Forte 1A or Threshold 400A


Hi.  I changed my speakers and I sold my McCormack DeLuxe because the original board inside this amp was not safe for long term use.
As I now use speakers which have a sensitivity of 90 db/1W/1M, I have the choice of many amps available on the used market here. Forte 1A which needs new power supply caps, Threshold 400A which is fully rebuilt by a professional. The forte as is don't play at his best (it lacks definition) but I think that if properly upgraded it has some potential. The 400A price is 3 times the price of the Forte. I could also have a Classe Twenty five but I don't need 250W/C.  Do someone have some experience with some of these amps ?
legarem
400 A ...but did you contact Steve McCormack about replacing your boards, and upgrading other aspects of the design....very musical....I know it is too late ( as you sold it ), but, am interested to know. I ask, because, I was in the same situation, and decided to do the same as you and sell it, but made this decision out of anger. Never had another amplifier situation like this one, and I have owned hundreds....never heard of boards, other than by McCormack, that could not be repaired, but needed to be replaced ( this has been my experince ). I am sure there are others..........Enjoy ! MrD.
You might want to consider expanding your options to include amps from: Coda, Legacy, and Sanders Sound.


Aren't these all manufactured by Coda??

I'd take the Threshold over the Forte or even a Threshold S200.  I've actually never heard a Threshold amp before, but it's a Threshold - it can't suck, right?
Mr. Decibel. I refurbished the DNA0.5 Deluxe myself. Here in Canada with exchange from Can To Us, it was too costly with shipping to made upgrades by SMC. Steve mentioned me that even if I redone all the solders on the main board, it would fail in the future. I also replaced all the caps. This was a lovely amp but I didn't trust it for long term use. It was a bit overly detailed for my taste. I still have a pair of Monarchy SM-70 They are very musical but lack a bit of definition. Yesterday I tried an EL34 PP in triode and loved it. It lacked power when I want more. A blend between the EL34 in PP in triode and the DNA 0.5 DeLuxe should be perfect for my taste.  My new speakers are 3A Reference 2002. They are kind of dipole 5 ft high with a planar ribbon in the mids. I still have the idea to build a pair of mono blocks PP 211/VT4C. I have 16 American 211 NOS and a pair of Peerless S275S OPTs. As this project would be long to do, I need an amp to do the job before ending this project.