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Wyred 4 Sound experience with 804Ds

I purchased a W4S ST-500 a couple of months ago for my 804Ds. I found an immediate improvement on my NAD amp in terms of soundtsage depth and width, clarity and detail from lows to highs. What I have noticed though is that, music dependent, the sound's can be little cold and lean. With warmth in the recordings it's not an issue and the sound is fantastic. I don't use a tube pre.

I thought I'd mention this for the benefit of those considering a W4S amp, and potentially other Class D amps. I suspect that these amps work best with "full bodied" speakers, and there might also be a lot to be said for synergy with tube pre's. In my case I'm sniffing around a Mcintosh MC302 to bring some of the warmth I had with the NAD back. I can absolutely see why these W4S amps are so highly praised, but my experience suggests there might be room for some qualification/care when choosing them.

Any experience from other 804D owners also valued.
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Showing 2 responses by ryder

ryder
1,682 posts
 
The W4S amps(and DACs) have been dubbed giant killers. Some of my friends have traded in their more costly gear for the Wyred4Sound stuff. A friend ditched his Mark Levinson monoblocks for the W4S in driving his Revel Salon2 speakers.

I'm not sure if the W4S amps lean more toward warmth or cold but they are certainly neutral sounding amps that sound quite remarkable in the realm of high-end.
ryder
1,682 posts
 
JDec, they were the 531H monoblocks.

He was using a Bryston 4B-SST to drive his PMC EB1i's and subsequently upgraded to the 531H. He then replaced the EB1i's with the Revel Salon2 before ditching the 531H's for the Wyre4Sound. Some folks may be skeptical but this is what that has happened. A few friends who were in the room also concurred that the W4S were the better amps, probably for his speakers in his room.

As always, YMMV.
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