Best Amp for Timbre, Depth and Spatial Resolution?


I have an Ayre CD player, BADA Alpha DAC, deHavilland Mercury pre-amp, CJ MF-2500A amp and N802 - am looking to upgrade amp.
Would like to hear views on Best Amp for Timbre, Depth and Spatial Resolution.
Not married to tube or SS..
Always wonder about Stereophile recommended components such as Aesthetix Atlas, Parasound JC-1, CJ LP-125 and the likes. I would pay about $5k on Agon so there are some limitations.
Thanks.
128x128johnmc67

Showing 4 responses by michaelkingdom

Posting in forums is "the art of conversation." You have to contribute your own ideas without nailing the topic closed. It stimulates the flow. As we all know this hobby is a quest, not a destination and we are here to trade notes on that quest - not establish a concrete answer to "the best set up."
Paul & everyone else, please go on exploring the topic of room correction / timbre.

From what I have found, digital correction is simply amazing at healing a smeared image. In my case it is extreme as I have a digital processor in my car. It is the JBL-MS8. Anyhow, I have my left tweeter and mid approximately 1-2 feet away and the right tweeter/mid is 4 feet away. Hooible conditions for imaging and impossible without digital correction. After running acoustic calibration which takes in information through a binaural microphone (L&R ears), I have a locked in center image. The sound appears to come from right in front of me and the speakers "disappear" as people like to say.

However, all this processing does something to the sound rendering it slightly mechanical. It sounds great but it will never fool me into thinking that an actual saxophone is playing.
I've had even the most agnostic audio enthusiasts be unsupportive of the fact that I love my Behringer ep4000 monoblocks. However, they would be my answer to this question (when paired with b&w n802). I've tried many brands and the Behringers are great. I just wish they were more expensive or had a better external case so that I would have some candy to go along with the musical presentation. However, I guess that's not really what its about and that is what has kept them in my equipment rack while 10 or more amps have come and gone.
Yes, copper cables, bananas. Fan mod to add quiet fan. I use two Behringer amps, remove the jumpers on the B&Ws and amp the highs/lows separately. It sounds great. Also, I can recede the highs if I like via the gains. However, I don't.