Beyond Ayre Pass and Rowland

Beyond Ayre Pass and Rowland
What would it be? Transistor or Hybrid. This is a general discussion.
I heard that Gryphon and Ypsilon qualify but I didn't audition either. Lamm hybrid does too, I believe.
inna

Ayre is bipolar output, Pass is MOSFET output & Rowland has been bipolar output in yester years & class-D these days. 

Are these the only 3 transistor brands that come to your mind? There are so many others in the market at different prices. OR, do you want to stay in the Ayre/Pass/Rowland price range?

I'm not sure what the point of this thread is? Do you want to get away from these 3 specific brands & buy something off-beat? Or, get away from these 3 brands & buy some European amp brand? Or, are you looking to change output stage topology? Or, something else on your mind for discussion?
Unhappy or had enough of your present setup? 

These three brands appear to be very popular among both audiophiles and not. I am interested in the experience of those who auditioned other amps that seemed a step or two above. This thread is not about asking a specific advice or about system integration.
Parasound and Levinson are not better in any way.

inna OP
2,222 posts
08-15-2016 2:00pm
These three brands appear to be very popular among both audiophiles and not. I am interested in the experience of those who auditioned other amps that seemed a step or two above. This thread is not about asking a specific advice or about system integration.
Parasound and Levinson are not better in any way.

ok.
my experience has shown (as you noted in your orig post) that the Gryphon Antillean Signature (bipolar output stage) was a cut above. A friend of mine used to own this amp - best amp he owned IMHO. 
I also verify that the Ypsilon amp was superb - heard that at RMAF driving Lansche speakers. Wow! That sound is still in my head.
Another (as jmcrogan2) wrote was the FM Acoustics 115 mono amp - heard that at a (at that time) FM Acoustics dealer’s house driving Venture (I believe these are Belgian) speakers. The sonics were sublime indeed.
I’ve also heard Nagra mono amps - don’t remember the model # now - but their sonics were also fantastic (driving Avantgarde horn speakers).
On the tube side i’ve heard that TRL mono amps are superb but i’ve not heard them myself.
that’s all for now......

"Beyond" seems a bit over the top when under consideration are the likes of Pass Labs Gryphon and Ypsilon.  Symphonic Line would certainly be in the mix as well. Not a well known brand but their Kraftwerk line is definitely something to consider as well. While not cheap it is not a King's ransom either relative to some of the astronomical prices of the top tier players.