The AGDs sound very appealing but I'll confess I was hoping to keep it under 10k
The AGD Tempo di GaN I mentioned above is $5,500.
Amp question with size constraints
I am in the process of looking to upgrade my amplifier (presently a Rega Brio R), but I am faced with size constraints: given the built-ins I have, I cannot really go much beyond 13 inches in depth. The trouble of course is that better amps tend to be larger in size.
To add another wrinkle, I primarily listen to vinyl (via custom Linn Sondek TT w/ MC cartridge and Fyne floorstanders). I've seen positive reviews of smaller Cambridge and NAD integrated amps, but they tend to focus on the digital side of things. What I'm wondering is whether an integrated amp with my size constraints would work well with my setup for vinyl, or alternatively if there is a good power amp within that scale that I could just pair with a decent phono preamp.
I am not married to any particular approach but am not really sure which way to go at this point. Help me, Obi-Wan, etc.
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Well, yeah but you’re getting a preamp and phono stage made to match with the amp in the small footprint you require and is only $500 more than your price target. Here’s a review in case you haven’t already seen it… https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/agd-productions-alto-tempo/ |
I have a differing opinion on the cables for the Benchmark stack. After using the BM stack for a long-time I found that the Benchmark XLRs sounded the best with the BM stack. Not so with other gear. I am setting up my Livingroom speakers today with the LA4 + DAC3B + CODA#16. I have cables from Audience that cost a lot more, but I prefer the BM cables.
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Several years ago I finally bagged my 10-year audio affair with powered desktop speakers. There were precious few of these (at that time, anyway) designed with audio purity and excellence in mind. I got a gently used pair of ATC monitors and found myself in need of a stereo amp--one that would fit in a constrained space. I did gobs of research and found a used/mint condition Class D amp, the Wyred 4 Sound ST-500. It’s 13" deep & 17" wide, but I could fit it by standing it on one side (w/approval of Wyred 4 Sound). I loved the sound of this thing from day-1. I now understand how incredibly lucky I was to "thread the needle" with this amp, which avoided the class D sonic pitfalls that were more common when it was manufactured (probably ~2011), while also avoiding the insanely expensive "audiphile" class D designs them coming out. You can find a used one of these on USAudioMart. Highly recommended. I will someday upgrade to another class D design, but am still waiting for one that touches all the bases for me. |
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