Sugden a21 question....


Hello,
I need a little help as a relative novice. I just bought Gallo Reference III speakers (which I love by the way) and am now looking into a new integrated amp. The Sugden a21 is very intriguing to me, but I wonder if the 25 watts of class A power is enough to drive my 88db speakers. Any information would be very appreciated.
Thanks.
jmurray16
The short answer is, no. I think you'd be rather disappointed with that pairing off. Those Gallo's need some muscle to do their best, and, as good as the Sugden may be, 25 watts is just not enough to push an 88db speaker to satisfying volumes. If I were you, I'd be looking at amps putting out 50-100 watts minimum. I do like the Portal Panache, and it pushes my 89db Silverline SR17s without breaking a sweat. That's 100 wpc. I have tried the same speakers with lesser power and though they will play tunefully, they do run out of steam sooner, especially in larger spaces. There are many good integrateds out there in that price range that I'm sure would do well for you. You may also want to research compatibility with your speakers of the Unison Unico SE version, as well as offerings by Musical Fidelity, Creek and Audio Aero, among others.

Marco
I agree with Marco. you'll get sdound out of the speakers, but dull, lacking any dynamics or life. The Sugden is a beautiful amp and Class A output probably drives a speaker better than Class A/B or valves(that may get some criticism), but you are asking too much of the amp. Most speakers give a maximum and minimum output to run the speakers with and they are pretty reliable. Give the speaker less than the stated minimum and you just won't get the best out of it
There is a newer version of the Sugden A21a (an amp I use to own)just being released in the UK.It's more modern looking and costs twice the price.The new A21SE is rated at 21W but remember Class A is a different ball game.
Correction the SE is rated at 30 into 8ohms. It would run them but the price in USD is around 3500-3750. http://www.sugdenaudio.com/range/a21se.htm
The new A21SE is rated at 21W but remember Class A is a different ball game.

May be a different ball game, but still not in the right ball park in my experience. Two of the SS amps I've tried with my 89db SR17's were class A. The Aleph 5 putting out 50wpc, and the Bedinie 25/25 putting out, you guessed it, 25wpc. Both class A amps. In a larger space both could put out a fairly satisfying volume, but if you ever wanted to push it with dynamic music, again the results were less than satisfying in comparison to more powerful amps. In a smaller room you may be fine. But I'd still say you'd be on the borderline. $3k+ is a whole lot to risk...I'd see if you can get to audition them in your system before dropping that kind of coin.

Marco