Subtlety ? do any American amps do it?


Not heard that many but it strikes me that everything from the colonies sounds a bit stark and bleached. Spent a year trying to come to terms with a Pass Labs which is vastly overated ( and I mean vastly), listened a lot
to Mark Levinson and thought Thank God I did not spend a fortune on that - clean, clear, hifi and so bereft of soul that it was like a visit to the Dentist !
I'm not that biased, it's taken Naim years to make something resembling music - PRAT ? until recently bunch of narrow minded PRATS.I know lots of Naim fans and their mindset belongs to the third reich !
UK companies like Meridian and Musical Fidelity have managed to do the bizz for at least 30 years that I've known/used and they still manage to make a noise that at least resembles real music. MF get tarred with a do it cheap brush but anyone who has heard their gear and says it's crap is probably a dealer who wants to sell you something at 3/4x the price.
The Brazilians do it a treat - Heard Audiopax 88s at the last Edinburgh show and if anyone there had ears, they should have packed up and went home - different league does not describe it.
Realise this is antagonistic but want some input.
Even the UK press seems blinkered to the crap - Pass, Krell
- whoah, nice hifi, shame there's nothing remotely musical involved, apart from the laughter as they take our hard earned money !

I have a Quicksilver phonostage - lovely and a great customer focused company, had a Lancelot Camelot, super and amazingly friendly & helpful people but go to the Big boys and it's just a money grabbing frenzy ?
I dreamed of a Pass Labs for years and ? my next amp will be coming from somewhere in Europe !

Si
simon74
El G,
I suppose you'll have another rattle to chuck out of the pram?
The joy of having things with a 'puddle' under them, is if you are in any way handy, it becomes a labour of love to make it not have a puddle under it, then driving it to McDonalds ????????
I have UK gear, US gear, Japanese gear, Japanese cameras, German cameras, and guitars from all sorts of places.
I've no doubt ten years from now EVERYTHING will be sourced from China ! Lighten up.
Si
I think the Theta Dreadnought or especially the Citadels more than meet the muster of any of the fine European products out there.
I guess I was lucky, I have used Clayton with Supratek Chenin, and that not many 4 times more expensive separates on CES sounded better...
VAC Phi sure did...
But now my British Arcam after 9 years of service died and now I have to temporary use SACD SONY as source, wow it really sound now as $200 boombox :), so good source is a must.
I had a Naim CD player for a while. I had to get rid of it 'cause it kept leaking oil all over my rack!

Marco