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"Warm Sounding" Solid State Amplifiers

As a Canadian I am naturally a huge fan of Bryston products but not long ago I switched things up for a NAD C355BEE integrated amp and instantly realized what I had been missing in terms of warmth, sweetness and overall pleasant sound.

I'm interested in moving up from there into some Class A or A/B amps but I don't know of any other warm sounding Solid State amps other than Pass Labs which are out of my price range at the moment.

Tubes are obviously "where it's at" as they would say but the maintenance factor is somewhat of a deterrent for me. Should I just go for an M series NAD amp or is there another intermediate product between that and Pass Labs??
pontifex
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Price range? Other constraints?

The usual suspects. Most Class A, plus Ayre, Hegel, etc. Since you're in Canada, you should definitely check out Sugden.

I hear M series NADs sound good, but bear in mind that the digital technology is going to have a different sound signature as compared to what you've been listening to.

I'm starting to hear good things about Sony's latest Class A amp, the TA-A1ES.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"04-19-15: Brauser
Jeff Rowland products have the attributes of tubes without the liabilities. Rowland components are also manufactured from bar stock aluminum and use very high grade internal circuitry. I know of no other high end company that produces products that are truly 'set it and forget it' for decades of hassle free SOTA performance."

Have you ever heard any of their products? The imaging on my Rowland amp falls way short of what's currently available. Also, the build quality is good, but not the best. My Ayre amps are definitely better made. I'm not sure what you mean by set and forget, either. Its a power amp. You plug it in and turn it on.
ricred1
2,005 posts
 
I've compared the JR M525 to an Ayre VX-5 and purchased the JR 525. To my ears, in my system the JR M525 has a better soundstage and separation of instruments. I had many amps and the JR M525 is the best that I've ever had in my system. As a matter of fact I was thinking about going up to the JR 625.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,182 posts
 
Stick with nad.
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,306 posts
 
NAD is a good choice and also Plinius
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