I received my AM3D today, my impressions copied from the X7mkII thread:
First impressions, hot-swapping back and forth with my AM3A (not sure if that is good for the hardware), balanced (8 core NiceHCK silver plated) with BL44 adapter to my **** (I brought my C16, ZS7, AS10 and C10 as well):
- Sub bass, wow, first thing I noticed. Bass goes deep. Not a subtle difference.
- Transparent, clear, precise, detailed, great attacks, like a slight veil has been lifted, there's more treble now, the AM3A sounds slightly warm by comparison.
- It is more natural sounding, gives you more of a feeling of being there.
- Better instrument separation and sound stage.
- Volume is only slightly louder (if at all) compared to the AM3A
Things that sound really impressive on it don't sound impressive on the AM3A. Some tracks that I never really cared about sound impressive now.
A really nice upgrade for my X7mkII, I very much recommend it, it sounds much more high-end now. Interesting how my previous set-up sounds less impressive, even though I thought it sounded really good.
If you prefer a warm sound or don't like lots of detail, this might not be for you. Definitely not a forgiving sound with heavily compressed or otherwise lower quality audio.
Now I have to get pentacon cables, lol, this hobby is so demanding.
The color of the module doesn't match that of the X7mkII at all, I guess they matched it with the Q5s color.
EDIT: With all the extra detail/clarity, it does seem a bit more fatiguing to listen to than with the AM3A, the sound is brighter. At least with the ****.
EDIT2: Huh, the CCA C16 sounds so weird after only listening to the **** for months. So warm, muffled, almost mono.
EDIT3: The KZ ZS7 sounds as exciting on it as ever, bass is impressive, but the treble accuracy is wasted a bit. The KZ AS10 sounds interesting, warm, bass depth is wasted, as is treble detail, but it is still pleasant to listen to. THe CCA C10 sounds terrible, no bass, treble is harsh for some reason, maybe it needs to be burned in again because I haven't used it for so long. The **** wins, it lets you hear the strengths of the AM3D and sounds quite natural with it.
And use it balanced if you can, it sounds so much better.
EDIT4 (why not): Phil Collins, Thru These Walls, wow, the attack and all the short stereo delays sound amazing. Shuffle algorithm threw Kate Bush, Cloudbusting at me after that, her voice, the great soundstage, I love this amplifier.
