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My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.

Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.

Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?

Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.

 It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.

Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.

Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.

Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.

Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.

Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.

My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


128x128jays_audio_lab
steveo888
16 posts
 
Hi Whitecameross
I have only found your thread last night and spent hours last night and this morning reading it top to bottom 


First I want to thank you for doing this. You are taking out all the bullshit and hyperbole you get from reviewers, which are mostly driven by advertising dollars. You are trying so much gear and giving us all  a great insight into the best gear which is fabulous.

I have a question as well as a suggestion. 

My question is I am running Triton one speakers at the moment through an emotiva xpa5 Gen 2 amp. While I have heard from you that emotiva are good bang for buck I have realised that it isn't ideal for my speakers for music listening. 

I found this thread as I was looking for reviews for the mc207. I don't have any more room(apartment living) to get full size monos or even another separate stereo amp so I was considering replacing the emotiva with the mc207 as I have seen one second hand for half the retail price. That way I can use it for home the artist well as 2 channel, but it was mainly to get better performance for my 2 channel.  Based on what you have said this is probably the worst multichannel amp and I should be looking at the Plinius Odean instead. The issue is it isn't as cheap as I can get the McIntosh

Based purely on what you said I am considering the  belcanto 600m monos.  Firstly because I have heard from you and read that this is one of the best class d amps that is a bit of giant killer. After hearing more since you wrote that is this still the case? I was considering ps audio bhk but can't really fit a 250 stereo let alone two 300 monos in my set up.

Would the belcanto 600m (or 500s stereo) be a worthy upgrade considering my circumstances? Would it be better than the mc207 (as the McIntosh second hand is the same price as full retail bel canto in Australia at  the moment.)

I was also considering the ps audio class d stellar monos or stereo. Have you come across them?

Price to performance with small form factor is big for me. I would love a pass lab's or luxman but don't have the space but feel I can do better for my Triton 1s than the emotiva xpa5. I will leave the emotiva for home theatre duties ( centre and surrounds) 


As mentioned for my suggestion I truly think you need to seek out and test out the DEQX units. Www.deqx.com.  Basically these are room and phase correctors that can match your speakers to your specific room challenges,  as no matter what gear you have you are always "hearing" the room to some extend. 

This unit the hdp5 is also a dac and pre amp and would be interested to hear your thoughts in general. Some people simply incorporate the deqx into whatever set up and preamps they have. It's pretty cool tech and I myself have the express 2 model. Check the movie out online on their website.  When you buy it you need an expert to come and measure and calibrate your room and measure the response of your speakers. You have probably already heard of it I am not sure. (btw I am not affiliated with deqx. I just thought I to would be worth sharing as the tech is cool and works for both digital and analog sources.I mention it as I want to hear your thoughts on how it improves your awesome gear.) 

Thankyou again for this great thread. I have learned a lot over night! 



jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
denon1: i may have to agree with you, but unfortunately with cables it is tough because i feel that they need to be inserted in your system before you make any buying decision simply because they are harder to sell if you don't like them. 
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
steve: thank you for your kind words. These are the kind of words that inspire me to keep this thread alive. I have actually been thinking of starting my own website next year and bring this entire thread over and have my own thing going on. That said, that is just a thought at this time. 
With all that said, yes i consider the mc207 a subpar amplifier given the cost and i am 200% sure the belcanto ref600s are far superior in ever regards. Having owned many mcintosh amps, i consider the 1.2kw and 2.0kws the only respectable amplifiers that they currently make and everything else just an amplifier for those die hard mcintosh fans. 
I keep a spreadsheet of every amplifier i have owned and i can say its upwards of 200 amplifiers. I don't want to praise any particular brand although i have my personal favorites. 

jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Well guys, a shocking event happened last night. I tried hours of listening and let me just say, i really wanted the outcome to be different, but my ears could not deny it. The monitor audio platinum pl500 ii has simply bested my Dynaudio Evidence Temptations. I did not want to accept it, but sometimes things are too clear and obvious to deny them. My partnership with the Dynaudio Evidence Temptations has ended and i will be finding a new home for them.
The monitor audio pl500ii have really elevated my system to new heights. I will write a full review once i settle down with a few things i need to handle first. One thing you need to know is that these are 300% better than the platinum 300ii. I can’t even draw a comparison between both because they truly don’t sound alike.
This was all a shock to me because i thought these platinum 300s were good and i thought the platinum 500s were going to be just a hair better with more bottom end and that was far from the truth.
HUGE SHOCK, but hey i am glad i ran into these speakers.
I have a huge smile on my face :)
steveo888
16 posts
 
I would love to see that spreadsheet! That's incredible 

If you started a website and a YouTube channel it would be a huge success. I think that's a fantastic idea. People would go nuts seeing this high quality gear in action. 

Thanks for your advise on the bel cantos. I agree they would suit my needs better. 


I was also considering the ps audio stellar stereo or monos as mentioned but I have also come across The red dragon s500 that has been compared favourably to the bel canto as well. Any experience with these (albeit much lower quality /cost) amps? 
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