2017 amps - $10K to $15K who is on your short list?

audiotroy
Audio Doctor NJ

I appreciate the input. I would remind you the aim here is to develop some concensus of a list for 2017 people could refer to which could help broaden their search base for a proposed solution someone may be looking towards.

Yes, I’m in that mix with any luck at all quite soon.

What I fail to understand is why “Audio Doctor NJ” feels compelled to offer services rather than merely first hand opinions on so many, many, many gear threads?

It biases me that with a dog in the hunt, the info being demonstrated is slanted past ordinary subjectivity with an intended aim for the preposed possibility of future business, and not simply as casual advice based on in your own home experience (s).

It does taint the input IMHO.

My input of TA as an option in this list of well heeled amps was entirely arbitrary. Just saw the name somewhere and thought to illicit more input, and or links to its articles.

Maybe, Troy, and Dave, you should do your advertising via ‘PM’ and place the business name atop the input or feedback you solicit in all of the forum topics you decide to invest your notices and accounts within.

Better still, simply insert your experiences without any mention of the business aspect you obviously seek. That would be taking the high road.

I suspect such an inventory possessed by your business can well afford to buy advertising, rather than to freely slide it into various forum threads across the web at each opportunity.

Albeit, the input is appreciated. The inference of some forthcoming business deal however, is not good business.

Face to face is where money changes hands and sales are made. If a seller proves themselves worthwhile and have desirable goods, and prices there are competitive, people will find you, you won’t always have to go out and knock on their doors.

Good luck.

marko888
thanks so very much.
My ears are just not in agreement with yours on this particular point. However, Ayre deserves as much noteworthiness here as does anyone else’ amps.
Thanks.

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Very interesting fare.

Price alone does not dictate if an amp is great, incredible or even magical. Amps are after all, just another link in the chain and must be subservient and master at the same exact interval.

The Agostino would be on my short list. You could go new with the Classic or even better with a mint used Momentum S200. Sweet and powerful from a legend. FWIW. 

4425
Thanks.
“Agostino”. Wasn’t that name aligned with Krell some time back? Designer? Sounds familiar.
…and that’s the rub, right? Finding ‘mint’ gear, inside and out for decent prices.
Its why I went here with current production components instead of a ‘keepers’ or ‘all time’ list.
Regardless, nice amps remain good prospects for some time until they begin breaking down inside which can take lengthy periods enabling more to come by them and realize for themselves what a so & so amp was all about more affordably.

Jim.

An observation is based on experience, and in this case we have tested many different brands of electronics before we selected the T+A gear. 

We were first criticized for not telling people  in our posts that we are dealers, we initially didn't list any affiliation, now we list our affiliation in every post, the same way that  others dealers also do, and other people also commented that it is only appropriate and now that is also an issue.

Most dealers don't buy products that they don't believe in, and we looked at most of the top tier electronics lines,  if you want to see all of our reasons why we passed on D'agastino, Pass Labs, Vitus, Ayre, Sim, Krell and Levinson, please PM us and we can go over it.

The reason we went with T+A in the first place was Allan Taffel's review in the Absolute Sound, where he compared the T+A integrated amplifier an $18k product, to $120k worth of Swiss gear, and Mr. Taffel was having difficulty determining which he was listening to.  In our mind, wow when did you ever see that?

After reading this review we contacted the importer and got to test this gear for ourselves, believe it or not the T+A was even better than the Thrax gear which is unbelievable gear we were also testing on both our Polymer and Paradigm Personas, we tested the top of the line CJ gear and the T+A was better, we compared the T+A to $120k Krell amps and MBL amplifiers and the T+A was better.

The Positive Feedback reviewer compared the T+A integrated PA 3100HV  $21k vs the $45k Dagastino integrated amplifier and the D'ag unit was't better, different but not better.

When you add it all up, for all the reasons we have mentioned the T+A gear is something really, really special.

Sorry if we come across strongly with our love for this gear I would also say there are other posters on these forums with thousands of posts on a certain brand of speakers that post over and over again about how remarkable this product is and nobody makes a peep.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Last year I was searching for a high power integrated amplifier in this price range to drive my new Focal Sopra 2 speakers. 
Although I love the sound of Audio Research tube equipment among others, I wanted something with less heat and the tube maintenance requirements.
Several excellent amps mentioned in this thread were on my short list. 
When I heard the Simaudio Moon 700i ($14,000) with my Sopra2 speakers I found exactly what I wanted. 
It has the power, sweetness, incredible detail, and the "you are there" sound of live acoustic music.
The build quality of this unit is second to none and rarely seen in audio gear these days. Inside it's built like milspec aerospace avionics, the casework more like fine jewelry than audio gear, but without looking too gawdy like some audio gear these days. 
The sound is just beautiful without imposing either a "tube or SS" flavor on the music. 
It sounds like real music, not a HiFi and just reeks with understated elegance. 
Great warranty and Company to deal with. 
Best investnent I've ever made in Audio Equiment. 
A Classic Amp !!!