If Warmth Is a Distortion, Why Do So Many Audiophiles Still Defend It?

@ghdprentice 

I agree with you to some extent. I have just gotten rid of my last tube piece of gear, an ARC PH-7 which I loved for many years, partly because lt was "clearer" than my ARC PH-3. I replaced my ARC Ref. 3 preamp this year, also. It's sound was pretty tight. ARC is trying to tighten their sound, in the sense that musical notes have less bloom.

So, now I have Pass Labs gear in their place. Pass Labs, however, still has a "softer" sound than other solid state gear. My setup sounds pretty close to the ARC sound I got rid of.

Here is an example of what I am talking about. I owned a McCormack DNA-1 with many upgrades for many years. I ran various speakers with that amp. Years ago, a friend of mine went on vacation and loaned me his Krell amp to try out. It was a little more expensive than the McCormack, but not much. The bass slam on the Krell was obviously much better. But the mids and especially highs sounded hard to me and unenjoyable. I couldn't get that Krell out of my system fast enough.

This dichotome between "musical" and "analytical" equipment still exists today. I have always leaned toward "musical" speakers with a softer sound. I now own Sonus Faber speakers which are known for their "musicality." 

I think I'll just leave it at that, because reviewers constantly use those two terms, "musicality" and "analytical" sound, and I don't think that there's any dispute that they exist in current equipment.

@atmasphere 

Can you explain how you do this:

"You don’t need double the circuitry for a balanced line setup. Our preamps have been fully balanced and differential since their inception in 1989." ?

Thanks!

Dear @audio-b-dog   : "   Even when one musician is playing in the orchestra, I have to look around for that musician.  "

In a hall MUSIC waves bounce because the whole hall reflections but as you go nerar and nearer in seat position that bounce almost disappears for your ears but you are not seated at near field position in that hall and that's why you listen what you said in your post.

100 feet from the orchestra are almost 30m. certainly that's not near field seat position and remember that recording microphones are " seated " at near field position.

@ghdprentice   " I would think less emphasis on details over the rest of the spectrum will for fully integrate the sound to so make it sound more real...as opposed to distortion "

That emphasis on " details "  came from the recording proccess or from the room/system reproduction.

In my case if comes in the recording that's what I wnat to hear because is one of my system targets. Yes you can mopdify that details emphasis through rom treatment manipulation but when you do that then you lost not only details because the room treatment does not " understand " of the adyacents harmonics that you could lost. Always exist trade-offs: which yours? because I already choosed mine.

R.

@rauliruegas 

What is reality? Most people sit as far back as I sit or farther. I don't think I'd want to be in the concertmaster's chair. Finding your own "house sound" is a long and winding road, and one that adds depth and years of pleasure to our hobby.

Can you explain how you do this:

"You don’t need double the circuitry for a balanced line setup. Our preamps have been fully balanced and differential since their inception in 1989." ?

@kevemaher Sure! We use differential circuits, which seem to require about 50% more parts in round numbers. In places like the phono section where EQ is required, that is done in the differential domain so is the same number of parts that you would see in a single-ended circuit. 

The outputs of our preamps use a circuit called a Circlotron. We obtained two patents regarding its use. Its a fairly simple circuit though that does not take a lot of parts.