Power amp comparisons: Belles, Exposure, Linn, PS Audio (LONG!)
- Thread starter Bob Edwards
- Start date
Bob Edwards
pfm Member
I said I'd update once the 3010S2 monos had been on more than a few hours; and due to an impromptu night without my daughter I thought I'd take a moment to update.
The short form - I'm done power amp shopping.
The longer version: They combine, at least in my system and room, the authority of the Belles, the hifi bits of the PS Audios, and keep the inner balance and drive of the 28. They let me hear things other amps did not - the interplay of the percussion on Ulrich Schnauss's "Between Us And Them" is one example. They also do a better job of separating and clarifying the bass region (though I know that is speaker and room dependent) - it's easier to separate and follow bass/drum/etc. lines. Perhaps most importantly, they've given me goosebumps on songs I thought I knew well.
They also don't appear to run out of puff - they can sustain deep bass notes at high volume (at least as high as I can stand in my room). Put another way, they sound more relaxed and transparent - like a Tour de France rider out with a local cycling club, it just doesn't sound like they're ever working hard.
And finally, they just "fit" my system and room. Which makes sense to me, as the CD transport and preamp are also Exposure. There is a wonderful combination of clarity, speed, and richness (my grandfather taught piano at Juilliard, and I grew up with him having a Bosendorfer concert grand occupying their dining room, so have a sense of piano in particular) that hits me as "right." Just wish I'd gotten them sooner!
The short form - I'm done power amp shopping.
The longer version: They combine, at least in my system and room, the authority of the Belles, the hifi bits of the PS Audios, and keep the inner balance and drive of the 28. They let me hear things other amps did not - the interplay of the percussion on Ulrich Schnauss's "Between Us And Them" is one example. They also do a better job of separating and clarifying the bass region (though I know that is speaker and room dependent) - it's easier to separate and follow bass/drum/etc. lines. Perhaps most importantly, they've given me goosebumps on songs I thought I knew well.
They also don't appear to run out of puff - they can sustain deep bass notes at high volume (at least as high as I can stand in my room). Put another way, they sound more relaxed and transparent - like a Tour de France rider out with a local cycling club, it just doesn't sound like they're ever working hard.
And finally, they just "fit" my system and room. Which makes sense to me, as the CD transport and preamp are also Exposure. There is a wonderful combination of clarity, speed, and richness (my grandfather taught piano at Juilliard, and I grew up with him having a Bosendorfer concert grand occupying their dining room, so have a sense of piano in particular) that hits me as "right." Just wish I'd gotten them sooner!