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Requesting opinions about 4 specific amplifiers

Greetings Audiogon community,

I am requesting your input about four specific amplifiers in a particular price range and how they may, or may not, pair well with my Dynaudio Confidence 20 stand mount speakers.

My room is 20' x 16' and does have wall absorption treatment. I do not listen at high levels, typically in the 75 to mid 85 db territory. 

I currently own a Luxman L-509X integrated amplifier, which is probably the best integrated amp I have owned to date. However I am wondering if there is a better amp match for my Dynaudio Confidence 20 speakers, and so am considering moving to separates. My budget for the amp alone is in the preowned $4K to $5K range.

Here are amps I am asking for your input about ;

-Simaudio Moon 860A V1 (Dynaudio dealers seem to endorse Simaudio)

-Pass Labs X150.8

-PS Audio BHK Signature 250 stereo (PS Audio has dropped the price on new amps in their closeout sale)

-Parasound JC 5

I realize there are many, many, amp manufacturers, and that of course if I reach a bit higher I could consider Ayre, or Aesthetix, or Coda, all of which interest me, but seem to stay outside of my budget. 

I wish I could side-by-side compare or demo all of these amps, but unfortunately it is not possible. I am looking to your experience to help in any way possible.

Thank you!

 

jpipes
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,090 posts
 

Aesthetix is a brand I sold for years and still has outstanding integrity ,they

wind their own transformers and enclose them in a faraday type cage to contain any magnetic fields , they build a quality product 

even their integrated Mimas has a Hybrid Vacuum tube preamp section .

Coda too has Some nice products in their upper line ,who btw we’re Pass labs engineers before Pass went independant.

your speakers are what model and effficiency ? Very important to know.

i have  40+ years building system synergy .I owned $6 figure Audio systems 

but technologies have moved on even class D look at AAvic from 

Audio group Denmark ,they have great newer technologies ,in part using multiples 

of Tesla coils to dramatically lower noise floor and many other things .

I myself am looking to upgrade but not until our home additions are completed 

being married means Audio is not 1st ,since I no longer own a Audio store .

 

squared80's avatar
squared80
97 posts
 

Why not just get a Buckeye Purifi. Objectivity better than any you've listed.

samssa's avatar
samssa
15 posts
 

You listen at about the same levels as I do but I don't consider it loud. Church is that loud.

soix
9,407 posts
 

Why not just get a Buckeye Purifi. Objectivity better than any you’ve listed.

@squared80 Objectively better? Really? So you’re the end-all, be-all authority and have compared the Buckeye directly to the amps listed by the OP? Just because you like an amp doesn’t make it “objectively better” if for no other reason that we all have different tastes so there’s no one objective standard. Get over yourself.

avanti1960
1,459 posts
 

I was in a similar boat a few years ago and cycled through many amps when I was looking to upgrade in power from my Pass Labs XA25.     Pass XA30.8 which sounds identical to the 150.8 was too overtly smooth and euphoric.  The Parasound JC5 had exceptional low end grunt but its midrange didn’t soar like the XA25.  
I wound up with a McIntosh MC 312 which does it all, solid low end, gobs of power and dynamics and a supremely clean midrange that sounds even better than the glorious Pass XA 25.  Treble has exceptional detail and air without a trace of graininess.  The new Macs are the real deal.  

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