Well, my experience with the Fubar III vs. Micro was that the crossfeed made a much bigger impact on what I heard, rather than whichever amp I was using. This is just my opinion, and I'm not exaggerating it, if only because there is zero reason for me to do so.
Like you suggest, I do all my 'testing' using music I am extremely familiar with, mostly songs I am usually able to ABX without much trouble (320 CBR, lame 3.98 vs flac). It took some rather long, intensive listening sessions to clearly distinguish what I was hearing with the Fubar and the Micro. The most obvious, as you have already pointed out, was in the low-end, and the Micro's ability to extend on its definition. I also found a smidgen more clarity with the Micro across the board along with with it being a little faster. All in all, I was really shocked how close they sounded - the Fubar III/PSU is just a pinch over half the price of the Micro Amp + AC.
The crossfeed, on the other hand, was rather obvious for me to pick out, too much so for my taste. When looking at most of the comments on the crossfeed here at hi-fi, I understand how my view on it comes off as exaggerated, but it is just my own personal experience.
For me, personally, I have a hard time focusing on the details of the music that I enjoy engrossing myself within when the crossfeed is on. This is mostly because of the added bass when it is on. An example would be some Etta James songs I listened to, and her voice with the crossfeed can create a noticeable 'boom' that bottoms out my 650s. Vocals are more midrange-ish, so this was really distracting for me. Another example would be Kings of Leon's bass lines, which are already heavy, but dominate the recording when I used the crossfeed.
I think this just boils down to principles. The crossfeed's concept, which is by definition artificial, is just not for me, as I would generally side with 'purity' over most other things. There's no "right" way to enjoy listening to music, so this is really a matter of taste. I don't need things to be "pure" nor am I under the assumption that what I'm listen to is supremely neutral, I just happen to enjoy a more 'pure' sound than what the crossfeed offers. I can't comment on the exact level of purity found within my systems, just that the crossfeed is a step in the wrong direction for my subjective tastes.
I am still interested to hear whether or not you found the Astrodyne Power Supply to be a worthy addition to the Micro and if you would recommend it. I would also really like to hear how you felt the D2000 matching up with with the Micro. Your comments have been really helpful before, so I'm definitely interested in your ideas on the Astrodyne and D2000 along side the Micro.
|