OK, so I'm itching to say something, even though I really don't have much to say. So I'll just do my usual flow of consciousness writing that I'm sure makes no sense.
So, Tuesday night, I get home, explain to Brianne what happened and why I'm so late, pop the amp out of it's fancy case and let it warm up.
It sounded rough. Like, I just sat there with this sinking feeling in my stomach rough. A couple things happened here - #1 my Zen amp has recently blossomed and probably sounds as good as it can be. #2 I've tweaked the system, the whole room in fact, around the Zen amp - which I think was making the ZMA sound weird dropped in it's place. #3, I'm sick, I'm bushed, I just drove 150 miles in a car with damaged exhaust, white knuckling it over ice and snow - not a good way to do some critical listening. #4, My Decware Silver Reference ICs were acting like antenna and injecting some major noise in the system (e.g. Something in the room, probably power related, is causing havoc with the sound) - so I had to downgrade to...heavily shielded monster cable...ugh.
Wednesday night, terrible day at work, just got back from a visit to the doctors office, I'm tired, I've hardly eaten, only had to drive 80 miles in my loud car today - I come home to find the ZMA on...I ask Brianne if she's been listening and she says "no, I just warmed it up for you"
Yes, she's a keeper.
The amp had 4-5 hours on it with the new caps the previous night, I could already hear it was sounding better. Put 4-5 more hours of background listening while I did other stuff, and by the end of the night, I found myself turning it down lower and lower as the night went on. The amp reminded me of a big horse going from a trot to a gallop and I needed to reign it in - gone with the thin reedy sound from the night before, now it was starting to have some weight and detail!
Still no where as smooth and rich as it was when we demo'd it during Decfest. The big reds clearly need to be "seated in", but I can start to hear the heft that I expected from an amp of this caliber. That sinking feeling is long gone and replaced with excitement for what's coming!
I don't have a lot of experience with amps at this level, and, keep in mind, I'm leaping (through time) from an early 2 watt Zen to the 40 watt ZMA - I don't have a Torii III to compare to. I'm also not one who spends money like this - so I'm going to be super critical of this $4600 expenditure. This beast needs to prove to me it's worth this (to me) extravagant expenditure. Wattage and volume doesn't impress me - I need to hear that liquid honesty. For now, I'll be burning it with the recommended - 5 hours on, 5 hours off, till the amp starts to level out. I feel has a long way till it's bloom. I will do my best to give my (hopefully) humble, and honest thoughts as the amp comes into it's own.
P.S. About the room: I do still have power and noise issues to sort out that weren't really objectionable with the little Zen amp. The ZMA somehow makes me feel like I need a *bigger* room(!), or at very least I need to completely re-position the speakers and listening position...which in turn means adjusting the sound treatments as well.
I'll have more as the thoughts come to me.
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