Best Used Solid State Amp for less than $5000?

Wow..Russellrcncom..are you still in the hunt for an amp since last Nov? I commend you for your patience and taking your time..My recommendation would be the Plinius amp because of the tremendous balance of this amp.From deep bass to sweet extended highs. Wide soudstage and tube like mids.Run it balanced if possible This amps hard to fault.-Ken

Hello Russelrcncom,

I have a customer who tried the JC-1's and CAM-350's (as well as a few other amps) in his system driving Sound Lab electrostats, and he ended up purchasing the JC-1's. That may or may not bear any relationship to how they sound with your Hales, but on the other hand should you one day decide to go with Sound Labs....

(Disclaimer of the obvious: I sell Sound Labs & JC-1's)

Cheers,

Duke

I agree with Duke- the jc-1's will out due the cam-350 in every area I am aware of comparing two amplifiers. Now the Omega that may be a different story, but that's not the case here. Arrange an audition on the jc-1's I think you will be surprised at how good these amps are, I am not just saying this because I own a pair either. I wouldn't have bought them had I not been "blown away" about there performance- believe the hype these are the real deal.

if you like the x series from Pass ( I owned an x250 before upgrading to an Air Tught ATM 2) you will love the aleph series- buy an aleph 5 60 wpc- sounds like 150- class a - single ended- nothing touches it

After considering numerous amps for my Thiel CS3.6's, I looked long and hard at Pass Labs, Plinius, Classe, Krell, McCormack, Edge, and Bryston, but ultimately ended up with a pair of used Theta Enterprises (and an Intrepid, for multichannel). I was totally unprepared for and blown away by the impressive balance and detail that I heard from the Theta's. And their soundstage was the best that I heard by far. You could pick up a new 2-channel Dreadnaught II well within your price range, and you might be able to get a pair of used Enterprises for close to that (I saw one pair here on Audiogon going for $5,200).

FWIW, Pass Labs was very high on my short list, but I never got a chance to audition one.

Tom.