Well, I am OFFICIALLY CRANKING my system with the new Hibachi amps. Discovered a new jazz album that I'm digging, so I threw that on. VERY well recorded, amazing playing, some of the best and fastest upright bass playing (Bromberg) I've ever heard!:
Brian Bromberg - Downright Upright
Listen here:
http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Downright+Upright/3953471The amps sound really good... transients retain their full dynamics at high volume to a much greater extent than my previous amp, which had a tendency to start to sound a bit flat and compressed at these SPLs.
My big thing is how cymbals sound, whether they distort and compress at volume. On one of my more dynamic test tracks, XTC's 'The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead', the Hibachis are really reproducing them super well, they stay nuanced and pretty when cranked.
. This track can be aggressive at high volume, but this is good as I've heard it.
Listening to a sax solo on the Bromberg album, the midrange is lush yet defined, not at all mushy, but richer than my Acurus. On another test track, 'Let Me Touch You For A While', Alison Krause's vocals are more immediate than I'm used to, a very holographic presentation.
Bass is taken care of by the 300 watt plate amps in my SAM1s, so that's always good
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Overall, combined with my speakers in this room, the TAD Hibachi IIs are making rich, well defined, involving music, and are, right from the get-go, a MAJOR step up in amplification for my system.
