Quote:
Originally Posted by robd2
Completely agree +++
What are your impressions of the XP30 Warm vs cool?
|
Well, coming from the tubed Hovland HP-100, it sounds a lot brighter, & cooler in the highs. The midrange is appropriately warm, and probably closer to reality, but is certainly cooler & less full than what I'm used to from the Hovland.
However, several factors make these perceptions questionable, even as a first impression:
1) The Hovland is definitely warm, and also rolls off the high frequencies (but in a very "musical" way.) So it is an adjustment to listen to a more extended, less "rich" sound.
2) I haven't been able to set up the Rockports yet, so I've only heard the XP-30 with the IRS Betas, which were overtly designed to be used with tubes, and almost always sound bright with solid-state. And I feel as if I've yet to get the crossover settings optimally dialed-in for the XP-30.
3) I'm temporarily using an old Adcom GFA-555 to power the bass towers while I get the power supply caps replaced on the Classe M-700s, so the bass is temporarily under-powered & unbalanced (since I didn't want to fiddle with active bass x-over settings, given the temporary nature of the Adcom.)
So it's really premature for me to give a well-founded opinion. Although thus far I miss the warm, full and tonally rich sound of the Hovland, I also know that, in that regard, the Hovland was editorializing, albeit in a very satisfying way. I think most would find the XP-30 plenty warm in the mids. I should also add that, even in the system as it is, the XP-30 often seems able to "open a window", & provide an intangible sense of hearing the original performance in a more direct way.