2. amps-preamps
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What stereo amp sounds better than digital monos?

I want to replace a pair of Red Dragon digital mono blocks with an excellent SS stereo amp of approx 150 RMS.I have Acoustic Zen Adagios speakers

I am not interested in tube amps or tube rolling. Need input and/or recommnedations. I CANNOT afford $5000 ARC, Levinson, Krell or other super high end basic power amp. In the past, have considered Odyssey Stratos SE, McCormack DNA-1 upgraded to "REV B" or "REV A" level; also, the better Conrad Johnson SS power amps. Thank you.
sunnyjim
koiman
51 posts
 
Sunnyjim,
You might want to check with Adcom the 5802 is a fully balanced Amp. according to Adcom.
danielk141
489 posts
 
Koiman,

The Adcom 5802 owners manual shows the following values for input impedance:
Unbalanced 105K ohms
Balanced 10K ohms

If the amp was truly balanced, the balanced value would be double the unbalanced value.
Since this is not the case, the amp just uses a converter
to transfer the balanced input to single ended after the signal enters the amp.
Other brands do this too, usually in their entry level pieces....
sgr's avatar
sgr
689 posts
 
Don't be afraid to audition Coda amps. Great sounding amps. I believe comparable to Levinson, Krell, or Pass for thousands less. Build quality is there and SQ too.
tonyjack
102 posts
 
I also own the Red Dragon M 500 amps and I agree that for the $'s they are quite remarkable sounding amps. I have also been using them with banana plugs with no problems. I have not found them to be tipped up in the detail dept although maybe with certain speakers that may be a perception. I'm using Vandersteen 3A Sigs and also an ARC SP16 Tube Preamp. I did not like the amps with a NuForce P8 preamp in comparison. It would be interesting to hear from other owners of these amps to find out which speaker/preamp combos they are using. Good luck with your quest. The upgrade bug is indeed hard to resist.
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