Abrahamsen amplifiers

[Blacksabbath25]

I've been trying the Yamaha A-S2100 amplifier on home demo and to be honest I am very impressed with this amp the dealer as offered it to me for £850 it's a refurbished one but they are £2000 new its looks like brand new in black and it's a serious bit of kit a massive sound and it's heavier then the abrahamsen and very top quality of build is a lot more heavier I like its sound very much and it's actually better then the abrahamsen which took me by surprise it's got top quality TT stage on it so thinking of keeping it I got it for a week yet on home demo but I like it and my wife likes it too but also if I have any issues with it its only down the road from were I live which is a good thing too

Wow, that sounds like a real bargain. They are beauties and worth that all day long. Great find. If you care to divulge where, others might be grateful....?

it was the only one he had but he has a refurbished Yamaha S3000 + matching cdplayer for £4000 that's a good deal

Haha but in a few months tou will want more again so why not get the s3000 and job done for good

Andrew you know what it's like I keep taking the tablets but today I forgot to take them and now I own a Yamaha amp seriously it's bloody lovely

 

[Andrewjvt]

 

I've been trying the Yamaha A-S2100 amplifier on home demo and to be honest I am very impressed with this amp the dealer as offered it to me for £850 it's a refurbished one but they are £2000 new its looks like brand new in black and it's a serious bit of kit a massive sound and it's heavier then the abrahamsen and very top quality of build is a lot more heavier I like its sound very much and it's actually better then the abrahamsen which took me by surprise it's got top quality TT stage on it so thinking of keeping it I got it for a week yet on home demo but I like it and my wife likes it too but also if I have any issues with it its only down the road from were I live which is a good thing too 

Wow, that sounds like a real bargain.  They are beauties and worth that all day long.  Great find.  If you care to divulge where, others might be grateful....?

it was the only one he had but he has a refurbished Yamaha S3000 + matching cdplayer for £4000 that's a good deal 

Haha but in a few months tou will want more again so why not get the s3000 and job done for good

Andrew you know what it's like I keep taking the tablets but today I forgot to take them and now I own a Yamaha amp seriously it's bloody lovely 

Dont worry i also take the tablets

 

[lukam30]

Lucky you Yamaha A-S2100 for £850 this amp is great mach with Dali .I demoed My Rubicon 6 with this amp and I was blown away.I can't wait when I get one myself but I'd love one in silver.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Lucky you Yamaha A-S2100 for £850 this amp is great mach with Dali .I demoed My Rubicon 6 with this amp and I was blown away.I can't wait when I get one myself but I'd love one in silver.

the Yamaha works very well with my Dali option 8s .

What Hifi have not given the Yamaha S3000 a very good review which is puzzling to be honest as the Yamaha S-2100 I would of thought would sound similar so do not take any notice in what Hifi say they are well wrong it ticks all of the boxes in what I wanted from the start the amp is very heavy indeed and well put together top quality that I've never seen before . The separation is amazing in what ever music I play and very detailed too I did have my arcam irdac hooked up with the marantz because I was not hearing top end detail as much as I wanted to but took the dac off to see what my new amp sounds like it's a lot better without the dac a lot more top end which is a good thing

I just got to get my hands on the matching cdplayer that goes with it then this definitely sorts me out the best I've seen this price wise is £1600 new unless a secondhand comes up on the bay in black

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Sabbath, you really need to start selling some of your unused gear mate *biggrin*

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Sabbath, you really need to start selling some of your unused gear mate *biggrin*

I have that's how I funded this new one

 

[Native_bon]

That Yamaha sounds like a good bargain. Was at colin's yesterday & what an experience it was. Got to listen to the Nord NC500 stereo power amp, driving the S2TLK floorstanding speakers. The source was Oppo 105EU. The sound was really good. Everything just sounded right, even at very high volume levels. I don't think I have heard anything in that price range for that performance. Not even close. Colin is just one of the nicest guy you will meet. Took my time with the demo & just let you get on with it. I was there for good 3hrs & never realized it.

Am looking to demo the neats Momentum SX5i tomorrow which is almost 3times the price of S2TLK speakers. They have to do something really magical for me to settle for them. Which every way I go, think I may just get the Nord amp.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

That Yamaha sounds like a good bargain. Was at colin's yesterday & what an experience it was. Got to listen to the Nord NC500 stereo power amp, driving the S2TLK floorstanding speakers. The source was Oppo 105EU. The sound was really good. Everything just sounded right, even at very high volume levels. I don't think I have heard anything in that price range for that performance. Not even close. Colin is just one of the nicest guy you will meet. Took my time with the demo & just let you get on with it. I was there for good 3hrs & never realized it.

Am looking to demo the neats Momentum SX5i tomorrow which is almost 3times the price of S2TLK speakers. They have to do something really magical for me to settle for them. Which every way I go, think I may just get the Nord amp.

sounds good mate ... I was so tempted to get the Nord nc500 I really was but this deal come a long with the Yamaha and I did not expect to like it I got it for the week but I will be keeping specially at the price I got it for Plus the fact the shop I got it from is local to me I've got 3 years warranty with it too so it's a good deal . I still keep my abrahamsen as I like it but the Yamaha is just a little better then the abrahamsen .

 

[plastic penguin]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

 

[plastic penguin]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

 

[Blacksabbath25]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha S3000 has a bigger power supply then the S2100 has but then your paying £7000 for both cdplayer & amp the yamaha is so unrated the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

 

[Blacksabbath25]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

sorry i just edit my post to add a bit more info but my speakers are 4ohm speakers and the yamaha drives the dali speakers lovely

 

[33RPM]

I guess the yamaha is a fine sounding amp. Their piano's are anyway

As of today I have a bel Canto 500, and tomorrow I will add an audionet pre-amp to try both the Abrahamsen and Bel Canto ith a pre amp instead of passive tone control. In the end it comes all down to personal taste if the specs are ok of course.

After a few hours of listening with Tisbury + Bel Canto I'd say on the plus side: effortles power, fantastic bass control, wide sound stage and good fine detail without loosing neutrality. On the other hand the stereo image is rather two-dimensional and voices and strings could do with a bit more warmth. But its certainly not a 'cold' or lean sounding amp. Where the Abrahamsen struggled this one has effortless control. But we'll know more towmorow when the pre-amp arrives. I think it has balanced outputs so this should be fine for a mini bake off

 

[Native_bon]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

I had a demo of PMC twenty 24 speakers today i did not like them, even when driven with an Arcam A49 amp. They just too raw for my liking. Immediately the neats Momentum SX5i speakers were in place the whole music just came together. I was getting really nice rounded sound but lacked the drama & tension of the IPL acoustics S2TL speakers, so am going for the S2TL sepakers. Also helps the S2TL's are less than half price of the Neats.

I have looked for the Yamaha amp online but don't seem to see it in £s, all the websites all quote in dollors. Would like if any one could point me in right direction or dealer here in uk. Is it possible to demo the Yamaha amp here in the uk.

EDIT: Strange, just seen the S2100 online. Am sure could not fine it yesterday. Retail price for £2,099

 

[Blacksabbath25]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

I had a demo of PMC twenty 24 speakers today i did not like them, even when driven with an Arcam A49 amp. They just too raw for my liking. Immediately the neats Momentum SX5i speakers were in place the whole music just came together. I was getting really nice rounded sound but lacked the drama & tension of the IPL acoustics S2TL speakers, so am going for the S2TL sepakers. Also helps the S2TL's are less than half price of the Neats.

I have looked for the Yamaha amp online but don't seem to see it in £s, all the websites all quote in dollors. Would like if any one could point me in right direction or dealer here in uk. Is it possible to demo the Yamaha amp here in the uk.

hi I should really start a new post as this trend is about abrahamsen as I am taking it way of topic but I will look for some Yamaha dealers for you

 

[nopiano]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

I had a demo of PMC twenty 24 speakers today i did not like them, even when driven with an Arcam A49 amp. They just too raw for my liking. Immediately the neats Momentum SX5i speakers were in place the whole music just came together. I was getting really nice rounded sound but lacked the drama & tension of the IPL acoustics S2TL speakers, so am going for the S2TL sepakers. Also helps the S2TL's are less than half price of the Neats.

I have looked for the Yamaha amp online but don't seem to see it in £s, all the websites all quote in dollors. Would like if any one could point me in right direction or dealer here in uk. Is it possible to demo the Yamaha amp here in the uk.

hi I should really start a new post as this trend is about abrahamsen as I am taking it way of topic but I will look for some Yamaha dealers for you

A some time poster here, "hi fix" sell Yamaha amps. They are in Coventry.

 

[Native_bon]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

I had a demo of PMC twenty 24 speakers today i did not like them, even when driven with an Arcam A49 amp. They just too raw for my liking. Immediately the neats Momentum SX5i speakers were in place the whole music just came together. I was getting really nice rounded sound but lacked the drama & tension of the IPL acoustics S2TL speakers, so am going for the S2TL sepakers. Also helps the S2TL's are less than half price of the Neats.

I have looked for the Yamaha amp online but don't seem to see it in £s, all the websites all quote in dollors. Would like if any one could point me in right direction or dealer here in uk. Is it possible to demo the Yamaha amp here in the uk.

hi I should really start a new post as this trend is about abrahamsen as I am taking it way of topic but I will look for some Yamaha dealers for you

Cheers *good* Yea thats true mate. Still got my eyes on the Nord power amp which I thought had a bit more grip than the Abrahamsen amp, but just need to compare before making final decision.

 

[plastic penguin]

@blacksabbath25

Must say that Yam looks really cool. As I've mentioned before I love VU wattage meters. Very retro.

How does it compare to the Marantz 8005 amp? I will go and look at one and, perhaps, have a dem, but I'm trying to get a handle on comparisons.

the Yamaha is nothing like the marantz at all I would say the 8005 was a little bright on the top end and not as good in separation and a bit heavy on the bass but this maybe the speakers I was using at the time the abrahamsen is a warm sound and detailed and good bass response and goes nice low down bass but I would say the Yamaha is well controlled better separation and very detailed good in the mids and the top end the Yamaha Has a good bass response like the abrahamsen has the Yamaha has a more refined kind of Sound I would say the Yamaha is a hard one to explain how it sounds but all 3 amps give good things but with the Yamaha I get lots of connections XLR as well a top TT stage built inside it has both MC / MM ready for when I get a TT there are lots of settings on the front and the back of the amp and the bonus is the Yamaha looks so nice and I love the UV meters which you can turn them off If you wanted too it's very nice old school kind of amp I would recommend you get a demo on one the Yamaha is so unrated this amp is and the Yamaha works very well with my Dali opticons which is good thing .

I suppose it'll boil down to whether I can get the Yam to work well with the PMCs. That's the only fly in the ointment: Leema and PMC manages the balancing act of providing excitement and emotion in equal dollops.

However, the lure of those lovely VU meters might be too hard to turn down (and whether the £1600 price is justified).

Cheers, BS..

I had a demo of PMC twenty 24 speakers today i did not like them, even when driven with an Arcam A49 amp. They just too raw for my liking. Immediately the neats Momentum SX5i speakers were in place the whole music just came together. I was getting really nice rounded sound but lacked the drama & tension of the IPL acoustics S2TL speakers, so am going for the S2TL sepakers. Also helps the S2TL's are less than half price of the Neats.

I have looked for the Yamaha amp online but don't seem to see it in £s, all the websites all quote in dollors. Would like if any one could point me in right direction or dealer here in uk. Is it possible to demo the Yamaha amp here in the uk.

EDIT: Strange, just seen the S2100 online. Am sure could not fine it yesterday. Retail price for £2,099

My PMCs are the previous model 'i' series.

Have heard the 23s with... a Yamaha receiver. Had nothing to compare with so it was in effect in isolation, but 'i' series have a smooth midrange.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Getting interesting! Thanks Native_bon for taking the trouble to visit all the way from London hopefully you feel rewarded for your efforts.

Now the Bel Canto REF500 is around £2.5K The superior Bel Canto REF600 are around £4.2K for a pair and uses the same main components as our Nord One UP amps, ie. the NC500 amp module and the SMPS1200 PSU. We add a superior discrete input stage running in Class A for a nice warm dynamic sound for £1459 a pair or slightly less for a stereo case version. This is the version Native_bon heard Saturday. Now as good as the big Abrahamsen 70W amps are these are in a different leauge to 400W power amps.

 

[Native_bon]

Getting interesting! Thanks Native_bon for taking the trouble to visit all the way from London hopefully you feel rewarded for your efforts.

Now the Bel Canto REF500 is around £2.5K The superior Bel Canto REF600 are around £4.2K for a pair and uses the same main components as our Nord One UP amps, ie. the NC500 amp module and the SMPS1200 PSU. We add a superior discrete input stage running in Class A for a nice warm dynamic sound for £1459 a pair or slightly less for a stereo case version. This is the version Native_bon heard Saturday. Now as good as the big Abrahamsen 70W amps are these are in a different leauge to 400W power amps.

Yes I was really surprise at the performance of the Nord stereo power amp. Taking into account the size of the amp which is almost half the size of most amps is just dwn right remarkable The ability to just exchange Chipsets for a warmer sound if you so wish is just the iceing on the cake. Was really nice spending time at your place listening to music. Really was an eye opener. Thanks again for your service.

 

[33RPM]

I was under the impression the Abrahams amps need a pre-amp and balanced connection to perform optimal. On the other hand de Bel Canto pre-amps seems to have more of a 'straight wire' approach, making a pre-amp less neccesary (if you don't need multiple inputs, remote volume control and such).

How about Nord amps then? Do they benefit from a (balanced?) pre-amp?

 

[iQ Speakers]

There is a blurring of the Pre Amp situation at present ie things like the CXN Streamer, the Oppo 105 and lots of DAC's have volume control and are perfectly capable of driving power amps including the Nord and the Abrahamsen V4.0. So if you dont need other device connected to your power amp these devices work and sound perfectly good.

They will always sound better with a balanced connection that both of the above mentioned devices have.

 

[radiorog]

.Now as good as the big Abrahamsen 70W amps are these are in a different leauge to 400W power amps.

What was this supposed to say? Not as good as the Abrahamsen , or now as good? And what about other 400w power amps? Autocorrect obviously has skewed the overall message. Just curious as I remember you saying Colin that the nords were not quite as good as the Abrahamsen v2up.

Cheers.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Sorry, what i meant to say, As good as the Abrahamsen are, they are not as good as a Nord One UP 400W power amp.

And radiorog you are correct, If I remember correctly and I gave a very honest and up front appraisal, what I said is the basic Nord One was very dynamic and powerful but prefered the tone of the Abrahamsen. It left me a little cold and I did all my personel listening using the Abrahamsen.

With the UP version incorporating Nord input boards using discrete voltage regs and discrete Op Amps (we are now on our second production revision) this has all changed. We get all the amazing power, control and dynamics but with a warm, airy musical presentation that is hugely enjoyable. I now use these for my enjoyable listening.

 

[33RPM]

of what I heard last night, bringing a pre-amp into the setup.

The pre-amp was an (expensive) audionet pre. We couldn't use the balanced outputs though because we had XLR cables with the wrong terminals. After warming up etc... we noticed a slight improvement in stereo image with the Abrahamsen, but detail sank away further making the presentation absolutely dull. Maybe some more warming up would have cured this for some lenghth. But thats the price of amp swapping.

With the Bel Canto there was virtually no change except for a light veiling of detail.

Conclusion one: using a passive amp works fine and gave a better results then a pre in terms of clarity for both amps. I'm keeping it.

Conclusion two: The Abrahamsen didn't benefit. of the use of a pre-amp. It lost some of (to my ears) its main qualities: the fine midband, with beguiling voice, guitar and/or solo instruments. Bass stayed muddled and detail insufficient. I think a single amp lacks the power to drive the PMCs to full potential. It just didn't meet the right company to shine. Maybe I get the change to try two bridged amps and will this turn things for the better. Power seems key.

Conclusion three: putting the Bel Canto and the Abrahamsen next to each other highlighted strenghts and weaknesses of both amps. The voices of the Bel Canto seemed a bit artificial and thin in comparison with the Abrahamsen, while the Abrahamsen lacked control. The Bel Canto manages on the other hand to give a fine sense of placement of instruments and detail. I will have to look further, but have learned alot.

Note: maybe my sources could be of better quality, but as I heard them perform well in different areas (detail, midrange, bass, control..) depending on the amp, I don't expect there lies a big problem. I also swapped power cables and interconnects to make sure there was no problem there.