Does Class A amplifier artificially smoothen sound

Atmasphere, I am using the analog out of the Meridian 808, thus its own DAC. Yet with such contrast between CD and DVD-A, this has nothing to do with the Pass XA60.5. Comments thus far seem to support my original thought that what you put in (meaning the source disc) is what you get out. Comments that Class A amplifiers are too relaxing, too sweet, or too pleasant might not be as definitive as some people think. In fact it's the same comments that many people think of all tube amplifiers. I don't think so either, but that is a different subject from the focus here.

I am trying to come across neutral, that people would be more comfortable voicing either positive or negative comments about class A amplifiers. Personally I don't think it's an artificial compensation by Class A to make the sound more pleasant as some of us tend to suspect. I wrote because I want to see more people benefited from such healing effect of music; and I was so glad to have stumbled into Class A amplifier design that allows the sustained listening without having the headache and the disappointment I have had for years beforehand. What use is music if you cannot listen to it for so long. So I raised a case-and-point contrasting between DVA-A and CD reproduction both by Pass XA60.5. Nor do I think there is something wrong with the disc player which is Meridian 808. We all know that Meridian has spent a lot of effort to polish their DVD-A technology, and they receive nothing but compliments for their work. Personally I think the XA60.5 monoblocks transmit whatever they receive. If the source is good, then it's good. If the source is not ideal, then I am going to pay for it with a headache. Yet all of this is just my personal view. Any difference in opinion is more than appreciated.

What DVD-A offers, at least in my system, is more detail. Positioning of instruments is more distinct as well. It's good in the precision area, and not so good in harmonizing and flowing instruments and voices together. In live performance everything is obviously more precise, but these sound sources propagate together toward you. It's nice to precisely know where the individual sources are in DVD-A. But if they approach you in a disjointed fashion, your brain would naturally do extra work to subliminally help you think that you actually listen to somebody singing in natural setting. That extra work is part of causing the headache. It's also interesting to note that the extra detail does not apply to the entire frequency range. Detail in the midrange,particularly voices, is actually reduced with DVD-A. Thirdly, the extra force and intensity of DVD-A sound is also unnatural. That extra pounding does not help the headache either.

My point is this sort of observation, with such descriptive words, occurs a lot in posting involving Class A vs other amplifiers, or tube versus SS. Well, this contrast between DVD-A and CD listening, at least with my system, appears not to support categorizing amplifiers as such.

Bjbcab, I hear you. Don't ask. What I heard is what I tell everybody. I used to prefer DVD-A over CD back in the days of using Class AB amplifier however. My reasons then were probably about the same as yours.