Opinions on Wyred 4 Sound ICE amps

I made the plunge and purchased the Wyred4Sound preamp and SX1000 from Underwood HiFi. They arrived last week well packaged in double boxes with no UPS shipping damage.

Everything worked and the only hot flash of "what is wrong?" occurred when I started the CD player and no sound came out of the speakers (the volume was turned to zero!).

My initial impressions are compared to a Krell S300i integrated amp with 300 wpc/4 ohms and about 300 hours on it.

Generally speaking, to my ear, the Wyred4Sound and the Krell have a similar overall sound. The difference is not as dramatic as when I upgraded to the Krell from a McIntosh MA6300 integrated at 160wpc/4ohm. The change there was very dramatic as the Mac was definitely warmer sounding but with a lot less dynamics than the Krell.

Right out of the box, I can hear more detail with the Wyred4Sound. For example, individual instruments are easier to hear in a mix. Also, it is easier to recognize individual voices in a multipart vocal harmony.

The soundstage is improved. It is wider and better front to back. I often felt while listening to the Krell that the lead vocal and the drums were coming from the same place. With the Wyred4Sound, there is now a separation with vocals in the front and drums in the back.

Also, on the second day of listening, I cranked the volume to 40 which is well below 60 to stay in passive mode on the preamp. I immediately proved the old adage that Maggies love power. The fullness of the sound improved and there was no thought that the Maggies might sound thin as I sometimes had with the Krell. It was louder than what the Krell could play before it overheated and shutdown into protective mode.

I am not sure what I am hearing regarding the bass. It seems to be fuller, but with perhaps a bit less slam. Krell is noted for their bass so this may take some time to determine if there is an improvement.

The edges of the treble with the new Wyrd4Sound are a bit sharp and initially it is not as musical as the Krell. I hope (expect!) these to improve with time.

The W4S owner manuals advise that there will be a major improvement after about 100 hours of operation and another level of improvement at about 200 hours of operation.

ALSO, the manuals make a point to advise strongly that the power should be disconnected before anything is plugged into or out of the amp and pre amp.

So...my initial thought is that I have made a positive change but I wonder about the bass.

I listened to four or five albums across the weekend and I think that understand at least part of what Mapman is saying.

For me, simply put, there is a lot more to hear. The feeling of being "there" is really improved. The sound is more palpable and I think that the bass is causing that.

Interesting comments about Krell integrateds versus separates.

The dealer who sold me the Krell S300i said that I was about 95% of the way there and would have to spend a ton of money to improve the sound from an amp perspective. This dealer sells Classe, McIntosh, and Krell amps among others; and B&W amd Martin Logan speakers.

The only consistent comment has been that I need to lose the Maggies because they need too much power and do not have good bass.

Based on what I am hearing with the W4S that will probably not happen anytime soon.

Palpable....YES!

Mapman, you are so right to remind us about tweaking speaker placement to maximze the sound of a new amp.

Frankly, this process gets more complicated with Mye stands that seem to like to stay in one place. The side clamps come loose when you move them which just adds to the fun.

Inpieces, you are right to quote the smart reviewer who wrote, don't listen to things that you understand you'd love if you can never afford them.

Another important point is the ability to "AB" products to make sure that you are hearing the difference that you think that you are hearing. It is easy to fall into the trap that it must be better because it costs more, especially around changes that bring only subtle sonic differences.

Having said all of that, I would love to take my new W4S to the bricks and mortar store and listen to the big Krell and the classe amps to see what the difference really is, if anything significant.

The more I think about amps, I keep thinking that a big heavy amp with heat sinks and large transformers has got to impact the sound. It is called distortion.

Just the opinion of a guy who has probably reached the limit for amp affordability. If I can convince myself of this, then I will quit thinking about it!

Inpieces,

You wrote:

For STI i would change monoblock fuses for warmer, also PC towards more full weighty sound.

What does the "pc" mean? I did not know how to interpret this abbreviation.

Thanks

Thanks for the clarification. I probably should have been able to figure that one out!

The W4S folks suggest that I try their interconnects as they are designed for their components.

Gets to the old saw - listen and decide if you can hear it.

I have about 25 hours on the W4S amp/preamp combo and they are definitely warmer sounding than my Krell integrated.

Still hearing some syllibance on the sss's (like Donna Krell's "Look of Love") but I expect that will get better with time.

Played John Hiatt's "Walk On" Cd and there is a mandolin track that blew me away - I was there. Volume at 50 out of 120.

At that volume the bass is is palpable. Will not crack the foundation, but the depth and texture is there. I think that I am hearing sounds from other parts of the house but it is sound I never heard before from the albums.

I am a happy camper.