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Is anything better than Aleph 3?

I do not know if I would consider myself TRUE audiophile but I have been in this hobby for a long time although for the last few years I had no time for it but getting in the game again :)

I have heard a lot of solid state amps but I only heard Rogue Audio as tube amp. I always felt like it would be a pain to deal with the tubes but frankly I just have this conception from what I read/heard from people here and there. Right now I am considering tube amps so that I can have a sound like my good old Aleph 3. I used to have this amp and did not hear anything like it so far. I do not have fancy words to explain it but that thing was so sweet. The midrange was so smooth/soft, I could almost see the airy sound that was coming from the speakers with that amp. Yes, it did not have the best bass but that was not my concern too much. However, that thing was getting TOO hot and it was adding extra cost to the electric bill.

I have been trying to find someone who had an experience with the Aleph 3 and had a chance to compare it to the other amps. I have read some people telling Golden Tube SE-40 (yes I heard about the reliability issues) is the same or better. This other guy saying Onkyo A-9555 is better sounding amp than the Aleph 3. Could this be true?

You can tell that I do not want to spend a fortune but I could go up to $1500 for an amp that I can get the sound of an Aleph 3. Sure, I can get the Aleph 3 again but the heat and power consumption is a lot. Also, I am trying to see if I can like any other amp better than the Aleph 3.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
celo
honest1
586 posts
 
No. I've been down this path, and the only thing I've found better than an Aleph 3 is a pair of AtmaSphere MA1s, which put out much more heat, and cost a lot more to buy and run (tubes/electricity). The JJ 828 is very nice also, not as dynamic, but sweeter sounding. I auditioned the Golden Tube SE40 before I bought my Aleph3, not even close. Audible harmonic distortion, which sounded great on strings, but everything played through it / them sounded a bit like a bowed violin. I can't say there's nothing out there that sounds as good for less money, less heat and less electricity, but I haven;'t heard it. Most tube amps will probalby generate at least as much heat.
celo OP
180 posts
 
Thank you for your reply. I REALLY regret selling my Aleph 3. I had Maggies at the time and I just wanted to have something more powerful but now I know that was a big mistake. AtmaSphere will be way too expensive for me but I cannot imagine how it sounds if it is better than Aleph 3.
gandme
212 posts
 
I am bi-amping with 2 Aleph 3s. Owning many amps over the years I still have not heard anything as true to the music as the Aleph 3. So I did reverse my field and went back in time for the Alephs. Speaker matching is the only problem. My speakers are 4 ohm 90db and do well with one Aleph but better in my big room with two! If you want pure class A, heat and power consumption is the price we pay. The only amps that matched the Alephs natural sound that I have owned were the Pass Labs XA-160s. They consummed far more energy and ran hotter by a large margin and cost much much more! If you need big power on a budget, I found the Parasound JC-1s to be very musical and should sound good with Maggies, but they too will raise the house temp and the electric bill to a greater extent than the Aleph 3s.
onemug
784 posts
 
The Alephs are special. I owned the 5 and heard the 3. There is a good reason for all those heatsinks!!!!

I have Pass's XA.5 amps now and several SET amps so you know what kind of sound I like. The amp I would recommend for your situation is the Red Wine Audio 30.2. I've seen them used in the 1500 ballpark, they put out zero heat, battery operated Tripath chip (don't let that scare you) and put out 30 wpc. Make sure to try and get the ".2" version. They did something special to it. The original 30 was good too, so if money is tight you might consider it also.

After listening to tubes from fall to spring, I always feel reluctant to put my RWA into my system when summer rolls around, but it never ceases to amaze me. Good luck.
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