Suggestion for Amp to 2 ohm loads?

Most of the older Krell class A amps worked fine into this load, and are pretty cheap these days. Not the last word in sonic refinement, but pretty bulletproof.

Hi "Phild",

I don't know what your price range may be, but what is easily the best sounding amp for the job that I have ever heard is the Clayton Audio S40. This stereo power amplifier is a pure Class A design and will play loads down to 1 Ohm. It's rated at 50 wpc RMS into 8 Ohms, and doubles the watts each time you cut the Ohms in half (i.e. 200 wpc RMS into 2 Ohms).

If you don't think that the S40 is enough power for you, you could step up to the M100 monoblocks. These put out double the power of the S40, so you would get 400 wpc into a 2-Ohm impedance load.

They are built like a tank, with huge heat sinks covering the entire top of the amplifier, and they seem to run flawlessly forever.

I've used the S40 in my system for over 3 years, driving anything from dynamic speakers (sometimes even two per side), to planars, to the very demanding electrostatic models with ease, and have never even blown a single fuse.

If you haven't heard or seen any amplifiers from Clayton Audio, there are several reviews on www.SoundStage.com, amongst others.

Happy listening!

Sincerely,

-Donald
W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST

McIntosh MC-352 will carry all loads, no problem, and have excellent sonic characteristics! $4,500 amp can now be purchased preowned for about $2,750, new, on the net with no warranty for about $3,200.

Dan

It would help to know what you are trying to do with the amp and your budget. For a budget audiophile like myself, McIntosh and Krell, even used are way out of my price range. I do know that the good old Adcom GFA-555II is rated at 325 watts at 4 ohms x2 and can handle a two ohm load. And at $350 -$400 for a used one is an affordable one.

I drive a pair of Thiel 3.6s, that are pretty inefficient and are said to go down to around 2 ohms, with a Conrad Johnson MF2500.