I’ve been looking here and elsewhere for a description of the PS Audio house sound. I’m interested in general impressions and how SR DAC and S300 amp compliment each other. Thanks in advance. JimK
I have that combo , albeit with a tube preamp in between, and I think it’s sublime. Better than when I had my Parasound Halo A23 in the mix.
Great question.
Good questions force one to think, and I hadn’t given this a lot of thought. What I have done over time is to gravitate towards equipment that is a “neutral” as possible - aiming at the sweet spot between tube and SS - by fixing whatever the most obvious flaw in the system was at the moment. That journey had pointed me in the direction of neutrality and transparency.
FWIW, several reviewers have found the BHK 300’s to be within spittin’ distance of the Pass XA monoblocks (for example, look up Tony Cordesman’s review of the BHK’s in The Absolute Sound). This was confirmed by Gus Skinas during the Colorado Audio Society’s visit to PS Audio’s new digs earlier this year.
Will be interesting to see how others weigh in.
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I’d say it’s trying to get at the same time great soundstage, which is a priority, revealingness, transparency, extended frequency extremes, controlled bass, dynamics, livelyness, a certain warmth rather than lacking it, ease, emotion, involvement. Ultimate weight and charming magic might be a tad reduced in favor of the other aspects.
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Wow! Well said.
Yes, Wow!
“a certain warmth rather than lacking it…”
In Get Better Sound, Jim Smith defines bloom as “rich, warm and resonant, like the lively sound of the cello.” Would this fit your description? Thanks
This kind of „bloom“ (not so much rich, but mainly resonant, lively) is what I’d say is one of the typical tube or hybrid tube strenghts (like also the BHK design is one of), hard for pure solid state to achieve this.
What I meant with a „certain warmth“ is just that I think Paul and his fellows care for a never dry, analytic or sterile sound.
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