Lets talk tubes in Pharaoh Integrated

@albers89,

My apologies for the interjection, but IME, you won't be able to achieve that "fullness" with the Pharoah. I believe I know exactly what you’re referring to and it’s the same reason I sold my Pharoah. The tubes aren’t the issue. I’m sorry to say it’s the class D topology of the amp section. It’s the same lack of body/soul/fullness (pick your term) that plagues many class D designs. Great for detail and resolution, not for immersion.

If you’re interested in an amp that has 99% of the resolution of the Pharoah, but retains the class AB "fullness," consider the Parsosound Halo Integrated.

@albers89,

The Parasound works really well with Maggies. I used it with 1.7s for a couple months. I ended up selling the Maggies because they simply lack dynamics at low volume IMO.

I’ve since auditioned a few more amplifiers in the <$3k range and I still think the Halo Integrated is the most neutral and offers the most bang for the buck.

I’ve since moved on to a Yamaha A-S1100 that has a leaner but more colored sound. That move was simply a synergy issue with my speakers, had nothing to do with the Halo’s performance.

Another amp that sounds similar in tone to the Halo is the Sony TA-A1ES, but it has much less power and features. Where is excels is low volume listening. Probably wouldn’t pair very well with Maggies.