Please Recommend an amp for the Best 3D "Holigraphic" Sound

Guys:

I would like to get your opinion.

What amp would you recommend if one is looking for 3D Holigraphic Sound?

Looking for something in the 40 wpc to 75 wpc area. I am used to Tube amps, also.

Auxillary equipment:

Rega 2016 P2 TT
Stanton 881S cart
Jolida J9 Preamp with mods
Pioneer Elite Cd player
Tannoy Saturn Floor Standers

Would one of the Mcintosh amps for this bill?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Stereoguy

 

To get to the bottom of your question, you must first ask what makes the tube amp reproduce sound as ‘holographically’ or ‘three-dimensionally’ as it does. This thread on the GearSlutz forum is worth a good read:
What is it about tube amps that give it that 3d effect? - Gearslutz

 

Afterwards, you should decide for yourself, and with some input from more knowledgeable members here - which amp has the most of these qualities or is most suitable to your preferences.

 

Amps I've heard that I feel do this best are Mastersound and Norma. Ayre is good as well. I also heard an older T+A that brought life and new levels of imaging to speakers with low impedance dips.

But I believe set up, room treatment, and speakers easily make or break an amps imaging. If you're looking to buy gear, see if tweaking your set up helps first.

Also amp and speaker pairing specifically will get you further than just the amp. You need a good synergy.

 

McIntosh is good at that. The Rogue Audio Stereo 100 is also an excellent amp, perhaps more affordable as well. You'll need a volume control or a preamp though.
-Bill

 

To get a solid holograpic 3D image you have to use the "proscenium" setup in your speaker positions.
The amp just has to be musical and "alive" enough to produce a sound that is close enough to "reality" timbre wise to make you shut up and LISTEN.
Some amps are screaming with "life" and about to jump out of their box and bite you---other amps are dead on arrival and have zero "life" and perhaps even poor timbrel quality also---a DEADLY combination.
SS amps that run in class A bias are worth checking out--like PASS or if on a budget try a Parasound A21 which runs class A for the first 8 watts or so.
OR go with a nice classic tube McIntosh C22 preamp and MC275 amp.
But getting back to the setup---THIS is where it all happens.
To create a "proscenium" (stage) effect you need to place the main left right speakers where they "lock in" to the room and develop maximum vocal power and solidity and best clean bass.
To find the spot you will have to move boxes FOR WEEKS (I prefer YEARS).
The "Sumiko System" of speaker placement uses Jennifer Warnes "Ballad of the runaway horse" as it is just vocals and a bass. So you can really HEAR the changes as you look for "power."
THEN to get the 3D effect now that you have great TONE and power---you also need the distance to the wall dead center between your speakers to be the exact same distance as it is from your chair to the speaker drivers.
This will make the center image synch up spatially with the left right speakers as the REFLECTION in the middle will match their outputs time-wise.
And to create 3D EVERYTHING has to arrive at the chair at the same time.
The center reflection can be "scaled" by using sound deadening material to each side and opening and closing the "gap" until the center fill is the proper SIZE.
I use my equipment cabinet to hollow out the center "fill" by opening its doors and catching the center fill INSIDE the cabinet.
An open fireplace can also do this trick.
OR merely use a blank wall and some draperies on either side that can be adjusted.
What you are trying to do is what they do in music halls and theaters and concert halls too.
They "horn load' the room.
They "locate" the performers by "tuning the reflections.
YOU can do the same thing with your stereo.
Just don't put your open equipment in the middle or it will break up the reflection pattern and ruin the center image 3D effect.
I have been setting up customer sets for 50 years.
This will work.
I recommend you study the "Sumiko setup system" for speaker placement.
And buy Jim Smith's excellent setup book "Get Better Sound."
Both are part of the years and years of training I have gone through personally.
The 3D soundstage IS not possible if you screw up the acoustics.
And the acoustics are much more important than the gear.
But a nice amp won't hurt---ha ha.
My two cents.

 

The Schiit Aegir class A' ish amp matched with Freya preamp does a pretty good job of projecting 3D image. Use a good subwoofer to help make sound more warm. And do not set too close to speakers.

 

Bever, thank you for your post. Great reading and educational for me

 

Doctor, thank you for your post, Great reading and educational for me.

The way my listening room is set up I really cant do what you wrote, so I will settle for getting my EICO amp repaired and operating correctly.

When I retire and move, thats when I will be able to dedicate a seperate room just for audio and I'll be able to use all those tricks. Thanks for posting those.

 

Croft Series 7

 

Odyssey Audio's amps have a holographic sound as well.