Amps from the 1980's -- What gear holds up sonically? Reliably?

Daveyf, I would rather own and listen to a McIntosh tube amp any day over a Audio Research tube amp. Yes that is my preference and I have heard AR amps along with MAC amps. That why I can't see your AR amp being the cream of the crop from the 80's. just because you like it a lot doesn't mean everyone else thinks it's the best. 

Just to get back on track, the 80's had great items made from many companies. In fact, To think of it, I think some of my favorite stuff was made in the late 50's, 60's, and early 80's. One of my best picks is the Threshold SA line: even though I'm not necessarily a SS person, the SA amps sound so pure and musical. They were made in the early 80's. Conrad Johnson's Premier 1, 4, & 5 amps are still highly sought after in Hong Kong for they special sound. They are not as accurate as other amps but they are very open, musical, euphoric, and magical when set up correctly. Amps that are the most accurate do not necessarily make magic in a system. The Rogers LS3/5a for example is a speaker made from the 70's - 80's and it is definitely not the most revealing monitor I have heard by far. But I once heard it paired with Cary 805 amps and a tube preamp and till this day, I still feel it was one of the best, engaging, super large sounds I ever had the pleasure of hearing. It was an experience not a listening session. System 

Well lowtunes, i’m not going to dispute your choice but I also lived for a few years with a ARC d115 mk2, very nice as well and I loved the mono M100s from that Era too. It isn’t necessarily about individual components but putting together components for a musically satisfying system/presentation.

Thanks to all of the contributors so far, this has turned out to be a great thread. I appreciate hearing about all of the experiences and especially about gear I never heard or saw myself.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge that our pleasure, our hobby, our interest and the industry has been advanced by people like the late Dr. Marshall Leach Jr. as well as others who researched, studied and shared their work with a needy/greedy audience.

Dr. Leach’s paper in 1976 was, I believe, a turning point and fuse lighter for the solid state amplifier market. Our hobby and expectations and the quality of products we can afford to buy would most likely be something entirely different without that paper and without his work. Certainly, many manufacturers took advantage of his proposal almost verbatim. If you understood his paper, you can read almost any amplifier schematic for the next 20 years before Class D amps came to the fore and identify each section in it.

His paper was at the same time a recipe and a challenge. It said "Here is how you make a good amplifier" and at the same time "See if you can make something even better." Engineers no longer had to hunt in the dark and search for the secrets to good solid state amps. All the parts and their use were laid out before them, while at the same time opportunities to improve upon and leave their own marks upon the discipline also opened up.

I should also point out that designers like Nelson Pass have long taken a different approach, and looked to simplify as opposed to enhance or perfect. And we are grateful for that approach as well! But when Nelson looks to simplify or others to re-think components they are constantly challenged by the Leach legacy. We can’t just remove sections, or alter feed back circuits. We must do so AND get sound as good if not better by doing so. Dr. Leach left a clear foil and challenge for others to take up, and improve upon. This is how progress gets done. We can say "Oh, amp X is nothing like the Leach paper..." but it is impossible to say these amps were not informed and challenged by it.

I should point out and thank Nelson Pass as he is quite active in the DIY community, sharing his thoughts, and tinkering "out loud" for the benefit of this community.

So, to people like Nelson pass as well as the late Dr. Leach, and the universities which create environments so students can learn from people like him, I would like to offer a heart-felt thank you. They enabled the industry, the hobby and ultimately the music.

Best,

E

I would certainly add Audire to this list, at least everything built after the Model 2 amp and Legato preamp. The Legato is reliable, but I wonder about the people who rave about its sound. It is certainly clean , but it's power supply limits its dynamics beyond belief compared to newer models, i.e. Diffet 3, 5 and Andante. I even preferred the bulky Diffet1. The Diffet 2 is also very good, but it was designed before CD's and before Julius built his speakers for testing. As such, it is a little loosey goosey in the bass, compared to the others. FYI, there is no Diffet 4, nor an amp using a 4 in the model number. Instead, the early amp was nalled the Forte", because so much of his equipment went to Japan, where the number 4 is considered to be like our 13. After this, Julius continued the use of musical terms.