Wow! Great feedback, keep it coming guys!
To elaborate on some of the queries posed above:
I am currently listening to solid state amplification, a Musical Fidelity A300 Integrated and A3CR Power amp passively bi-amped (Integrated drives the lows/mids and power amp drives the highs). For the power hungry 805S speakers, it offers rock steady control, coherence and imaging. The flow of music is effortless. Voices sound great, bass is pretty deep and well defined and the highs crystalline in nature. But I feel myself slipping away from the music more and more often. Just can't get into it.
I felt the Sony SCD777ES was a bit bright when I used a silver interconnect previously, so I changed it to Matrix Ref II and that certainly introduced warmth, definition and a bigger, better defined soundstage. Really good stuff, this interconnect.
But I suspect tubes will help me achieve a quantum leap, sound-wise. Ive always been wary of the hassles of tube gear but I finally decided to take the plunge. Got to have tubes somewhere in the equation.
I chose the BAT because it had extension, dynamism, detail and bass control like Ive never heard before. For the first time I found myself listening to music rather than an amp. I also heard the solid state MC6500 and it sounded quite...well... solid state to my ears.
Next I will hear the MC6900 and MC 2275.
Ive heard that the MC2275 is more liquid and offers more inner detail than the BAT VK300X SE but the BAT is fast and open and has great bass control, but isn't as smooth.
The BATs dynamism could be well tamed by my B&W 805S since the speaker is a bit polite and refined in nature. But the concern is that the energy of the amp might prove to be less and less beguiling over time. The dealer demoed the unit for me using a silver interconnect but Im going to listen again this time with my copper Matrix Ref IIs and see if they can warm up the sound, Im betting they will.
On the other hand, Im also excited by the prospect of the MC2275 all tube unit but worry about whether 75 tube watts are enough to drive a power hungry speaker like the 805S to decent room filling levels. My listening space is about 15 feet wide and 20 feet long and I sit about 6 feet from the set-up. There is no damping material around, no carpet or heavy curtains, just floor tiles. I listen mainly to traditional and contemporary jazz, vocals, blues and of late, a bit of lounge/chill-out music. No complex classical pieces, in fact no classical, period.
I am not in a position to carry out a home audition so if anyone has any thoughts on the above compatability issues, please do share.
My end goal is to achieve sound character that is close to the following: warm and liquid, fills the room with its presence. It should have a pleasing bloom and fullness to it with clarity, detail, definition and extension. Am I asking too much? More importantly, am I on the right track with my choices so far?
Thanks
Dan
