I have no idea why people here don't just answer your question. There are a few very good class A amps to chose from. The best under $2,000 used? That's a hard question to answer because there is no best. It all depends on what kind of sound you are looking for. If you want a very detailed sound, try the older Krells, want a more musical sound, Thresholds, and if you like something in between, Mark Levinson. These older amps are still killer machines and would still be fine in a system today. I didn't put specific models because there is lots to chose from, so do your research on which model you like most. Good Luck!!!!!
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Thank You for all of the feedback and recommendations on these questions. I am going to take a few days to look some of these amps up. I wish I could sit in a room, listen and compare them over a couple of days but I get a feeling that is not going to happen (ha) Interesting @lowtubes that the older amps can still hang with more modern technology. I like the idea of a professionally refurbished older amp because some of them have a great cosmetic appeal as well. The Belles SA-100 and most Pass amps have a great look to them as well. About 20% of my choice would be based on this ( especially since I can't hear them). @Phusis -Thanks for the well written piece. I didn't know that some of the better D amps draw comparisons/characteristics of class A. Nothing wrong with liquidity. I have a Peachtree Grand which is ICE and nice but I find it sort of lacking bite and texture at lower volume levels. One thing I didn't mention is that my Kenwood 700 M & Wadia Dac 321 is in a smaller carpeted room and the Grand system is in a larger room with a tiled floor. The larger room does have a rug, furniture and broad band sound panels. I will have to do an amp switch to make sure it's not the room vs the amps. |
You might start with Audio Bluebook on this site. See what's in the market. https://bluebook.audiogon.com The triodes (valves) plus Class A power supply appears preconception more than a criteria which assures a quality experience. Unreasonable constraints elevating legacy technology (& sub-optimizations) works against you, not for you. There is a point in the used market where you are just buying someone else out of their boat anchor. This is business built on scale. As the components, and various engineering trade-offs, of legacy systems become rare- available inventory inelasticity changes the value...non-linearly. This all works against you. Still- "may the odds be ever in your favor", though. |
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