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High End Amp Price Collapse musings

If Class D amplification becomes accepted by audiophiles there should be a glut of high end amps (Krell, Levinson, Pass etc) becoming available on the used market at prices a fraction of what they are now.

Think CRT TV when the flat panels began emerging.I think Ill hold off on a new/used amp purchase for a little while. Maybe I will bet a Boulder.

Has any one else considered this?

energeezer
electroslacker
375 posts
 
Guido: Thanks I stand corrected.  I guess I'm thinking short digital samples of the incoming signal related to switching rate, much like CD sampling or digitizing a photo....and must be wrong.  But I still wouldn't buy because I think this era of Class D won't hold its value.  Just personal feeling.
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
3,159 posts
 
So my BlueSound Powenode 2 ($799) and Vault 2 ($1299) won't hold there value?  As if we buy for value...what are we Amish?  Anyway, based on that premise $2K worth of stuff declines 75% lets say so we are left with $500 worth of gear.  My Krell Cipher cost $12K and the highest resale I found was $4500 if mint with all original packaging and less than 2 years old.  Most of the big name gear I have sold over the years wound up in the same ball park.  Value?  Really?  High end audio?  The value comes from the cost to performance ratio only I'm afraid....no one day trades in audio gear.
northernfox
26 posts
 

<randyhat>  I have been using an Audio Research 150.2 amp for a number of  years, working with an Audiio Research  LS-25 Mk II, Esoteric K-01 player, and driving Focal Alto Utopia speakers.  The 150.2 is based on the old Tripath Class D module, but with other elements designed by AR and built to traditional AR build quality.

I play almost 100% classical CD and SACD, and the sound I hear from this setup is excellent to my ears. Specifically, I do not hear the harshness that many mention as coming out of Class D.  What I feel that I am hearing is a very clear version of the program material--with all the strengths of well recorded and mastered discs and  all the faults of poorly recorded or mastered ones.  I have heard the equivalent setup using a Levinson in place of the 150.2 and did not find it significantly better, for my taste.

When Tripath went out of business a while back,  AR had to move to their own proprietary Class D technology to make amps like the D225 and D450.  I think these are now discontinued with no SS replacement from AR.  My theory on this latter development is that  the new owners of AR are rationalizing their various brands, with AR becoming all-tube gear and McIntosh handling the SS amps they want to sell. 

mechans
3,048 posts
 
dave b- I have seen some gear  hold s much as 60% orig. cost or even more on certain pieces and the sellers determination.  However you are correct this is not a financial growth strategy.
jimman2's avatar
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jimman2
55 posts
 
dave b - I noticed that Bluesound is a sister company of NAD.  I put the Auralic Vega in my system with the NAD M22 yesterday- the sound I'm hearing is quite alarming (in a good way).  The Auralic needs another 80 hours of break in to boot.  Quietest amp I've ever had too.  Other than the D-Class amps and the Adcom I mentioned in my previous posts I also had used a very well regarded ATI Class A amp. It got mostly rave ratings except in the portability category (86 pounds!).  I recently visited their page and guess what - they are now making and lauding Class D amplification.  
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