Are There Any Inherent Advantages to Class A amps?

Gs, I generally agree. I stopped short of recommending that Mitch should go for the Class A because there are simply too many design characteristics that influence overall sound. There are clearly A/B designs that beat A designs -- that was also made fairly clear in the great references shared by Tripper. On a straight design to design comparison (i.e., same amp), Class A rules. As always, judge with your ears. Good point Gs.

Raul, I'm considering the Krell and Pass monoblocs to upgrade from my current amplifiers. My current amps are the Carver Silver 9t monoblocs, they are/were the price point that I was able to attempt to enter into the high end audio arena. I started with one pair and I liked the sound, I got another pair and bi-amped, then a whole new world opened up. Then I got the AR LS-10 preamp and the system took another quantum leap. I recognize that my current amps do not rank high on the heap of hifi, some even consider them mid-fi. So, the reason that I'm considering the Krell and Pass monoblocs is to see if they take my system to another dimension. My Infinity Kappa 9 speakers dip to really low impedances and I want unquestioned authority on the bottom end....I keep hearing Krell is really strong there. I tried using a Sunfire Signature on the bottom while bi-amping, and while good, it did not deliver the slam and control that the Carver monoblocs delivered.

My Carver monoblocs cost $1500 per pair used. The Krells will be at least $15k used, whereas the Pass will be about $8k used. I hear that the Pass and Krell monoblocs are light years better my Carver monoblocs. What kind of performance leap can I expect by upgrading to the Pass or Krells? I prefer to bi-amp with matching amps, but at those prices, that will be prohibitive for now.

I liked the sound of my system at every point before I upgraded it, and I liked it better than before every time I upgraded.

I plan to spend no more than $1k for speaker cable and interconnects for the entire system.

Any of you, please weigh in on this for me.

thanks....mitch

Good thread guys, thanks for your kind words. BTW, nothing against [or for] Google, but I've always used and liked www.ixquick.com for metasearches [where I searched for class A amp operation]. On systems, Everything is the sum of that which preceded it as Ozfly points out. But Class A does seem to be an excellent point of departure. My single-ended Class A amp has been in my various systems longer than other component. "Only" 50 watts but every one is as sweet and unforced as can be, and has driven a dozen very different speakers with grace and ease. Same for my 35 watt custom 85# brute, truly an iron fist in a velvet glove. Good luck to all, whatever Class you choose! Tripp

The Krell FPB amps are class A to their full rated power. The sustained plateau bias helps to prevent (through magic and witchcraft) the amp from running as hot as Class A amps have in the past.

It is true that Krell amps before the FPB series were only class A for the first 25 or so watts, which is where most of our listening is done anyway. The Krell monoblocks are very expensive, but I think they are worth it. The Pass Labs X 600 are a great pair of monoblocks, and as mentioned previously will only cost about half the price of the Krell.

In my limited experience Class A amps sound better than class AB or those wretched digital amps. They are more 'there.' So yes, along with the drawbacks there are many real advantages.

...and dats da name ah dat tune!

Don't forget the oil savings in the winter, as you can turn down your thermostat a few notches :)