JustMe wrote:

I swapped this amp (an Alchemist Kraken APD6a II) for an Audiolab 8000LX
which had been packed up for a short time. Many on here will be familiar
with this amp, if only by reputation.

basically the 8000LX is the same amp as the Audiolab 8000S without the
remote control and configurable modes (pre, pre-power, int, etc).


The first thing I observed was how much more comfortable I was with the
look, feel, ergonomics and operation of the Audiolab. I can put things on
top of it, for starters (I don't block the air from circulating though the
vents, don't worry), the buttons are all cool to the touch - not *hot* like
the Alchemist, both the input and record selector switches feel the same and
it all operates with a great deal of assurance. It also has a lovely 1/4"
headphone jack on the front panel, which is very useful.

Just one problem. It's boring to listen to. I've been running the Alchemist
in exactly the same setup for a few months and in switching to the Audiolab,
and having listened for about a weeks now, I'm totally uninspired. The sound
is very clean and aesthetically it's all very balanced and even handed,
which is fine on paper, but it doesn't entertain me.

I am not familiar with the Alchemist amp, but the Audiolab is a wire
with gain ... i.e. the sort of amp you want to get if you are after
"high-fidelity" with no audible distortion.



If I were a recording artist, first and foremost I'd want those listening to
my music to be entertained, inspired & moved by it.

Of course. And the artist should make that happen by putting in an
entertaining, inspired performance.

The Audiolab doesn't do that for me, the Alchemist does.

OK, so you admit you prefer your amps to have a "boogie" factor, i.e.
alter the input signal in such a way that the output signal just isn't a
magnified version of the input signal. The Audiolab isn't the amp for
you then.

For all its supposed colour, for all its
foibles, operational quirks - whatever you like - it is by any sensible
measure of what a hifi should be and do, better.

No, that isn't what "hi-fi" should do ... the musicality should come
from the performance, not the equipment.