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My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.

Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.

Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?

Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.

 It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.

Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.

Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.

Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.

Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.

Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.

My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


128x128jays_audio_lab
ricred1
2,040 posts
 
viber6,
If you take the definition of "absolutes" it's pretty obvious that there are no absolutes in Audio. Nothing in audio is universal and no component exists without being dependent another component. e.g Speakers can sound different based on the room and associate components; that's why is called a system. It doesn't make a difference what Harry Pearson says, each individual determines what's bright, dark, detailed, or whatever other adjective you want to assign to a system or component. Harry Person's opinion is no more or less valuable than anyone that's been in this hobby and actually listened to different systems. As a matter of fact, personally I'll believe an individual that isn't tied to the audio industry, before I would believe anything a reviewer says about a particular component. There are no "absolutes" in audio, only preferences. If there were we would all agree on what sounds best. 
viber6
2,448 posts
 
ricred1, 
Harry Pearson defined "the absolute sound" as the reality of what sounds are heard in a concert hall, with characteristics of depth, R/L separation, tonality, etc.  I don't restrict myself to the concert hall, but I recognize the sounds of instruments and voices in various rooms and at various distances.  My system differs from what HP had over the years, although I was inspired by his writings on Maggies.  We had different preferences, but if we had met, we would have agreed that the true reference is the sound of live, unamplified instruments under different conditions.  I agree with everyone who says there are preferences, because I have my own.  But my point is that to say that there are no "absolutes" in audio is not accurate, although there is a little truth to that statement due to the variations in sound of these real instruments under various conditions.  The audiophile can choose whether he wants to achieve some form of high fidelity, which is reference to some type of "absolute sound," OR whether his preferences are totally arbitrary, unrelated to reality but still pleasing.

In art, there are old master paintings which tried to convey a photographic reality, and painters were judged on how realistic their art was.  The great old masters employed subtle variations which were "artful" distortions of literal photographic images.  More modern artists like Picasso deviated more from reality, but still their shapes were reminiscent of reality.  More avant garde abstract works have no reference to reality, and are appreciated as pure abstract creations.  All forms of art can be appreciated equally for what they are.

Although I agree that a good audio system is a skillful combination of components, the audio system is not an intrinsic art form like abstract art where anything goes, unconnected to reality.  Those like me who seek high fidelity want to let the music speak for itself, which is best achieved by seeking clarity and transparency.  So I say that there ARE various absolutes or principles in audio systems.  For the lover of deep bass music, a full range speaker with or without a subwoofer is required in accordance with the reality of the bass instruments. For the lover of brilliant HF percussion, extended HF drivers and appropriate electronics like Soulution are best.  

You can uphold the concept of the absolute sound, and still have different preferences based on your favorite music, different room sizes, etc.  For those who have homes with several audio rooms, a mini monitor would be best in a small room or even a moderate sized room with small scale music.  A large room for large orchestral and organ music needs a larger speaker.  Basic audio consulting utilizes these approximate "absolute" truths.  To be fair minded, these "truths" should be considered as "principles" or "guidelines."  I only take issue with your blanket statement that there are NO absolutes.  Maybe you agree that there are principles/guidelines, to be somewhat modified by each listener in accordance with his perceptions.  But to deny the existence of principles/guidelines invites anyone to create an arbitrary concoction of sounds.  Then he wonders why he is unhappy and goes off randomly trying anything that looks enticing, spending money and time endlessly.

As a violinist, I have played with other violinists whose tastes in violins are different from mine.  For their style of playing, whatever violin that enables them to express themselves best, is fine.  Still, for ensemble playing there has to be some consistency of musical concept, or else the musical message falls apart from the friction among players.  I make a distinction here between the art of music making, and the superimposed "art" of random colorations of audio systems not based in reality.
viber6
2,448 posts
 
The 3rd song, Freya Ridings, "Lost without you" sounds immediate and clear, largely due to the XLF.  I cannot ascribe the great sound to either the new preamp or G Essence, but only remember how veiled it was with your former Wilson speaker, whichever that was.  The voice and especially the piano were murky before, now fine.

I realize that the 725 and the new preamp are young, so a careful A/B now is not worthwhile.  The G Essence might be gone when you are ready for the A/B, so it will be done with either the Constellation or the new mono amps.  Since you are tired of the popular songs, "Lost" and the Tracy 2nd song can be used as new A/B material.  The opening of Tracy has good HF percussion sounds that are useful for demo.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
I am telling you, this is going to be HARD to decide... both preamps are completely winning me over. I have been listening to the "secret" preamp today for about 3 hours straight and now the soulution 725 for the last 2 hours.
What a hard decision... TO ME, choosing between both preamps is FAAAAAAR harder than choosing between the DCS & MSB.
The question that remains is WHERE is the REF6SE in all of this? If i am being sincere, i don’t feel like plugging it in... I really liked how it sounded the few times i used it here, but after hearing both of these preamps i feel like the battle is between both of them and the rest of my preamps are simply on a different tier group.
During the first hour or so, i was throwing at them songs from Oasis, Alanis Morrissette, Hootie and the Blowfish, etc which we know are not audiophile songs, but this is allowing me to see HOW each preamp behaves. 
Then the second hour or so i was selecting songs from Santana, Pink Floyd,  Eagles,  and the last hour i am doing the typical presentations that you all are accustomed to from my shootouts. 

One interesting fact here guys is that ever since i brought both of these preamps i find myself not paying attention to the XLF anymore. What do i mean by that? well, i dont find myself thinking "l feel i need a less or more bass here, maybe i should move them closer or father away from the wall or toe them in or out, etc, etc". NONE of that is going through my head AT ALL since i started to play music with these preamps.  


kren0006
1,859 posts
 
This is the first time you’ve had electronics worthy of the XLF playing with it. That’s why.

Before this you were using components that weren’t worthy of the Alexandria xlf. For that matter perhaps same true with the Magico as well.


 I’ve always thought systems where the gear quality tiers didn’t really match up were maybe interesting but not surprising when they underperform
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