I have had a chance to listen to enough albums with this new to me amp to share a few thoughts on it compared to both the Onkyo M-505, and a Sony GX900ES receiver I have on hand. The rest of my system is listed in my profile.
I find this amp to be a cross between the Onkyo and Sony, with its overall balance being closer to the Sony, being on the warm and laid back side, but at the same time its cleaner and more noticeably resolved, with excellent control over the bass modules of my Acoustat Spectra 11's (Sonic Barrier added internally) which the low damping factor of the Sony and my now dead Accuphase E-202 cannot match (the Accuphase is otherwise an exceptional performer).
It also appears to be a particularly good match with my P.S. Audio IVH when the latter used in passive mode with the gain at full which in turn is controlled by the gain pots on the amp.
The Onkyo on the otherhand is more forward and aggressive, and completely lights up my rather underdamped room, and it did manage to sound ok nonetheless but with a flatter, slighty dryer sound overall.
So needless to say, I find the BGW to better match my room and listening preferences, with just the right amount of transparency vs. refinement to satisfy me.
I find this amp to be a cross between the Onkyo and Sony, with its overall balance being closer to the Sony, being on the warm and laid back side, but at the same time its cleaner and more noticeably resolved, with excellent control over the bass modules of my Acoustat Spectra 11's (Sonic Barrier added internally) which the low damping factor of the Sony and my now dead Accuphase E-202 cannot match (the Accuphase is otherwise an exceptional performer).
It also appears to be a particularly good match with my P.S. Audio IVH when the latter used in passive mode with the gain at full which in turn is controlled by the gain pots on the amp.
The Onkyo on the otherhand is more forward and aggressive, and completely lights up my rather underdamped room, and it did manage to sound ok nonetheless but with a flatter, slighty dryer sound overall.
So needless to say, I find the BGW to better match my room and listening preferences, with just the right amount of transparency vs. refinement to satisfy me.
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