plinius sa-250

The Plinius is a descent enough sounding amp. It's a bit better than the Krell, Aragon, Classe, McCormack,and Bryston HT dedicated amps, that's definite! If you like the sound of that Krell 5 channel, the Plinius will have a similar sound, only more refined by a bit, with better soundstaging, fuller midrange, and better musicality! The Brystons aren't that great really! They're strong enough, with good body and strong bass...but theyr'e rolled of a bit, softer, added warmth, etc. They're OK, nothing that special in my oppinion. You'll probably be happy with the Plinius well enough, yes. It's better than a lot of choices you could do for the money. The Plinius is almost as good as the perfomance level of amps like the Pass X150/250, Older Theshold T200/400's, CODA model 11 and higher...You should be fine.
For 3 channel amp in the future, you could stick with Krell 3 channel 250a or McCormack HT 3 channel, and have similar sound. Aragon 8008BB X 3, and similar will also work. Good luck

Hey everybody,
Thank you, Advcreations, for your input, but is that it from the rest of you in Audiogondom. I would really love some more info from the gallery. hope to hear more on this. Thanks in advance, john.

What Plinius 250 are you buying? Is it the MK IV? If it is not then I could not help you much since I have never auditioned one. If it is a MK IV though I can tell you that I have done A LOT of research and I auditioned various amps before I settled with the Plinius 250 MK IV which is an altogether different animal compared to earlier series. To put it simply, the Plinius is the best amp I have heard in my system and in friends' systems and dealers in my audiophile life. And this even with much better speakers than mine. It is defientely better than (price) comparable Krells in overall finesse, musicality, detail and there is really not much of a comparison to Thresholds or Brystons or Classes out there. I have been listening to most of these amps in every occasion I could get and I can tell you the satisfaction I now derive from this baby is beyond description. It really breathed new life into my speakers.

GO FOR IT and you will not regret it. By the way, is it a new unit or a used one? There are a few great deals in Audiogon on 250 MK IV and I am amazed they have not been sold already!

I have also heard the Revels (dealer only a few miles from my house in Fort Lauderdale FL) and I love them. To these ears though they are a bit excessive in the highs a problem that the Plinius will take care of much better than your Krell ever had. It will infuse detail, delicacy and finesse in the system w/o taking away the "air" and transparency in the mids and highs!

Please, respond to me with your firts impressions when you get the unit! Take care and enjoy the music.

Do really want to mix amps in a HT system? The obvious difference in sound may be distracting. Have you considered Sim Audio Titan and Attraction for HT amp and processor? Titan comes in a 5.1 or 7.1 channel config and the sound will be very similar to the Moon W-5.

Hey Y'all,

I've come a long way since I started this thread on 01/01/02. I did purchase the used Plinius SA-250MkIV and I love it. Since then I've listened to many other amps and I have yet to find one that gives the overall sound package that I'm getting from the Plinius in my system. I've also changed a lot of other things in my system. You could take a look at it on the virtual systems link. I'm very happy with the choices I've made. I do feel I need to upgrade my DVD player because I would like to achieve a better picture for movies, otherwise, I'm very happy. BTW, If you have an opportunity and have or would like to add a subwoofer, get yourself a matching pair. I just added two Rel Strata IIIs and I can't tell you how much these subs have helped the sound of my system. I hooked one up and listened for a while and was very pleased with the results. But after hooking up the second sub, it transformed the system and cleared up any bass dips and humps throughout the room. I'm really amazed with the results. Thank you all for the input......John

Hi John,
I am seriously considering the plinius 250 MkIV myself so have been very interested in your comments. The other amp in contention is the new bryston 14B SST which by all accounts is an amazing amp. Did you ever demo this amp? Glad to hear you are enjoying your purchase. I would also appreciate the experience of anyone else out there that has listened to both amps - Jeremy

Hey Jeremy,

I have not yet had the opportunity to listen to the Bryston 14BSST but I understand that it is a very formidable amp. I can tell you that, by most accounts, the Plinius is very tube like for an SS amp. It is very smooth and authoritative in its control of speakers and the soundstage it presents. The things I've heard about Bryston amps, in general, is that they tend to be a forward sounding amp with great bass output and control. I prefer my Plinius because the sound presentation is a little more laid back but does not sacrifice the bass or the high-end detail. If you can, get a listen to both, especially in your system and hear for yourself what sound you prefer.......John

I want to know if anyone has compared a Plinius SA250mk4 vs a GamuT D-200 (latest version) amp.

Thanks,

KF