What integrated can replace over -bright exposure 3010?
Spendors sound great with tube gear. You should look for an integrated that uses EL34 type tubes. Years ago I used Quicksilver amps with Spendors and it was a perfect match. The Prima Luna integrated amps use EL34 tubes. http://www.primaluna-usa.com/integrated-amplifiers/ |
Wow I am really shocked that no one is asking what the rest of the system is comprised of? Exposure electronics are not bright at all, they are clean, punchy with excellent prat. Brightness can be attributed to cables, and source components. If you just moved into this amp is it broken in? Are you using stock power cables? Often when getting a new component which has higher resolution that the older component it can show you weakness that you didn't know where in the system such as incompatible cables, or an inadequate source. Only once you know the entirely of the setup can you make commments Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
Thanks to all for the suggestions. Troy: The rest of the system is: sony 5400 CD/SACD player; gyrodec with shelter 501 cartridge; DNM cables and interconnects. The exposure was a dealer demo and well broken in. Previously I had a Plinius 8200( warm but a bit slow) so the DNM cables which are a bit lean and clean ( like the exposure) matched very well. Perhaps its a speaker cable /amp mismatch (too much lean and clean??).I hope not since I need flat cables with a long run under the carpet and there are very few affordable options. |
rrm - Not to discount the other advice provided (esp. experimenting with different wire) but in swapping between different ampsI owned, was surprised to find a Hegel H-200 warmer sounding than the tubed pre/monoblocks (EL34) that I’d been running. This was driving Totem Forests (metal dome tweeters). |
Ghosthouse you are raising a point that is very true, the mistake that people make thinking a solid state amp sounds like x and a tube amp sounds like Y. There are tube amps that sound like solid state and solid state sounds like tubes. The issue this man has is DNM cables are okay and are thin sounding cables, our suggestion gets the man improved sound with what he already has due to the fact that he is fixing two areas of weakness, the Exposure integrated is a good integrated amp, does it sound as good as separates no it does not, but until he address his weakness in cables and source components he is not ready to make that jump. By the way if you like the Hegel you should listen to a Coda the Coda is just scary good. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
If eveything in your system was the same and the new amp made the system sound forward and bright, chances are new cables and source wont provide enough adjustments to make you happy. I personally find that when I dont immediately like a new component I try to cut my losses and move on. Otherwise you could end up changing everything including your speakers and still not find what you need. This has happened to me many times. BTW spendor are a good match with Hegel and also Croft amps. Good luck. |
I agree with the comments that the 3010 is not remotely bright. I own a 3010s2 pre/power, as well as a bunch of older Exposure gear, some EAR valve amps and others, and the Exposure amps are a little on the warm side - not bright at all. And neither are the Spendors. I suspect those DNM cables are the culprit. Try some inexpensive van Damme or Mogami cables. |
Mogami cables aren't that good, compared to some of the better cable companies, Mogami and Belden and their variants use decent copper in a pvc jacket with little of no shielding. This is a very different world then companies that use superior materials and technologies. Wireworld Eclipse is a fantastic cable and is reasonably priced. It will all come down to how much the person wants to spend. As a 40 plus year audiophile, the better cable companies really do make a superior sounding product. Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
Based on your suggestions that the speaker cable might be the problem I tried swopping out the long DNM runs and replacing it with my older cables: A) generic solid core copper cable-very little shielding and B )stranded copper cable( LINN K 20).In both cases the brightness/glare was reduced to acceptable levels but much of the vitality was stripped away. Everything seemed more deliberate, less bubbly and somewhat slowed. Reverting to the DNM cables restored the effortless transparency and PRaT but also the brightness. I cant win. I think I need to replace the DNM cables, for tonal reasons,but I need 23ft runs to go under the carpet. DNM cables are flat which is why they were chosen but very few others are- except Nordost which are too expensive.Would love suggestions for a flat or small diameter cable which retains the transparency and timing of the DNM, without the brightness. thanks to all |
rrm - something low tech to try before spending on cable or new electronics... Have you installed any vibration damping under your source and amp? You might try something as low tech as white gum erasers from an art supply store just to see if they take any edge off the "too bright". It might not work at all but might help a bit. Before the experts jump on this, it’s not necessarily the typical benefit looked for with vibration damping. A more widely expected benefit would be enhanced resolution and sound staging etc., not tonal balance. Still, I think it is worth a shot. You can spend a bunch on vibration damping. Maybe you are already very familiar with this area. If not, Herbie’s Audio Lab (esp., Tenderfeet) and Vibrapod Cones & Isolators are a couple of commercial sources that are low cost and have been found helpful by others. As far as flat speaker cable goes, I think Mapleshade Audio supplies wire that is "flat" ribbon type. |
I feel your pain. I tweaked my way out of it to good result by following many of the suggestions above. But, If you really feel the Exposure is not gonna be what you'd hoped for maybe the dealer will take it back in and work out a deal on something else with you. Btw I settled on Supra ply 3.4s speaker cable, it was a giant step in the right direction for a leanness I experienced when I changed amps. It's reasonable but still 23' is a big one. |
Let me know how your cables work out.What cables are you using now? I was convinced that the DNM cables were the problem but I just borrowed a different integrated (Parasound) and the brightness vanished; so maybe its the amp after all and the cables are simply transparent to the amp used. Unfortunately the Class A Parasound lacks vitality and clarity compared to the super clean/agile Exposure. |
the Chord dac would not be my first choice it is excellent but it is not warm sounding. You want warm and musical get an NAD M51 not as cool a feature set but much tonally richer or spring up to an Aqua Lavoice which is around $3k but is so musical the other dac would be a Metrum dac. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
First - put a good power cord on it, I mean good not $100 something. If it is new, the cord, give it at least 300 hours of burn-in time. Second, or at the same time - put good interconnects on it, the same company as the power cord, the higher in line the better, 200 hours burn-in time. This amp should not sound bright. I would probably try Audio Art Classic interconnects, $100, and power cord, $150- $350. The Classic is a very good cable, I just tried it. Don’t expect too much from it though, but it is quite clear and balanced. |
I assume you did, but still have to ask - did you give a good 24 hr. warm up before critical assessment? My old reliable stand-by ADCOM GFA 5500 sounds a bit bright and forward until fully warmed for about 24 hr. and then settles in to sounding quite nice. The amp (integrated amp) I settled on - after many hours of home listening - to pair with my Maggie 1.7s, is the Rouge Cronus Mag ll. With the KT 120 tubes, is very dynamic, open and detailed with just the right amount of smooth and very musical. I know allot of tubers love the EL 34s but, in my system, just a bit to milky for me. If you can't get your Exposure dialed in - the Cronus Mag. ll might be an option. Like your Spendors, the Maggie 1.7s are very quick and detailed and the Cronus does a very nice job with them. Jim |
update: Since others think this amp is not bright I thought: what else do I have that they don't? Answer : a different power cord. So I swopped out my after-market Pangea cord and repaced it with the generic-looking cord that came with the amp. Result: brightness/glare toned down a bit, at the cost of a little bit of impact/prescence. Why?? I have no idea! I knew power cords could affect the bass response but never thought it would affect the treble..... |
The first thing we recommended you do was to replace your cables! See our first post to you. Cheapie cables generally do not perform well, and the DNM is okay cabling. Pangea is a cheapie power cord so of course it is doing some weird things. a good power cord $300 and above will get you greater treble detail without making anything sound bright or missing bass. The first thing you should do would be to demo a full loom of better cabling and then see what the system sounds like and you do need a better digital front end as well. Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
