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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
gandme
212 posts
 
Another good one is the Aleph 30. Looks more like the "J" than the "3". Like the Aleph 3, can be found for less $$$. All these great small class A solid state amps will sound boring in the wrong system...but with the right speakers, like small S.E.T. tube amps, will shine and be hard to beat!
dbarger
215 posts
 
I must agree with the "boring" sentiment. I had a Pass 3 for a month or so, based on the rave in TAS. I found it bland and boring. I could not understand the raves at all. I actually found the x150 to be similarly... OK. Not great, but OK. I know some folks love em, so I guess it is different strokes for different folks...
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I owned the Aleph 3s and then the 2s - I think you will find the First Watt Aleph J to be just as good, I prefered it the the Alephs but you reall can't go wrong with the First Watt if they are still making it. I also owend the XA30.5 which I think is better yet, but you can go chasing the holy grail forever, the Aleph J is one heck of a good amp if 30 watts is enough for you.
celo OP
180 posts
 
Pubul57: Did you mean you preferred the Aleph J TO the Alephs OR you preferred the Alephs over the First Watt?

Thanks.
vindespagne
1 posts
 
HI Celo,
I think what you should do is go to your audiophile store and listen to a range of amps (that are aleady warm) of your price. If you know someone that you can borrow an Aleph, bring it to the store and compare.
Yes, class A amp gets warm and su... more energy but the sound is very nice. I had had a Kinergetics kba75 (75w in class A) and it was a very good amp but again gets warm. Did have not long ago a Simaudio Celeste 4070 amp with rca and xlr inputs (I had it for 6 years as a reference amp). Cool amp, not power hungry, and very musical and detail amp. Good in every aspect of music (bass, mids,high). More the preamp was of high quality, better it sounded, but even a bottlehead foreplay was a big surprise and a good match... But the Classe DR25 classe A amp was the best in term of 3D sound and with fantastic mids...but was hot.
Now, concerning the Golden Tube se40. It is right that it can have reliability issues but not if you use the good tubes. It is also right that it was not the best in bass and highs but pretty goog in mids. I own one and did mod it 3 months ago with Loc Vu kit from Yahoo Golden Tube group. This is not a small mod but a huge one that is worth the price (less than 200$ when I ordered it).It is now a totally different beast. Bass have more attack than my ss amp right now (a 2600$ amp) and mids and highs are even better. No more distortion as described earlier by someone else. Plus, I hear clearly details that I could not hear before. Feel like in a live concert everytime. I am impressed by this modded amp. Tubes amp and tube preamp are now what I listen to. Personnal taste. But again, it gets warm and it is more power hungry than a class a/ab amp. Also, you can't let tubes amp at on all time...

Since I live in Quebec, I use my ss amp during hot weather in summer, and use my Golden Tube and also my ASL ki22 Fox DT integrated amp (very very good with efficient speaker) during fall and winter since they are warming my living room and plays music in the same time..............
Good luck,
Oh yes, if your hifi store has used amp for sell, ask for a listening session with those. Or look here on Audiogon or elsewhere for used amp of quality for a cheap price. This is the way I bought my ss amp and tubes amp for low price.
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