No i haven't
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!
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!
20,890 responses
Thanks for the points you made. I'm not sure it's always the case though. I think WC had the Alexx with Boulder electronics, and I'm not sure if he's surpassed that yet in listening to the videos. Yes, the current Wilson that WC owns has the brilliant HF that is mentioned by viber6, and in some folks minds that makes it better. For me, I have not yet heard a video of WC's with the XLF that surpasses the videos of the Alexx with the Boulder electronics. Perhaps it's just my preferences and/or perhaps being in the room would make me feel differently. Dave |
Logydoghan, Yes, get the best speaker you can afford, which is not necessarily the most costly. The Wilson XVX, Master Chronosonic are too big for some rooms. I like the brilliant HF of the XLF, so even with a large room, the XLF might be the best performer. It also has the largest bass drivers of the top Wilsons, so bass could be most commanding on the XLF compared to the others. |
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My biggest takeaway from your channel is that the diminishing of returns in speakers is far less than other components. Yes you can argue maybe a BMW X5 is better than Audi Q5, or a Mercedes G class is better than a range rover, that's fine I wouldn't argue that. That's what I learned about Gryphon, Dan, Constellation, Soulution, etc...Different people have different tastes. But if you are saying a Corolla or Audi A4 is better than a Bentley Mulsanne, man sorry I can hardly agree with you. So instead of spending a crazy amount of money on cables, electronics, racks, stands, etc... focus on speakers first, that is still the most important thing that affects your sound. If you save that ten grand cable money, or that 15 grand rack money, or even that dCS Vivaldi money, you can a get much better pair of speakers. |
I have been through multiple speakers in your previous playlists, from your old Sasha DAW, Alexia 2, Focal, Alexx, Magico M6, to the now big Alexandria. And I realize one thing: Yes, sources, electronics, cables, and racks will change the tone and color; may bring more resolutions and details. But the size of the speakers/drivers still plays the most important factor (of course they have to be manufactured by a great audio company, which includes all of the above) The Alexandria simply throws away all of their smaller siblings, smaller Magico, smaller Focal, no matter what electronics you feed them. You could put a Mcintosh or Parasound or NAD on this and can simply sound amazing in terms of sound stage, scale, and fullness. I guess the only speakers you can beat this are probably Wilson WAMM ($855,000) Magico M9 ($750,000) or the MBL 101X-treme ($263,000 but you will need the whole MBL set-up which could come to half a mil total) or the biggest Kharma (EV 1D $812,500)... size does matter, in this business |
Hi Jay, I understand that you are using an Aurender W20 as your source, and understand that you are happy with that. However I wonder if you are able to loan or get a deal for the excellent Laufer Teknik Memory Player 64 music server? I believe at the level you are playing at, this is truly one of the few servers that will bring out the best in your super high end set up. You have already tested power cords, pre amps, amps and speakers, and perhaps even more enjoyment can be gleaned from the music server end of the chain. Really enjoying the content you post here and on YouTube. |
Pokey77 liked the Nagra Classic in a system, and Logydoghan found Nagra Classic more neutral and transparent than Gryphon Essence. Neutrality and transparency allow the character of other components such as speakers to be heard more truthfully. It doesn't matter which speakers are used by amp designers. An accurate amp will make any speaker and the whole audio system sound more accurate/transparent. Nagra has a top reputation in pro audio for accuracy. I got great results in my recording activities with my Parasonic DAT pro recorder, but I lusted for the open reel Nagra-D digital recorder which was $25K in 1995. Before digital, Nagra electronics and analog recorders were top rated by pros. |
Tune in tomorrow: I will rank the 4 Gryphon amplifiers I've owned. Find out which one is #1. Shocking results! https://youtu.be/k3Vj1JQcFVk |
CH Precision L1 sounds amazing with Mephisto. It is as if a preamp is not the system at all. This is of course in my system, someone’s else result may be different. I really hope that Jay will try CH gear one of these days. Maybe even the new 10 series! https://www.ch-precision.com/ch-cat/series/10-series/ |
@logydoghan. Yes, i auditioned all the preamps i listed earlier; in my room. Seriously consider a Nagra HD HV. It was miles better than Pandora. I use Audioquest Dragon PC on all my components. I do admit, i have never tried replacing fuses. All of my components sit on HRS racks, CMS platforms, SRA shelves and Minus K isolation base; or whatever i can afford. The room is treated with ASC and Real Traps and Accoustic Geometry for diffusion. @Jay. Very well said and duly noted. Gentlemen, this is all subjective. Respectfully, Jose |
I tried fuses and they made a difference. I can recommend those fuses to anyone. That said, i don’t have time to embark on "deep" tweaking. The deep tweaking is left for those who want to finish off the system they will stay with for some time. I am not the person to have any system for the long haul. This is why I don’t dive in those waters. I’m not saying that what you mentioned won’t make a difference but i am way too busy with the "macros" than "micros" of my life. The macros also seem to be more important in my life and provide me with greater satisfaction, but I’m not saying this is the case for everyone though. |
Jay, Did you ever try the Orange or (according to some) the even better Quantum Science fuses in your Gryphon gear? If not, you have never heard their "full potential". So, whatever happened with all the orange fuses you got in? We heard hardly a peep. Are you going to try the Quantum Science fuses? Seems so silly to talk about $5-10K power cords and not try a couple hundred dollar fuse as well. And what about the connections between the Pandora power supply and the main preamp box. No doubt you tried all the latest contact enhancers like PPT, Mad Scientist, and now the raved about High Fidelity Cable goop !?! "Full potential" means you try everything possible. Unless you cannot afford it. The word "tweak".....simply means trying different things to improve something. Power cords, interconnects, ground enhancers, footers, stands, room treatments, cable risers, fuses, adding extra mass, damping things, room tuning jobbies, moving the speakers around, etc, into infinity are all "tweaks".....so don't tell me you are not a tweaker. |
@logydoghan. When auditioning those brands, I was interested in a new line stage and did not compare amps. I don't have any experience with the particular models mentioned. I use Gryphon Mephisto Solos for amplification. Not only is this hobby subjective, but the end results can/may vary once set up in YOUR room. I am NOT a fanboy of any manufacturer; like most in this forum, im searching for true fidelity. Having said that, i am very fond of the PASS XS sound (i owned them). Good luck in your search, Jose |
Yeah, I have to say this hobby is so subjective. I am actually an Essence owner but Nagra Classic has many attributes that Gryphon Essence doesn't have, and some of them are good, some of them are bad. If you like a more warm sound but with a certain level of transparency and clarity, go for Essence. But if you like absolute transparency and clarity, you go for Nagra classic line. Now I am just wondering how does Dan Progression, which is a similar price to an Essence, sound among the three. |
Around 4 years ago I heard the Nagra Classic line amp + preamp along with Wilson Sabrina's, Aurender W20, dCS Bartok I think, plus Transparent power cables and I forget what other wire. It was very good. My impression was different than Jays, but mine was from a 3-4 hour audition, I did not hear it in my home. |
@jg2077 I just demoed Nagra Classic Line vs Gryphon Essence. Nagra is more transparent and neutral, whereas the Essence has a very warm and analog sound, maybe the class-A sound. Essence sounds better in voice but Nagra really shines in orchestral music. I hope there is something that's between the two. Maybe Dan? |
@logydoghan i have first hand experience with the Nagra HV preamp. IMO and to my taste, Nagra bested Gryphon, Dan, Pass XP32, Boulder 2010, ARC Ref 6SE and a few others (all paired with Gryphon Mephisto Solos). In my listening sessions the only pre that bested Nagra HV was the new Koda 15SE. Regards, Jose |
Jay, How do you lift the heavy boxes into your high SUV seats? I can lift heavy dumbbells off the floor, but am frustrated by bulky boxes. Can you recommend a good hand truck that can help with the lifting? Recently someone posted a hydraulic lifter that can lift 600 lbs, but the lifter itself weighs 178 lbs, a catch 22. |
I can't talk McLaren unfortunately. What i can say is the c8 (or viper ACR) would be the cars I'd own if i had a garage for them and the time to enjoy them as well. I am lately becoming more and more a high performance SUV enthusiast. I can haul equipment to fed ex, pick up heavy amps, go to pick up my daughter and do a ten second pass a the dragstrip. Hell yeah! |
ricevs I’m lucky that my brother own’s the Boulder amps and pre-amp and i had the opportunity to hear for myself. I made it clear that the Boulder amp edged out the Audion. I had my brothers equipment for 40 day’s he was nice enough to drive it out fro AZ to Ca. He was also curious as he knows it takes a lot for me to get excited about a product, needless to say he was more than impressed with the little AGD amps. The big difference for me between the amps is that the Boulder amps provided a presence within the mid-range that was special it is something that i cannot put into words but something that can be felt on an emotional level, like i said hard to explain but beautiful to experience. Considering the Boulders price at over 20 times the price of the Audion it should be special. Is the Boulder 20 times better NO! How would the Boulder compare to the top of the line AGD amps i can only speculate. When the Boulders left my house did i miss them? Yes, but only for a couple of days. One has to decide how much better something is in relation to price. A year ago the wife gave me the go ahead to buy a McLaren, i had been doing a lot of reading about the new C8 Corvette, i was lucky enough to drive both for several days. The McLaren is a spectacular car but for me it was not four times better than the C8 Corvette so i opted to buy the C8 even though i had the green light for the McLaren. Besides bragging rights the performance was not there to justify the huge difference in price. |