I'll try to go for pics tonight when I get home from work.
CANAMP - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS - 0 HOURS
So I started listening last night. Fresh out of the box and all that. Plugged in my main ICs, the Silver Res Analog (not exactly finding the Audioquest Python as good as I hoped but that's barely used so I'm burning it in as well).
First, the good part. It's a nice amp out of the box. Good clarity, deep strong bass, good soundstage width.
Now the bad. I was expecting something much better than this based on all the raving - saying it competed with GS-1, better than all other solid-states up to $1K, etc. In its present state, it does not compete with GS-1 IMO. Soundstage depth was so lacking it was immediately obvious. It also sounded less transparent on the source signal, with an emphasis on low bass, and there's a funny sinkhole on the upper treble. There was also a strange recession on the upper mids that reduced the power of female vocals that effectively negated what the K701 sound natively does for them.
Articulation and attack weren't anything to write about either. For something that's been said to be a "giant killer," I was really disappointed. It's not
deficient in this area, but I'm very used to the GS-1 at this point, and it pales next to the GS-1. Notes did not sound like they were emanating from empty space. Hopefully burn-in rectifies this.
There was also a quality about the sound that made it feel suffocating, as if the air was being sucked out of the image. Again, this pales compared to the GS-1 which excels at this and provides plenty of air & breathing room, as much as is being given by the source.
To summarize, I'm not very impressed at the initial state of the amp. We'll see what 16 hours of burn-in does when I get home from work.
It does already sound more transparent than the Gilmore Lite v2 w/ DPS though, with fewer alterations on the signal. I don't presently have my Gilmore Lite stack though, I sent it out yesterday as part of Loaner #4, so direct comparisons will be made when the amp returns home.
A disclaimer for those who might get the impression that I have a bias for the GS-1: I don't. There are indeed some sonic flaws I find with the GS-1, which is the reason I have the GS-X (presently unlistened to though, but that will soon change). The GS-1 is simply currently the only amp I've heard/own that's exceedingly transparent and clear with unmatched soundstage width and depth, acting as a literal window into the sound of the source, a quality I haven't yet found with other amps. I may also be alone (or at least in the company of very few) in the opinion that a solid-state amp should not be inflecting its own sound on the input signal - when I sit down to listen, I want to be able to hear the source, with the amp getting out of the way as completely as possible.
