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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
alexbpm's avatar
alexbpm
34 posts
 
@viber6 I don’t like Wisdom Audio speakers, I’ve heard them many times and I don’t care for them. They seem a bit lifeless, I much prefer Steinway Lygdrof’s impelemntation. I also have never heard a pair of maggies or planars that I liked until the Botticelli. Jonathan Valin of The Absolute Sound called them a breakthrogh in planar magnetic design when he mentioned the Botticelli in his 2018 RMAF roundup, I would have to agree with him. For me, they were definitly the best in show. And the best speaker I’ve heard at any expo, regardless of price. I much prefer them over the Neoliths, for roughly the same price. The difference was not subtle.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Alex:
although I am not doubting you because I’ve never of this speaker, trying to make a huge investment like this with a brand that has zero traction here in America is like buying an expensive great painting from an unknown artist. You’ll never be able to recuperate most of your investment. 
I’d love to buy all these strange brands but you might as well have an appointment with your local “bulk trash truck” from your city because that’s what you’ll need to do to part ways with anything strange to the American audiophile.  Is it sad? Yes it is sad but that’s just the reality. If you are planning to be in this game for the long haul and not have to drain your retirement money, you must buy wisely especially when it comes to speakers of the caliber we are talking about here. 
gwalt
162 posts
 
Alex:
I agree with you on the Botticelli speakers. So much so that I found a way to source them at a very decent price and now own them. It is simply the best dollars I have spent in the hobby in 40 years. These speakers have revived my dead interest in audio and my ex-speakers were very well regarded as is my system in general but the speakers are my dream speaker.
I was at RMAF and listened to a lot of rooms with the likes of Magico M3’s.....$85,000. Sonus Fabre @ $128K, YG Acoustics.......$160K......Martin Logan Neoliths @ $85k, Wilson’s etc and the list goes on. Depressing sound for the dollar.
From the looks of the resales on these "popular" brands here on AG for sale your used sale dollars are not to good here either....it is terrible. Sad to say but that is the real industry truth. Who is kidding who saying any of this is a good investment?
I am told that if you show up at Munich with a dream speaker (like the Botticelli) with a cheap price it will reflect that it is no good. This includes a lot of electronics and cables as well. You can thank a lot to that part of the world for setting the trend. However with that said, I doubt the US is any trend setter in audio sales. Take a look at manufacturers distribution list and you will get it.
I also know that Alsyvox will be in Munich with the new 4 panel design Caravaggio and will be attending RMAF in September showing in a 27 X 35 foot room but not sure what speaker.....either the Botticelli or the Caravaggio. Perhaps those complaining on the speakers prices (and I don't argue it is high) should go take a listen and decide how it stacks up. 
Funny that some of us drive exotic cars knowing they won’t be worth 50 cents on the dollar in 5 years and we think nothing of it?
As I see it, Audio is a "To each his own hobby" and no one should decide what turns one on or how you spend your money......that is your own choice and nothing expensive in the hobby holds value unless you buy it special or used. Unfortunately the truth hurts.
gwalt
viber6
2,444 posts
 
WC,
Totally agree about not buying expensive products with no resale value.  GT Audio's speaker is largely unknown, but the modest low teens price given the quality makes it a low risk proposition (still not an investment).  On the other hand, if the market wakes up to its quality/cost ratio, the brand will get the recognition it deserves and have better resale value.  Just remember, almost no products even from well established brands are investments.  You take a sizable loss from even well known brands.  If a famous speaker sells retail for $100K and you only take a 20% loss, your absolute loss is $20,000.  The Rockport is still a risk--how are you doing with further listening?  But if you get the GT Audio for $14,000 and take a 100% loss, you did better by only taking a $14,000 loss.  Very few people are as skillful as you in buying wisely so you take minimal losses.  Your main risk for the attractive buy price is that you often don't get to hear the item properly before purchase.  I am not pushing the GT speaker, but just using it as a good example of my point.  If you like the GT on first hearing, you can go back a few times at the show.  If it doesn't pass the last hearing test, you can feel safe in rejecting it and not lose any money at all, just the relatively modest travel/hotel expenses.  
viber6
2,444 posts
 
alexbpm and gwalt,
I do admire and appreciate the designs of the Alsyvox speakers.  The 5 mm super tweeter is probably near SOTA, and is very likely superior in response and accuracy to the large curved panel of the Neo, which rolls off the HF.  This is due to theoretical considerations as well as the listening experience of WC who also found the Be tweeters of the Persona 3F and the Magico to be more detailed and revealing than the Neo.  The 15 mm width of the midrange/tweeter is a great design whose narrowness would create a focused range from 850-6000 Hz.  Again this is superior to the large curved panel of the Neo which creates an artificially magnified image with time smear effects.  The question is whether the wonderful design of the midrange planar driver creates better accuracy than the flawed electrostatic design of the Neo.  I wonder the same thing about whether the superior Be midrange driver of the Persona 3F is more accurate than the inherently superior, but flawed electrostatic design of the Neo.

I do believe that the design of the smallest Alsyvox, the Tintoretto is better than the Botticelli, which is better than the next larger Caravaggio, which is better than the largest Michelangelo.  As I have written, larger panels create more time smear effects than smaller ones of the same material design.  Flat panels like the Alsyvox are superior to curved panels which roll off HF and a lesser extent the midrange, in proportion to the greater horizontal distance from on axis pointed straight to the ears.  The same principle applies regarding vertical rolloff from taller panels.  I discovered this when I A/B'ed the Stax F81 to its sibling, the F83 which was 2 stacked F81's.  Of course, the F83 was louder with more bass extension, but the HF were rolled off compared to the F81.  In a similar manner, I feel that the shorter Tintoretto will have more accuracy than the Botticelli and taller models from 850 Hz to ultra HF.  The smallest Tintoretto is still reasonably tall with high 93 dB efficiency, so should satisfy anyone in even fairly large rooms, who values quality but not blasting to unnaturally high volumes.   I wish some dealer would have both the Tintoretto and Botticelli in the same listening room so I could confirm my suppositions.  

Thanks for relating your experience with Alsyvox.
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