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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
mikem
260 posts
 

@kren0006   yeah.. it’s real easy to say non constructive insults when hiding behind the keyboard.. 

kren0006
1,859 posts
 

You new here?  Never noticed you before. Anyway, welcome aboard

viber6
2,448 posts
 

I know all about various statistical methods and interpretation. I still appreciate psnyder’s diligent analysis. I am not offended by his efforts to "enlighten me" but view his efforts the same way I view my efforts to enlighten readers about audio and live music. Important matters bear repetition. But never cross the line by telling people they are stupid or saying their equipment got butt-kicked. The latter is mere hyperbole, but the former is just plain inappropriate behavior.

Mikem and yyz--great wisdom from both of you, well said. I just bought a new CD of Saint Saens’ "Carnival of the Animals" which also includes the Organ Symphony. The conductor is Antonio Pappano, and the 2 pianists in the shorter Carnival piece are Pappano, and the reigning greatest pianist of our times, Marta Argerich. This Carnival recording is the smaller chamber version rather than the usual large orchestral version. The chamber version enables close microphone placement, and the sound is exciting and immediate. The percussive aspect of the pianos and other instruments is a great tool for audio system assessment, and the brief solo double string bass in the right channel on track 13 (I think) is the best recording of that instrument I have ever heard. Your right speaker should "become" the bass. Even my wimpy electrostatic speakers show the tight, but deep bass. At 50-70 dB playback, it doesn’t shake the walls, but its lifelike quality is astonishing. Jay and others who may not be familiar with this piece--this is a great opportunity to learn this most popular timeless classical piece, and I promise this recording will become part of your best demo pieces. Even mediocre speakers and the stock car stereo will bring this music to life better than super systems playing typical recordings. This shows the all important benefits of great, natural recordings, like this one.

I am less impressed by the recording of the Organ Symphony, which for a large orchestra, is recorded more distantly and at a lower level to accommodate the huge dynamic contrasts between very soft parts and the loud transients of the cymbal crashes. Track 2 contains soft sustained organ bass at 35 Hz, track 4 contains loud sustained organ bass at 32 Hz.

Enjoy. Happy holidays.

psnyder149's avatar
psnyder149
160 posts
 

I would like to add that Viber's knowledge of Classical music is excellent and though I never commented publicly, I thought his recommendations on "introductory level" music were superb.  I am also a fan of classical music--decades ago, I studied cello at a high level--and I have some different "introductory level" favorites but nothing better than his. I have a current favorite Saint Saens Symphony #3 (Organ) to recommend as a solid performance but an amazing recording:  Reference Recording:  Michael Stern, Kansas City Symphony.  Viber is a fantastic resource if you want to learn about classical music, conductors, musicians, etc.  No reservations!

Clearly I feel his views and sound preferences on equipment are not in line with the majority and they would result in a dramatically inferior sounding system were the "average" listener to build a system with his recommendations:  zip cord-not high quality speaker cable, 1970's potentiometer based graphic equalizer-to artificially hype high frequencies and diminish low and mid-range, bright equipment instead of more neutral, class-D amplification in a world where very few class-D amplifiers match the capabilities of A and A/B, speaker panels with limited dynamics and little bass-even when Viber loves symphonic and concerto formats that really can't be performed at anything close to realistic levels on this style of speaker.  These are all strong recommendations from Viber and to follow them would be a mistake for many... or more likely most.

I can confidently state that his views are not in line with the majority simply because he applies varying degrees of the same EQ to nearly everything.  He even discounts digital EQ over his beloved Rane.  If he was anywhere near middle ground he would have to goose highs on some and reduce them on some.  Reduce lower midrange and bass on some and goose it on others.  He does not.  And many (perhaps even most) would not require any EQ.  He roundly criticizes great equipment as "Euphonic" and "overly warm", etc.  

According to Viber, nearly all Recording Engineers and Equipment Designers do so in a way which misses the essence of the instruments and sound.  I too have been musically trained, been involved in recording music (3 of the records I have been involved in hit Billboards Top 10 in Blues, even dislodging BB King and Eric Clapton (temporarily! from the top spots).  Of the dozens of recording engineers I have worked with, they ALL faithfully do their best to capture the sound that the musicians are creating.  ALL!  Unless the engineer was working in collaboration with the artists for a specific special effect, any engineer intentionally deviating from this would be removed.  Probably immediately.  Studio time is too expensive to mess around. 

As stated, he and I have had numerous private, off-line respectful conversations and I have applied his EQ suggestions to my system.  They turn my imminently musical system into screechy crap to my ears and again, I would suggest most listeners would feel similarly.  Decreasing 200-500 Hz range by up to 5dB and goosing 8000+ Hz by up to 12 dB.  Even then, I do not criticize his choices for him.  Only his insistence that his choices are best for everyone else.  If you are curious, I have my current system posted on "virtual systems".  

Additionally, his lack of respect of other musical tastes is narrow minded.  I absolutely use live, unamplified, acoustic instruments and recordings in my equipment evaluations.  I also use classic rock, modern rock, studio jazz and most other available genres (except rap and speed metal, which I more or less categorically avoid! lol).  Different characteristics can be learned from any of them.  Probably most important in picking recordings for evaluation is that you are familiar with the them and that you like them.  I have been using some of the same recordings for decades:  Rush-Power Windos, McCoy Tyner-NY Reunion, Sting-Brand New Day, Beethovan Egmont Overture, Brahms Symphony 4-Fritz Reiner (Chesky), Tears for Fears-Sowing the Seeds of Love.  Nothing special about this list other than I love them and have listened to each of these literally hundreds of times.  Not one recording will tell me everything I want to know about a piece of equipment, but all together and I will pretty much understand what it adds...and lacks.  If I am auditioning a piece of equipment, they will all get hit at some point in the process.

But as many people are looking to this thread for recommendations and evaluations, many of us fundamentally understand Viber's biases and preferences, but for those who are just starting out, it is important to call foul when recommendations are not in line with most others.  This is why I make such a pest of myself.  I know others agree, but just ignore him but for some deep psychological and pathological reason... I guess I can't...

And finally to Viber.  I did purposely distort your pilot analogy in an attempt at mutually, self-deprecating humor.  You constructed a straw man argument, I lit it on fire!  

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and especially to Viber!

jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 

 

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