recommend an amplifier for metal please

[mech]

can you recommend an amplifier for metal music? i have yamaha a-s700 with good Focal speakers. i need a more dynamic sound with better lower sounds - my amp takes a bass guitar and drums and makes a booming noise.

i cant audition all i want, anybody with the same musical preferences?

i consider these:

Denon PMA 2020 AE, Rotel Ra 1520, Pioneer a-70

my kind of CDs definitely need tonal controls.

thanks for any help.

 

[Glacialpath]

Hi there sorry for the cheesy title.

Sorry to hear your getting boomy sounds. Whay kind of bands/specific albums ae you listening to?

I have a Cambridge Audio system and get pretty nice sounding low end from my Monitor Audio BR 1 speakers.

What's your room layout? Do you have the amp set to pure direct or EQ? Are your speakers floorstanders or bookshelf?

I ask all this as you might be able to do something with your current set up unless you really want something new.

If you are in the UK you coud take yourself to the Bristol Sound & Vision show this weekend and listen to loads of amps and speakers combinations. Then if you find one you like you'll get the show discount instead of paying shop price.

I hope that helps.

GP

 

[mech]

no i am not from UK, my room is pretty small, 20 m, my speakers are floorstanders. i listen to death metal bands, lotsa noise for amplifier to sort out, fast drumming, 3 guitars, growling voices. some cheaper amplifiers sounded like a wall of noise

i tested these (at home with my speakers)

Onkyo 9070 (higher sounds were way better than Yamaha a-s700, but lows were also booming),

Denon (dont remember the type but the price was about 700 pounds - good bass, kinda thumping though, but lacked enough treble)

 

[MeanandGreen]

Your booming bass is most probably related to the way your speakers are interacting with the room rather than a deficiency with the amp.

Are the speakers too close to the corners of the room or really close to the rear wall? How close is your listening position to the rear wall, how many soft furnishings etc?

I don't think changing your amp will solve anything if the set up and positioning isn't up to scratch.

 

[richardw42]

Yes, it's your speakers and possibly their placement. Try experimenting with their positioning.

im pretty sure there's no technical reason why one amp would produce booming bass and another wouldn't. After all, they only supply current to the speakers.

 

[rainsoothe]

hi

speaker positioning should be the first thing you sort out. If that doesn't fix your problem, I did use a Rotel RA 1520 and imo it's not at all a slouch - it could handle Dream Theatre and Liquid Tension Experiment. Others to consider should be some Cambridge Audio and maybe Nad - the Nad might be too warm for you though, CA is speedy and bright, might be what you're looking for. Oh, and there's always Naim Nait 5si - Naim are kickass with rhythmic section.

 

[mech]

i demo-ed two amplifiers with Focal speakers (appr. 4000 EU price) in a shop, used my own not so well mastered metal CDs - each CD sounds completely different)

Musical Fidelity M3i (when played louder, mid tones are dominant, lacks bass and treble)

Vincent SV 234 (way better sound even when louder but still lacks tonal controls for my CDs)

It only convinced me I cant have an amplifier without tonal controls, no matter how good it sounds when playing expensive recordings.

 

[Jota180]

Move your speakers around before buying another amp. Pull them at least half a metre from the rear wall and at least 1 metre from side walls.

 

[mech]

i moved the speakers around, still no big difference, there is simply not enough resolution to discern bass and drums.

everybody says to move the speakers... do you really think all the amplifiers sound the same? why are the prices different then?

 

[Jota180]

i moved the speakers around, still no big difference, there is simply not enough resolution to discern bass and drums.

everybody says to move the speakers... do you really think all the amplifiers sound the same? why are the prices different then?

The biggest impact on sound quality in hifi is the room/speaker interaction. Some distance behind that is amplifiers. Another cause of loose/boomy/unfocussed bass is playing them loudly in a small room. No amplifier can resolve that.

I used to work in manufacturing and we made two products from the same batch. 75% was sold under one brand name and 25% sold under another. The 25% was sold as a premium brand for 60% more money but it was exactly the same product, it just had a different label and advertised as a premium product. Many people said they preferred the taste of the premium product. I laughed. Long and hard.

It's really, really that easy to fool people and even when you try to tell them they've been fooled they cannot accept it.

Now there may be some difference in amplifiers, but as long as they're operating within their design parameters, not into clipping and have the correct specs for the speakers provided, the difference should be minimal.

Have you double checked the speakers are wired in phase?

 

[Glacialpath]

i demo-ed two amplifiers with Focal speakers (appr. 4000 EU price) in a shop, used my own not so well mastered metal CDs - each CD sounds completely different) Musical Fidelity M3i (when played louder, mid tones are dominant, lacks bass and treble) Vincent SV 234 (way better sound even when louder but still lacks tonal controls for my CDs) It only convinced me I cant have an amplifier without tonal controls, no matter how good it sounds when playing expensive recordings.

I hear your frustration mech but I agree with the otheres about the speaker position. My lounge is 4x4m and I don't have booming bass when I listen to the likes of Abnormality, Colonize The Rotting, Cannibal Corpse, Lock Up, Napalm Death, Aborted, Nile, You name it I listen to it.

I don't use tone control because I belive in listening to the signal as purely as possible and it's 1 less circuit for the signal to pass throug. I know you say you need them bacuse of how things sound in your listenig room but as the guys have said an amp is an amp. A more powerfull one with give you a fuller sound and for Deathmetal you need an amp that will give you as much clarity as possible.

My lounge has Mordaunt Short floorstanders connected my Pioneer AVR I sometimes us my Subwoofer and I still don't get boomy sound. The Hi-Fi I mentioned in my fist post is in my bedroom which I have Morbid Angel Heretic on right now.

Granted the triggered kicks on some DM albums can sound boomy on a good system but that's just poor mixing.

List me some albums you listen to and I might be able to understand more what trouble you are having and why.

I suggest getting a mate come and move speakers for you, so you can listen until things start to sound more to your liking

If that really doesn't work then I would suggest you try a Cambridge Audio amp.

Sorry for the long reply.

GP

 

[rainsoothe]

well I think his Yamaha is also to blame, they have, IMO, a very mushy low end. Like trying to run through mud

 

[mech]

well, cd direct/pure direct with my yamaha a-s700 sounds like a tin cans from 10 feet underground.

with Onkyo i tested lately it was better. still i need tonal controls, i have 2000 CDs and how many are extremely well mastered/mixed? 50? sure, bands like Hail of Bullets have no problems but most of the CDs dont sound so good. it is a problem of underground music.

i simply need more dynamic sound to make it up for bad recordings. i dont need no pure audiophile sound, i need kick with bass and treble reserve when needed.

too bad Cambridge Audio store is 500 km from here, then again, demo without the rest of your gear is a good choice, not worth to travel there.

 

[Vladimir]

Any amp with tone controls or DSP so you can set it to your liking. Just make sure it has enough juice for your loudness preferences.

 

[dim_span]

get a decent pair of headphones ...

 

[Vladimir]

get a decent pair of headphones ...

How will he headbang?

 

[dim_span]

get a decent pair of headphones ...

How will he headbang?

headphones might be the answer .... loud metal music in a small room gets the neighbours (and neighbour's neighbours) wanting to head butt ...

I don't think it's the amp or equipment

 

[Glacialpath]

Fair play mech. IMO an audio file sound is what you want if you want the right characteristics to be heard when putting a muddy CD on. Do you find albums like Heartwork and Slaughter of the Soul muddy when you listen to them or do you considder these good production and well mixed? Have you got "Wading Through Rancid Offal" by Amputated? I found that a very muddy mix till i made some upgrades to my hi-fi. The same for Cannibal Corpse "Kill". That was horrible to listen to until my upgrade.

So Hail of Bullets sounds good so what sounds bad?

Maybe by some of the other comments the Yamaha is part of the problem. I guess you demo'd it in the store with some of your CDs otherwise I would take the Yamaha to the store you heard the others in and compair them.

Shame the Cambridge Audio shop is to far away. I hope you find an amp the suits your needs.

I got a pwoer amp and a control amp on the CA Hi-FI I wonder if that is what's helping my sound? maybe you could try one too?