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ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 OR CLASSE CT 5300??

Good afternoon all,
i am currently in the market for a 5 channel power amplifier. i just recently sold my classe audio ca 5200 and i truthfully LOVED IT. It has been THE BEST multichannel power amplifier i have owned PERIOD. I loved the smoothness and soundstage. i felt it had a taste of 'tube like sound' if you will. That being said, my plan was simply to move up to the ct 5300 which has more power and some say it has better bass control than the ca5200 which was one of the things it was criticized for. however, i started to read reviews on the new ATI SIGNATURE 6005 and its amazing noise floor etc and of course every magazine is raving about it. Having owned outlaw audio amplifiers before which are built by ATI as well, i am wondering if the signature series is just a little better than the regular at series ? they seem to be a little on the forward side, but i have spoken to several dealers who claim the signature series is neutral, not forward and that it is a spectacular upgrade over their regular series. However, i don't really see anyone else who has given it their own review and comparing against their former amplifier. yes, there is a reviewer who said it was just as good if not better than his parasound a51.
My current set up is martin logan montis, motif x, and i will eventually get the martin logan EFX surrounds. AS far as a processor, i am only using the ps audio dac as a preamplifier because i am waiting on the marantz 8802 to release in february. i would say i am about 60% music, 40% movies.
Given my situation, what would you guys get? i would love to know anyone's input.
128x128jays_audio_lab
scvan
99 posts
 
Whitecamaross,

As clpetersen stated,
I think well designed SS amps have reached a high level of maturity
Most good SS amps are more alike than different. I can almost promise you that ZX7 and ATI are identical, I think they even came out the same year. I don't think that is anything to worry about. I know of only a few amps able to put out this level of clean power. The first that comes to mind is the Boulder mono that requires a 240V line. This amp requires 2 separate 120V lines because the power supplies are so goof that they can pull that much power.
Easily one of the most important parts of any amp is the PS unit because if you don't have good clean power there it doesn't matter what is after that.

If you don't like the ATI, contact me because I'll buy it from you. I guarantee it can go up against mono or stereo amps at multiples its cost.
clpetersen
7 posts
 
Interesting (Sevan's post re: Lexicon Zx-7 vs. ATI 6005). ATI and Harmon International (owner of Lexicon) are both Southern California companies. ATI makes a large number of amps to be re-badged and Harmon makes a stunning number of re-badged products, or more accurately, a stunning number of similar designs under one roof. I took a private tour of their facilities a few years ago for business reasons not related to audio.
scvan
99 posts
 
Whitecamaross,

Your source may be mistaken. There is no 7 channel ML amp. The 7 channel amp from Harman is the Lexicon amp. It is probably true that most ML amps are also made by ATI, but this is not one of them. I assume they all use the same technology.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
The five channel mark levinson is the same thing as the 6005 signature series and not their 3005 series. Next week I will let everyone know how good or bad this amp is. I also got feedback stating they the ati 6005 destroyed the parasound halo a51. It killed it in power and detail plus soundstage. It wasn't even close according to my source.
clpetersen
7 posts
 
I am fairly certain the ATI will not disappoint. It is certain that the ATI is designed and built by ATI in their factory. Not clear where the Lexicon is made, though that is not critical.

I agree on soundstage; the 3002 which I have does an excellent job. I think this due to the power reserves and the flatness of the amplifier phase across the audio spectrum. I think these two attributes help 'lock-down' the soundstage - for example as a piano goes through its range (amplitude and frequency) a flat phase response will help keep it localized rather than start to float around. My opinion.

Not too many manufacturers I have looked at publish their phase response - I have seen ATI, McIntosh and Hypex NCore publish theirs; I am sure others do.
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