The original Birdland Odeon Lite was indeed light in the bass.
The later version of that unit and the current AG model do not have that trait.
Much equipment that is "too laid back" in some systems, is actually more dynamically graceful when auditoned over a wide variety of systems/better systems.
As you know, the hardest sounds to reproduce are the subtle changes, and the most dramatic changes- the dynamic extremes.
If a component, a cable, a speaker cannot resolve the small changes, but has low distortion otherwise, then the result is an "on/off" sort of presentation, sometimes requiring we play the system louder.
If there is low-level noise or distortion overlaying that abrupt start and end, that would add a haze overlaying that chopped signal- two distinct events if the speakers are good enough to resolve that the upstream component/cable is doing that.
If a component, cable, speaker cannot resolve the largest dynamic changes, it may flatten them off in certain ways:
A cable does it, no matter what the loudness (voltage) sent into it.
A preamplifier would soften gradually as the gain was advanced.
A power amp would more suddenly "lose it" with one more increase in volume (assuming you did not hear it leave its Class A operation mode).
A speaker flattens off the peaks, similar to a tape deck or preamplifier- gradually getting worse with increases in loudness, then just losing it, like a power amplifier.
The outcome of course is many pieces of music that are boring when heard with one or more of those distortion characteristics.
The Birdland is extraordinarily musical, not laid back. It exhibits none of the traits I listed above, nor have we found a piece of music that will trip it up- to make it lose focus, add grain, stilt the dynamics, harden up. It is one of the very few processors with the resolution (including all the way through its volume control and output stage) to resolve the encoding-process "hiss" around each note, resolved to the point you can hear that as noise and the original signal apart from that. Analog tape does this too- adding a sideband modulation noise. Direct disc vinyl does not.
No matter, the Birdland may not be the best for a given system. But that would be because of something else in the system, imo. The next weakest link, in my experience, is often the first pair of interconnects.
The Birdland does respond to Black Diamond cones. I think Anthony Perrotta Consulting is a dealer (disclaimer- he is a GMA dealer). Takes about 3weeks on repeat to totally burn in- using complicated music like Squirrel Nut Zippers. Takes 3 days to fully warm up.
Gilles at Birdland told me once, that in his experience, much of the sonic difference in CD transports is from the different ways they implement (and how much/how often) their error correction- done before the signal is ever sent out to the DAC.
I too have heard great things about the Bel Canto. Good guys too. I am posting our current reference system below, so that may tell you more about why we dig music through the Birdland. I am sure we would enjoy the Bel Canto. Anyone have experience with the Electrocompaniet? Or the Audio Note (which Audio Note firm?).
Best regards,
Roy Johnson
Green Mountain Audio
System:
400sq ft room, treated
SolidSteel rack
CEC transport via Illuminati to Birdland (and other DACs)
or
various open reel machines with 1/2-track original master tapes of orchestral and other music, and 1/2 track and 1/4 track factory pre-recorded tapes
or
Rowland vdH strain gauge system on Micro Seiki BL-91/MA505II/Platter Matter
via one set of Audio Magic Illusion 4d interconnects to Edge M-10 amp
Audio Magic Sorcerer speaker wires
Green Mountain speakers
Note, no preamp is required with the Birdland or the reel, nor the extra interconnects.
