2. amps-preamps
  3. 1028816701

Solidstate substitute for Bat Vk75se?

I run my bat 8 to 12 hrs. a day and am looking
for a solid state to run most of the time(keeping the
bat for special listening sessions). I've auditioned
the following;Pass lab 150 and 250,Bat Vk6200,Classe 200
monos,Krell 200c,Bat 200,Arcam 85,Bel Canto, and the
Mac 350. Surprisingly the Bel Canto has been my favorite,
but still not there. I'm interested in the Jeff Roland
product and the new PS Audio Cassic 250 they are releasing
soon. Any input on this subject would be appreciated. Thanks Randy
saxman2
meri5862
9 posts
 
Hi,

It appears your price range is from 3K to 6K. I now own a pair of VK-60 monoblocks which replaced my Mark Levinson 334. I felt the 334 was a very competent SS amplifier IMO with great bass, uncolored mids, smooth treble and effortless dynamics (given its 125W power rating). Possible candidates I would suggest are:

Mark Levinson 300 series
Theta Dreadnaught I or II
Classe 350 monoblocks (used)
Proceed HPA2

Good luck and have fun in your search.
Emery
hockey
32 posts
 
I've been looking for a solid state amp that has the smoothness of a tube yet still retains the detail, speed and bass that some of the better SS amps. In order I like the Gamut D200, then significantly back the Plinius 250 mk III, followed by the Levinson 33x amps. None of them impressed my enough to part with my cash for.
I also heard the Rowland Model 10 (I think- it's the separate power supply 100 watt model) with some Revel Salons that did not impress me at all - the best words I can think of are "clinical, cold, and technical". The salesman thought this was audio nirvana which proves one of two things - audio sounds different to everyone or don't believe anything a salesman says (maybe both are true).
One other note if you are looking for a really kickbutt CD player I highly recommend auditioning the new one from Gamut.
Oh and Saxman why not just wear out your BAT amp and then retube it - it'll be a lot cheaper than a new SS amp and much more importantly you'll enjoy it more.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
Out of the amps you mentioned, Saxman, I'm with you in that I'm surprised you prefer the Bel Canto. I've tried the Bel Campo, Krell, and others, and I strongly prefer the perfect clarity of the Pass Labs X-150. It is the only solid state I've ever heard to seduce me away from tubes. For me, the Pass amp has all of which I liked about tubes (liquid clarity), with none of the downside (euphonics and over sweetness.) I keep tubes in line though, with a tubed cd player. You don't mention what pre you are using. That would make or break any listening to amps.
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