Is my new amp TOO GOOD?

The synergy between a power amp and speakers is a very real thing!  Sometime the pairing of amp+speaker just "has a sound" that is beyond anything you can do with EQ.  I just went through this with my new Cornwall_IVs.  They had a harshness in the HFs with my SS amps that no amount of EQ would fix.  I could turn the HF’s down with EQ, but then they would sound dark AND harsh at the same time.  I finally found a tube amp solution, and even then rolled several power tubes to get the sound just right!

I’m not suggesting tubes for your speakers, only that finding the RIGHT amp for your particular speakers is not just about paying more $$$.   But yeah, also the bigger the amp, the longer the break-in, so that’s a thing too!  

If you don't like the sound, the problem is your room/acoustics or the speakers themselves, not the amp.

I had a similar experience upgrading to VAC 300 Mk II's from the VAC sig 200's. The sound was much more detailed but seemingly more at the upper end with a significant level of harshness.  I had never experienced listener fatigue, but I know what it is now.  I had used the swiss digital fuse boxes on the 200's and had not installed them on the 300's.  I spoke with my dealer who said that in his experience, upper end glare is a power issue.and he recommended using the fuse boxes on the new amps.  I use a gold infused copper sluggo in the swiss digital fuse box which is the warmest of the sluggos.  This immediately made a big difference.  A lot of the glare was removed, but not all.  I added a power conditioner which has further improved the sound.  There is still an incredible amount of detail, but it's not glaring as much and is much more listenable.  There are still occasional piercing sounds, but I think with more hours on the tubes, that it will mellow out.  There are still some albums that sound hot, but I listen to them a lower levels.  With the 200's increasing volume always seemed to make the sound better.  With the 300's there seems to be a ceiling on certain recordings where increases in volume make the experience worse.I think that with time, my brain is adapting to all the new sonic information it is receiving and the system is breaking in.  I'm not at 100 hours yet, so there is room for further improvements.  So my advice would be to look at the power aspect of things.  My dealer lent me a conditioner to try-perhaps yours will do the same.  These amp upgrades do tend to show a lot more in systems, good and bad. I don't have any silver in my cables, but if you do, that may be playing a role in your sound as they are known to be detailed and bright. The Cable Co has a lending program and I wouldn't buy new cables without test driving another set first.  Almost certainly though with time alone, things will improve. Good luck  

@orthomead I also went from a pair of 200iQ to pair of Master 300 iQ (prototype versions). I’ve noticed these amps all vary their sonic balance quite a bit in stereo versus mono, and also with tube type KT88 vs 120 or 150. 

A pair of 300 sound perfect with the stock KT88. With 120 it’s a bit too rich. However, in stereo mode the single 300 amp is a lot more forward. A LOT. I don’t like it at all with KT88, but it’s a really nice balance again with KT120. 

I do seem to recall the 200iQ in stereo was pretty well balanced with KT88 but there too I preferred KT120, and in mono mode the 2 tube sets were a close call. 150 will be darker than 120 with even more emphasis on bass.

In short I’d try popping KT120 or maybe even 150 in your stereo 300. A power conditioner or cables are not going to get the balance where you like it nearly as effectively as a tube swap.

being tube amps it’s hard to optimize one config for stereo, mono, 4 ohm, 8 ohm all at once. I use 8 ohm Tannoys btw (96dB)