Sovkiller...
...I don't know the Gilmore any better than you. But I have read
kelly's comparison with the PreHead. According to this, it sounds very similar to the latter, which in turn according to
Jan Meier sounds nearly identical to the HA-2. So the conclusion is: the HA-2 and the Gilmore are very similar in sound (without engagement).
Sean...
So much cable-related postings on Cable Asylum... the needle in the haystack... I'll try it further, but maybe you could give me some personal insights and approved recipes as well as some theoretical background via PM or e-mail?
I think I'll sell all my amps except for my best two: HA-2 and EMP. They're very different in sound, but they differ in the same degree from the sonic «truth» (if I'm allowed to call the direct path that way), in opposite directions. And their interpretation of it is equally pleasing – and musical!
The EMP just is so natural! You can listen to the music and forget the whole technical equipment. And it's by far not just a euphonic sound. It does sound beautiful. But there is no information lost, you hear the tiniest details, they just don't stand in the fore. Well, they're a bit transfigured by its tubey (overly) liquidity, noticeable with breath noises which appear just a trace too wet. Nevertheless: this likeable flaw is not really an issue; it's part of its flowing, musical sound and barely noticed once you're in the music. Where that deep bass, that breathing midrange and those absolutely delicate, airy highs do their excellent job – just lifelike...
The HA-2 is a different beast. It's slightly darker than the EMP with my current tubes (depending on the actual frequency allocation in the music). It has a darker background than the EMP. I like it! (I like this «darker background» thing, though I'm not sure if I'm talking of the same as is often mentioned at Head-Fi. More dynamic contrast?) And it's more solid from the bass to the treble. More energetic and faster. Until I got the HA-2 – or more precisely: until its full development – I didn't notice much of the EMP's «slowness» (highly overstated...) with drum beats. The HA-2 is fast.
It almost seems to be hard in comparison, but that's just a matter of contrast. In fact its transient response is tremendous. It goes hand in hand with its enormous resolution ability. The greatest thing is: it's paired with a fantastic smoothness up to the highest frequencies. Such delicate highs which that much energy! I love its crystal clear treble which never is hard or sharp (...anymore). As I said: I just can't imagine a better solid-state amp.
Both amps are very versatile and not bound to a special music category. But the Earmax (mostly) shines more with symphonies than with rock, while the Corda has absolutely no preferences. The EMP is slightly more realistic with orchestral music, but not clearly better anyway. And with contemporary jazz and rock... there are just more occasions where I prefer the HA-2. I confess: if I had to decide which one to keep, it's the Corda. Its sonic fascination simply is even a bit greater than with the EMP. No, it doesn't really sound like a tube amp, despite its liquid and smooth midrange – and that's the answer to your other question: it's not dry at all! Well, the EMP is even more liquid...
Pity I don't know much of today's amplifier generation to compare my headamps' sound with. It's long ago that I bought my last speaker amp – my highly appreciated Gassmann-modified Metaxas Solitaire, which indeed has some similarities with the HA-2. But you'll barely know it. There was a time during burn-in when the HA-2's midrange reminded me of an old NAD power amp. But this similarity doesn't exist anymore.
JaZZ
