Aesthetix stereo, Ayre, Klaus w Odyssey, absolutely nothing wrong w the Pass..
Solid state amp to go with tube preamp; used ok; budget: $3k max
I may have posed a similar question like this a while back, but I'm curious to get any updated thinking from folks, older or newer.
Situation: I have a Quicksilver Line Stage preamp and 60w monoblocks. I'm happy with them. I'd like to have a solid state amp to swap in for the monoblocks from time to time (weather, variety).
Typical desiderata in the amp are, as you'd expect, great grip on bass and pacing, smooth highs, good presence in mids, as wide and deep a soundstage as possible.
I tried Atoll 120wpc integrated (bypassing the preamp), Van Alstine SET 400, and my old Adcom 535L. None did the above to my satisfaction --problem mainly with mid, treble and with soundstage depth.
I've heard that stepping up the quality could bring something to the table, and to look out for Hegel, Ayre, Pass. Open to any topology. My speakers are 87 db, 8 ohm, and are driven just fine by 60w tube or solid state.
Specific recommendations for brands and models are welcome. I'm willing to buy, try, and re-sell if there's a good chance I'll want to keep it.
I'm going to be watching for things on used sites. Again, for this I'm setting an upper limit of $3k but am hopeful I could do fine with much less.
Situation: I have a Quicksilver Line Stage preamp and 60w monoblocks. I'm happy with them. I'd like to have a solid state amp to swap in for the monoblocks from time to time (weather, variety).
Typical desiderata in the amp are, as you'd expect, great grip on bass and pacing, smooth highs, good presence in mids, as wide and deep a soundstage as possible.
I tried Atoll 120wpc integrated (bypassing the preamp), Van Alstine SET 400, and my old Adcom 535L. None did the above to my satisfaction --problem mainly with mid, treble and with soundstage depth.
I've heard that stepping up the quality could bring something to the table, and to look out for Hegel, Ayre, Pass. Open to any topology. My speakers are 87 db, 8 ohm, and are driven just fine by 60w tube or solid state.
Specific recommendations for brands and models are welcome. I'm willing to buy, try, and re-sell if there's a good chance I'll want to keep it.
I'm going to be watching for things on used sites. Again, for this I'm setting an upper limit of $3k but am hopeful I could do fine with much less.
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We recently compared a number of SS amps. Hegel, Coda, BEL, etc. For pure musicality the BEL was way above the others. Class A design and it was bought for $450. Don't recall the exact model but for that kind of money is was excellent. Sweet music for sure. You can easily upgrade the four power supply capacitors and a few resistors and you would probably be laughing al the way to the bank. Happy Listening. |
@hilde45 @jjss49 mini gan 5 — that’s a really nice offer and my inclination is to say "yes!" but I suppose the question becomes whether it could possibly compete with the local Hegel. as you well know, h90 is an integrated, your stated goal is to have your qs tube pre feed a very good ss amp to achieve a desired synergy between the two (tubey sweetness dimensionality plus solid state impact/grip/foundation) if i were you i would try the mini gan 5 - i think you read my comments when i got it (if not i know you can find them), i think it is a prime candidate for happiness fed by a nice clean quiet tube pre the hegel is also excellent, maybe just a teeny touch richer through the mids than the gan, but the gan is really really good, crazy good for the money, and with an ounce of tube goodness, could be winner winner chicken dinner re the h90, @tvad mentioned rightly the pass 30 wpc rating is conservative, same for hegels i would say, your salks are not current hogs at 8 ohm nomimal, the h90 should do just fine power wise (esp in your low ceiling room), heck the boys in toronto at audio excellence canada had the h90 driving maggies clean and loud, to their surprise and endless amusement for cryin’ out loud :) of course the mini gan 5 is 200 wpc rms into 8 ohms... so output is no issue there btw i have a klaus’ odyssey stratos+ here too, with big blue caps upgrade, this one can’t fight its way into my rotation, you can try that too if you want, but shipping will be a bundle its a tank |
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