New Shanling A3000 integrated Amp...

[Brett A]

Nope, hence the question.

Right...

 

[wire]

Maybe they do sound different but it isn't a reasonable assumption. More reasonable is that don't sound different.



Because it is designed differently doesn't mean that it must sound different. People who do competent amplifier designs strive to have the amp amplify the waveforms without changing their shape. For the most part they are successful. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes they even engineer sonic anomalies into the design. I don't think that is a very good idea but some do.



Soundstage depth isn't much of an issue. The sound stage should place you an appropriate distance from the music makers. With close miked recordings the sound stage is usually messed up in terms of depth. With simpler recordings it can be very realistic. Meaningful changes in soundstage would normally result from increasing its width rather than its depth - to make our listening room seem larger like the performance venue. Most people think surround sound does that. I do.

I understand that you perceive changes in soundstage with a particular amplifer but you would get over that if you got involved in objective listening tests. We used to have a pretty nice audiophile society in this area. We got involved in objective testing and most were "cured" of the audiophilia. The group is completely gone. We all still enjoy listening to music as much as we ever did. I, for one, enjoy it more because I don't spend any effort listening to the equipment.

All 3 Amps work in much different ways .
Have you every played around with a pair of SDA's or a Sonic Holigram before ? With the Holigram speaker placement is critical , with SDA not so much . The imaging on the SDA is very good and your sweet spot is very forgiving , where the SH the sweety spot is very small but worth the while . Both work in the same principle to give you a large and in depth soundstage , something i just don't get from 5.1 .
Back to Amps , The Bryston was in my room while i moved all the amps in there to compare them all , the 1st thing my girlfreind said with the Bryston was , she didnt like the way the Voice was placed so far back , for me i kind of liked it . Anyhow as you can see , I decided to run the SP3 in my room and leave the Byston hooked up to the SDA's (which is a very good match) and the Carver TFM35 is matched to a CT-17 pre with SH and hooked up to my Puter .

 

[omegaspeedy]

Yes thats true! this amp is no eco friendly power saver! Its like a 350 chev, electronic style but with a hell of a lot more finesse. I also agree (Matt34) that room treatments and some quality speakers make a big difference to the overall sound quality including the soundstage. I just had to sell some Dynaudio 72SE's that were too bassey for my not so ideal square room. The Dyn Contour S1.4 standmounts sound far better in my room. Saying this I love my A3000. It is truely IMO the best amp in its price range without doubt! Hopefully Stereophile, 6Moons, or some of the mags will do an honest review sometime. There is already a good review out in "Hi-Fi World" on the Shanling CD3000.

James

 

[Brett A]

Saying this I love my A3000. It is truely IMO the best amp in its price range without doubt! Hopefully Stereophile, 6Moons, or some of the mags will do an honest review sometime.
James

I agree. I can't help but wonder how the reputation of this product will unfold.

Omegaspeedy, did you ever get a chance to compare the Shanling to the Music Fidelity amps?

 

[fmw]

All 3 Amps work in much different ways .
Have you every played around with a pair of SDA's or a Sonic Holigram before ? With the Holigram speaker placement is critical , with SDA not so much . The imaging on the SDA is very good and your sweet spot is very forgiving , where the SH the sweety spot is very small but worth the while . Both work in the same principle to give you a large and in depth soundstage , something i just don't get from 5.1 .
Back to Amps , The Bryston was in my room while i moved all the amps in there to compare them all , the 1st thing my girlfreind said with the Bryston was , she didnt like the way the Voice was placed so far back , for me i kind of liked it . Anyhow as you can see , I decided to run the SP3 in my room and leave the Byston hooked up to the SDA's (which is a very good match) and the Carver TFM35 is matched to a CT-17 pre with SH and hooked up to my Puter .

I'm not arguing with you about the speakers. Speakers and room acoustics are what affect imaging and soundstage. The amp issue resulted from changing rooms, not changing amps.

 

[Brett A]

I'm not arguing with you about the speakers. Speakers and room acoustics are what affect imaging and soundstage. The amp issue resulted from changing rooms, not changing amps.

It pains me somewhat, but I can't seem to resist beating this tired, dead horse:

So every amp you've heard in your system sounds the same? What amps have you tried?

 

[fmw]

It pains me somewhat, but I can't seem to resist beating this tired, dead horse:

So every amp you've heard in your system sounds the same? What amps have you tried?

It might be your memory that is tired and you might want to beat someone else's dead horse. I have never said all amplifiers sound the same. In fact it has been proven scientifically that they don't all sound the same. What I said was that amplifiers don't generate a soundstage. Remember? What they do is increase the amplitude of the waveforms on which they operate. Is there something you'd like to debate intelligently or do you just want to act like an arrogant know-it-all?

 

[avaserfi]

It pains me somewhat, but I can't seem to resist beating this tired, dead horse:

So every amp you've heard in your system sounds the same? What amps have you tried?

It might be your memory that is tired and you might want to beat someone else's dead horse. I have never said all amplifiers sound the same. In fact it has been proven scientifically that they don't all sound the same. What I said was that amplifiers don't generate a soundstage. Remember? What they do is increase the amplitude of the waveforms on which they operate. Is there something you'd like to debate intelligently or do you just want to act like an arrogant know-it-all?

There is no sense wasting your time. The poster must actively attempt to educate them self, it cannot be forced.

I have answered the topic of amplifiers and sound stage here.

 

[omegaspeedy]

Hi Brett A, yes I tried the Music Fidelity A5 and it did sound very good in a very different way. The A5 was detailed and very neutral, almost dry, plenty of control. The sound of the Shanling is slightly "warmer" I guess because of the valve buffer. The Shanling is an amp you could listen to all day without getting tired. I think that the Shanling suits most modern day speakers which are designed slightly forward sounding in the treble, so there would be less speaker mis matches where as the wrong choice with the Music Fedelity would cause "ear bleed" after long listening.

James.

 

[Brett A]

Hi Brett A, yes I tried the Music Fidelity A5 and it did sound very good in a very different way. The A5 was detailed and very neutral, almost dry, plenty of control. The sound of the Shanling is slightly "warmer" I guess because of the valve buffer. The Shanling is an amp you could listen to all day without getting tired.

Hi James

That's good to hear. When I was shopping for a new amp, I came to the point where I wanted to either buy the Shanlimg new from my local shop, or an MF 3.5 used from Audiogon, unheard. After about six weeks of in home as well as in store trials of different equipment, I had reached the end of my stamina for the shopping process.

I obviously decided to buy the Shanling, and from your description of the difference, I can feel a little more like I made the right choice (I haven't really doubted it though.)

the Music Fedelity would cause "ear bleed" after long listening.

James.

I indeed bought the A3000 to get away from the "ear bleed" of my Rotel equipment. (My gawd, it was acute!) I sometimes spend six or eight hours listening on a Saturday or Sunday ( two or three hours is more typical though) and the Shanling not only lets me do that, but really makes me look forward to it!

I suspect before too long I will own the CD 3000 too.

---brett

 

[Brett A]

Is there something you'd like to debate intelligently or do you just want to act like an arrogant know-it-all?

It's not my intention to offend of sound arrogant. (perhaps it's the limitations of the medium---typing as opposed to speaking.)
I just wandered into this land (Audioholics.com) recently from the high-end audio world I usually inhabit online. And folks here such as yourself have a way of looking at things that is very different to me (and it seems quite hostile at times too). It is quite radical from where I sit. I'm trying to figure out just how radical (and learning how hostile).

For example, the idea that cables don't affect sound (I'm not saying you said this--although you might have at some point) is so contrary to my experience, I have to read it a few times to see that people really believe it.

Perhaps I should apologize for the "dead horse" statement I made earlier. I honestly mean you no ill will. I am just trying to understand a different culture.

Please work with me if you can. If not, please leave me alone to explore without having to suffer abuse, and I'll try to do the same.

 

[wire]

The amp issue resulted from changing rooms, not changing amps.

I dont quite understand ? I compared all 3 in one room ( actually more than that , but the cheaper mass models dont count . ) On the same equipment in my bedroom . The bryston had a very deep and lively sound to it , that is the comment from my girlfreind , whom didnt like the voice placed so far back .
Brett
Nice looking amp (that A3000) .

 

[omegaspeedy]

I suspect before too long I will own the CD 3000 too.

Shes a great player alright! Check out the review in "Hi Fi World". I still need to get a good set of XLR interconnects though. I have trialed some MIT's but could not afford them at the time. Balanced sounds better in the Shanling setup to my ears.

Cheers James.

 

[omegaspeedy]

Heres some Pictures

 

[mtrycrafts]

It pains me somewhat, but I can't seem to resist beating this tired, dead horse:

So every amp you've heard in your system sounds the same? What amps have you tried?

It pains me as well, that some just cannot comprehend the possibility that modern, well designed components are transparent when operated withing their design limits.

But, that is dues to lack of proper experience with bias controlled listening AND, utilizing only ones ears. No, the eyes must be used to tell you what you hear. That is a sign of uncertainty and fear of reality.

Oh, why would his amp choices matter? Maybe the question needs to be, how have you demonstrated in a credible manner, that all amps sound different? That is your claim, isn't it?

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
I just wandered into this land (Audioholics.com) recently from the high-end audio world I usually inhabit online. ...

Please work with me if you can. If not, please leave me alone to explore without having to suffer abuse, and I'll try to do the same.

Yes, that is the problem, being misinformed and brainwashed in such places with no reality check. But, there may be hope. All your perceptions can be tested without your bias interfering, or, actually accounting for your biases.
But, that takes a curious mind seeking truths, reality and such, not blindly accepting sensory inputs or the mind's tricks.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I've never heard any of the Shanling gear but I absolutely love the looks of everything I've seen! Ditto for some of the other Chinese tubed gear. I had an Onix SP3 and kick myself to this day for getting rid of it.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I dont quite understand ? I compared all 3 in one room ( actually more than that , but the cheaper mass models dont count . ) On the same equipment in my bedroom . The bryston had a very deep and lively sound to it , that is the comment from my girlfreind , whom didnt like the voice placed so far back .
Brett
Nice looking amp (that A3000) .

Oh, but how DID you compare them, really?
If one wants a reality check, you do it one way, if one wants to just play around, then, anything goes as do the results.

 

[Brett A]

Heres some Pictures

Wow! That is a nice looking set up!

 

[fmw]

Wow! That is a nice looking set up!

I agree. It is very attractive.