If your speakers are truly 92db sensitive (sometimes mfg's over-rate them), I'd recommend the Pass-Labs 30.8 stereo amp. Definitely punches way above it's 30WPC rating and has plenty of power-supply for 4-ohm speakers. My 94db speakers 6-ohm impedance would play very loud and they seldom moved the meter needle ! Great sounding amp and does 30WPC in pure class-A, and I believe 60WPC into 4-ohms in class-A. Really a power-house amp and highly recommended...
Question about Class A
So I read all the time how awesome Class A Amps/Integrated's (SS and Tube) are.
I currently have a Vincent SV-500 Hybrid and feel it sounds really good.
But I have this itch now to hear what Class A would sound like and would it be a big difference to my current Vincent.
I wanted to ask what are some good Class A Integrated's that I could look into?
I know Pass Labs always comes up and for good reason but those might be a bit out of my budget.
I would say I can probably go to $3K new or used.
Sugden is another brand that I have researched a lot and the A21 retails for around $2500 and there is a dealer in Socal that carries it, so that one is tempting.
Vincent has the SV-237 MK II but I think that is only Class A for the 1st 10 watts into 8-ohms and I have 4-ohm speakers so I am not sure if that would give me any Class A magic. I am sure it would sound similar to my SV-500 but have more base extension.
Could you all recommend any other one's? I have been researching but haven't come across any (SS or Tube).
Thanks
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Jay, if you can find one, the Luxman L-550AX should run around $2500/3000, used and in very nice condition. They're 20W class A, then switch to A/B. I own an L-590AX, which is 30W, I bought it used for $4300, and it looked like new. That amp is one iteration older than the newer, but recently discontinued L-590AXII. Prices vary, some folks ask pretty high prices for a used L-590AXII, but they come up at times for more reasonable money. I believe the models, from oldest to new are A, AII, AX, AXII. Hope this helps, they're great amps. |
Jay , You can spend yourself blind sorting through the different class A components that are available. There are some great suggestions in this feed but consider the efficiency of your speakers and go to your dealer to listen on a few options. Some dealers even let you take items home for a test drive which may be best. I personally settled on a small flea wat amplifier that only puts out a couple of watts per side, but this is married to a set of really high efficiency Klipsch speakers. Unfortunately it's going to be different for every user. For your budget however I would encourage you to consider Schiit Freya+ and a pair of their monos! They can drive most speakers and they put out pure class A to a point. With class A you will find that you only are using the first five or 10 Watts anyways so don't worry so much about having a ton of power. The nice thing about this company is they are a US company and they will let you test drive in your home no questions asked. Hope this helps and happy Sonic Bliss
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Well Folks, I did it, I done did it. As mentioned earlier, I had heard the A21 yesterday at a local dealer but he didn’t have the A21SE in stock and his price was too much for me. So I came home and searched around and found a dealer in TX selling through eBay. Well I took the chance and bought it! The A21SE should be arriving around 2/23. The dealer offers 30 day returns. Looking forward to this Amp. As I mentioned before, my speaker are 92db sensitive (at least according to the Martin Logan), so I am hoping it will be a good match. @mesch , I have a external dedicated DAC, the Questyle CMA400i, which I feel is a really nice piece. Once the amp gets here, of course I will be comparing to my Vincent. I am really hoping it’s going to be on another level then the Vincent. I will let you know how it goes. I really appreciate all the feedback. Any owners of Sugden Amps, please also chime in. Thanks |
- 77 posts total