stereophile reviewer Tom Norton used the analogy: if you're watching TV and flesh tones are slightly green, the experience is vaguely irritating, but a small change in the tint control would render them normal and the visual experience would then be pleasant. Well, I think that analogy often fits audio too, ie small changes in music quality/character can create big improvements in enjoyment.
It looks like you just found one of those happy improvements, although yours was somewhat bigger than small. I've experienced a few in my audiophile days too. Thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers, and Enjoy.