@boomerbillone : in my experience amps have a sweet spot in terms of output volume ... some amps that I found mediocre at low volume turned out to be better at high volume and vice versa ... so it’s best not to have a powerful amp for nothing ... also, a powerful amp gives off more heat than a less powerful one (unless the less powerful is a class A) ... and the more an amp heats up, the faster its components deteriorate ... all this to say that I know my needs in terms of power ... my current amp is 34 watts per chanel and it’s more than enough for my needs ...
A decent integrated amp under 2K ...
I'm looking for an INTEGRATED AMP. My speakers are Altec 620A (100 db efficiency) and my listening room is 14 x 21. I mainly listen to digital files from my DAC (Metrum) but sometimes I feel less lazy and put on a vinyl on my Garrard. I don't need a phono stage, I use the one from another integrated amplifier (Spendor D40). Here's my shortlist:
1) Belles Aria Integrated (slightly powerful for my needs)
2) Croft phono integrated (since I don't need a phono stage, I think it's a shame to burn tubes for nothing)
3) Rogue Sphinx V3 (too powerful for my needs)
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS: I can live with tubes but only in the PREAMP section and I try to avoid Class A due to the heat. I'm open to Class D (proof: the Rogue) but the choice is limited and these devices come with a bunch of stuff I don't need. I rather spend my $ where it will make a difference.
regards
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@alaindexe Understood and it makes sense. Good luck with your search. I have started a couple threads about hybrid amplification, so I'm curious about what you're after. Best of luck! |
Have any of you folks suggesting ss amps > 50 watts listened to them extensively with 100db+ speakers and been blown away with the resulting sound quality? If so, I think many of us would like to know what combos they were. IMHE, lower powered designs optimized for very efficient speakers (aka QUIET) are almost always going to be a better match. If your enthusiasm for an 80w Widget Amp is based on listening with a for example 90db speaker, you should make that clear because it's apples & oranges vs. a 100db speaker. Yes, most of those low power amps are tube designs. Many of the better ones are single-ended-triode. Single-ended isn't limited to tubes though. Pass Labs and First Watt have many lower powered ss amps that might just be the ticket for @alaindexe. First Watt can be had within the target budget. Nelson Pass has done youtube interviews explaining the differences in sonics of the various models. Cheers, Spencer |
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