I had the same problem with my Uno's. Tubes sounded great but were a pain. I have THE answer. Aleph 3 (not 30). Avantgardes website used to have a few recommended amps on their website. The Aleph 3 was the only SS amp listed. This amp has cult statis for good reason. You can buy one for less than $1000 on Audiogon. If you get one and don't like it, don't worry about trying any other SS amps. If the Aleph 3 doesn't do it for you, no SS amp will. Just my experienced opinion.
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I bought one of the two Aleph-3's Aventgarde USA used for shows. Jim Smith told me they decided to go with tubes for shows instead. This was 5 years ago or so and is old news. I think it's a good idea to find out what amp a particular speaker is voiced with during speaker production.Its nice to know anyway. I got kind of lucky. I have Thiel 3.5's and recently bought a Threshold S/300 stasis. Come to find out,these were mated together during the speakers fine tuning. It may not be the best como but the two sound very good together with great synergy. |
I'm curious..with all the great amplifiers out there,why only Pass? I know of a previous Decware SV83 monoblocks owner ,who replaced them with the Pass First watt F1.He then upgraded to the Clari T Amp from it. That sounds funny doesn't it. Uprgrading from a $2500 amp to a $500 one.LOL With a no risk 30 day return policy ..you have absolutely nothing to lose..well maybe $10 for return shipping. I seriously doubt you would return it. There is a review by Positive Feedback already scheduled Positive Feedback preview . After this review comes out, prepare to wait.The line will be looooong! |
The Aleph 30 was specifically recommended by Avantgarde. I gather it is one of the best solid state amps for these speakers and works extremely well with my Trios. I also have a Pass X150 that can be a little bright unless the preamp tubes are very mellow. You won't go wrong with the Aleph 30. It is an exceptional amp. Good luck! Chuck |
Target sells an amp that uses the same chip as the ClariT for $30. Add a battery and you are in business. The First Watt is incompatible with the Duos. |
It's a little more complicated than that Herman. If you are skilled with a soldering iron you could build one for cheap. Those of us not willing to burn up the chip before the jobs complete. Leave it to the experts. For example Sean has the skills to do this and I'm sure he will try it in the very near future.LOL The SI would give you an idea of the sound. But it isn't the same with the unecessary parts removed and the SLA battery wired directly to the board. Once the review comes out it will speak for itself. Positive feedbacks one of those publishers that don't bite their tongues if a product sucks. |
Avantgarde also makes a solid state amp. It puts out something like 1.5 watts Class A then switches to Class AB for another 20 watts. Check out the Avantgarde website. BTW, I own a Berning 811 SET/OTL amp. I have the original output tubes from three years ago still making great music. It is very conservatively designed with tube life an important consideration. It is built like a tank, self biasing,lightweight(no huge bulky output transformer), and basically idiot proof(I guess that's why I like it so much). Don't give up on tubes so easily. They have that special magic that transistors just aren't able to match. The hardest part of this hobby is finding the right components for your tastes and desires. Sometimes it just takes a long time to find them. Enjoy listening. |