My setup:
Transport: Singxer SU-6
DAC: Denafrips Pontus 2 12th Anniversary
Preamp: AMB Lab Alpha 20 (DIY build, balanced with stepped attenuator)
Speaker: Harbeth C7-ES3 40th Anniversary
When the speaker is used with Line Magnetic LM-211ia, sometimes I feel the midrange sounds too coloured. The liquid midrange of a tube amp doesn't help this speaker IMO, it's hard to make a Harbeth sounds dry.
I prefer this speaker with my SMSL A300, a $200 class D amp from China. I think this speaker fares better with amp that has a linear and clear midrange. It's good for acoustic music. For rock and pop it can have punch and bite, but at a volume I am uncomfortable to subject my neighbour with. At normal volume it sounds too smooth for me.
Of course Harbeths are not known for their punch and bite, but I have heard punchier amps than my cheap class D.
I auditioned Roksan Blak, Musical Fidelity MS 6si and Hegel H190. I can't audition them with my speaker, so I could be wrong but I don't feel them to be particularly punchy amps. The Hegel and Musical Fidelity I suspect also needs a bit of volume for them to wake up. The Roksan Blak might also be a touch too coloured in the midrange. I am curious about the cheaper Roksan M2 and K3 power amp.
Naim are often described as punchy, but do they have terrible separation and sound stage? And Rotel? Other than these I'm not really sure where to look.
So in short, I'm looking for an amp that majors on punch and clarity. Budget wise I am somewhat flexible, as long as they are comparable to the cost of my source or speakers components. I prefer power amp with balanced input, but it's not a strict requirement.
Thanks for reading.
Transport: Singxer SU-6
DAC: Denafrips Pontus 2 12th Anniversary
Preamp: AMB Lab Alpha 20 (DIY build, balanced with stepped attenuator)
Speaker: Harbeth C7-ES3 40th Anniversary
When the speaker is used with Line Magnetic LM-211ia, sometimes I feel the midrange sounds too coloured. The liquid midrange of a tube amp doesn't help this speaker IMO, it's hard to make a Harbeth sounds dry.
I prefer this speaker with my SMSL A300, a $200 class D amp from China. I think this speaker fares better with amp that has a linear and clear midrange. It's good for acoustic music. For rock and pop it can have punch and bite, but at a volume I am uncomfortable to subject my neighbour with. At normal volume it sounds too smooth for me.
Of course Harbeths are not known for their punch and bite, but I have heard punchier amps than my cheap class D.
I auditioned Roksan Blak, Musical Fidelity MS 6si and Hegel H190. I can't audition them with my speaker, so I could be wrong but I don't feel them to be particularly punchy amps. The Hegel and Musical Fidelity I suspect also needs a bit of volume for them to wake up. The Roksan Blak might also be a touch too coloured in the midrange. I am curious about the cheaper Roksan M2 and K3 power amp.
Naim are often described as punchy, but do they have terrible separation and sound stage? And Rotel? Other than these I'm not really sure where to look.
So in short, I'm looking for an amp that majors on punch and clarity. Budget wise I am somewhat flexible, as long as they are comparable to the cost of my source or speakers components. I prefer power amp with balanced input, but it's not a strict requirement.
Thanks for reading.