Quote:
Originally Posted by pstrisik
I've been hearing this message. I'm thinking strongly about getting one of Dennis Had's Inspire SET amps at ~10 watts for reasonable $ as a first step. 805's would be a great final choice if I like it. How would you characterize the sound difference between PP and SET?
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The first thing that strikes you is the soundstage. SET's especially the 805 is much more holographic and palpable. It seems as if the musicians are with you in the room. I've compared the soundstage of the 805 to that of the mighty VTL Sigfrieds and to my ears, the Cary sounded much more musical & natural. I know Luke Manley personally and I hope he doesn't read this :/
Second, power is not an issue when paired with the right speaker. The ~23W of class A power of the 805's are plenty to drive efficient speakers such as Wilsons. It rarely uses more than 5W. I've compared it to a 200W solid state and preferred the 50W of the 805.
Third, people who believe that bass is an issue with SET's should listen to the 805's. What you get is very well controlled deep bass that is integrated seamlessly to the rest of the frequency range.
Fourth, the liquidity of the midrange and the air on top is amazing. The tapping of a drumstick on a cymbal, the sound of a wood flute or a pluck of a guitar string is as close to real as it gets. A real life comparison will prove so.
Fifth, the speed & pace in which the music is delivered through the speakers are amazing.
Of course there are many factors that contribute to bring out the best in these amps such as first class components upstream and also cables. I use Transparent cables throughout the system that are calibrated to the amps and really work with them.