Fourth 24 Hours: Impressions Summary and Final Thoughts
Once green is in your soil, it’s almost impossible to get it out.
The RebelAmp is really, really good. I have no regrets about buying, and give it my highest recommendation. I learned of this product from our fearless leader @taronlissimore some months ago:
Yes. Seriously good. Yes.
Solid state amps have a reputation for following technical rules closely and literally. They don’t exaggerate, they don’t distort, they don’t cover up, and they don’t deceive. This is akin to a computer spreadsheet or desktop environment – have a place for everything, and put everything in its place:
However, music is analog and all about nuance, gray areas, and the changing flow from note to note. In measuring well, some analytical amps come across as a series of snapshots without any concern for flow. The RebelAmp nails flow, and does so in a way reminiscent of tube smoothness (but still clearly within the neutral solid state framework).
Sometimes a job calls for complete coverage, but the coverage can’t happen all at once.
My final back-to-back comparison was with the Koss Porta Pro on the THX 789 versus RebelAmp. To my ears the Porta Pro often whines and pierces with either deep bass that it can’t handle or with high frequencies. The 789 confirmed this – with the wrong content it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. The RebelAmp eliminated 95% of the whines, instead thickening the already thick middle and adding perceived energy or punch. The RebelAmp fails in the direction of pleasure, while the 789 fails in the direction of pain.
With my testing above I preferred the RebelAmp 90% to 95% of the time. With further adjustments and a DAC swap I may prefer it 100% of the time.