2. amps-preamps
  3. 134831-74204

First Watt vs McIntosh vs Ampzilla

I'm searching for a power amplifier to pair with a McIntosh c712 preamp and Zu Omen Def speakers. 
I want it to be melodic and clear (not mellow and round) and with a good soundstage, capable of filling my big living room (12m x 6m) with powerful party levels sound - not necessarily ear splitting levels.  
Nearby I can purchase a First Watt M2, a McIntosh MC7150 or an Ampzilla 2000 (stereo) for a good price. 
I cant audition them at home with my system, so besides my personal opinion on the sound at the different shops, what do you have to say regarding these three models? Any of them is better than the others? Better sound? Better reliability? 
Any opinions?

128x128migueca
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,404 posts
 
The McIntosh will give you a slightly mellow sound, the Ampzilla is a powerful and excellent sounding amp and the designer was one of the Audio greats. The First Watt are low powered Class A amps.  Never have heard the First Watt, I would go with the Ampzilla, and this is coming from a Mac guy. 
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Given that you have those Zu speakers, First Watt is definitely the way to go.
roncagg
61 posts
 
I recommend an F7, those 20w go a long way, and it will be more resolving/less rounded sounding than the M2 (which I have been told is more like the aleph 30 I had than the F7). I run it into DeVore speakers, not as efficient as your Zus and I never have an issue with volume in my large room.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
I had an Ampzilla...... very pleased with it.   I gather you sit away from the amp..Ampzilla has a cooling fan that was not intrusive to me, but it might depend where you sit in relation to it.
bojack
652 posts
 
The M2 has been my only amp for the past 3 years, and paired with my Spendor 1/2s and AI Modulus 3B (or Quicksilver Pre), it is an astonishingly good sounding component. It does everything well, imo, and will reflect accurately what is upstream, whether it be the source or pre, etc. It creates 28W and will rock your Zus, guaranteed. The one caveat is that Nelson Pass  specifies its noise w/o signal at 500uv, whereas the other First Watt amps are slightly quieter. The music mine makes, though, outweighs this minor fact, though...it is a  keeper. 
More to discover