2. amps-preamps
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30 Amplifiers Totaling $428,740.00 In Search of Audio Nirvana

Yes it’s true! I have both owned and auditioned 30 of the top selling amplifiers Totaling $428,740.00 in search of that secret sauce called Audio Nirvana. All though there is no one size fits all, they all have their own special touch of magic for someone at a price point and sound signature that will be a fit for your musical listening taste. With that being said, this long list of amplifiers ranging from $2500.00 MSRP to $85,000.00 is what I experience through trial and error while running the gamut of Class A-AB-D and Tube Amplifiers from a variety of the top Amplifier Make and Models listed below.


Anthem Integrated 225

Adcom 575SE 

Audio Research 160S

Bell Canto 600M 

Block Audio

Bryston 7BSST2 

Divalet Expert Pro 220 

Gryphon Diablo 

Krell Evolution  

Hegel H30 

Luxman M900U 

Merril Eliment 118 

McIntosh 452 

McIntosh 601 

Octave Audio V110  

Musical Fidelity Titan 

Parasound A21 

Parasound JC1 

Pass Lads X250.5 

Pass Labs X350.5 

Pass Labs XA160.8 

Pass labs XS300 

Plinius SA-250 

PS Audio BHK 300 Signature 

Primaluna Premium HP 

Primaluna Prologue 

Sim Audio W7 


I actually couldn't believe it myself until I looked at my spreadsheet 5.5 years later and said WTF have I done? All that said I can truly say it has been one fun ride! 

The purpose and goal for posting this long list is of amplifiers was to share my thoughts and experiences with you from a unbiased point of view with Absolutely No Quid Pro Quo :)


Cheers




 

128x128blumartini
perazzi28's avatar
perazzi28
233 posts
 
Strangely it could be a loudspeaker issue.....
Ever get a chance to listen to a pair of Wilson Benesch from the Geometry series??
A.C.T. One Evolution or for the very hard to please with a large room:
Eminence

drbarney1's avatar
drbarney1
179 posts
 
You could spend $350,000 if the price has not gone up since it listed at this price in 2003, but for that kind of money use it to pay off your mortgage and build your own using most of the same parts for under a couple of thousand dollars. Or hire some unemployed physicists who knows how to build it for you for a few thousand dollars for a month's work. There are plenty of such people out in the world of audio because only about 2% of PhD graduates even in STEM ever get a career in the academic world.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,935 posts
 
@mountz the Aesthetix is a great hybrid amp and compares well to ARC with most speaker loads better bass. There are three levels now, Eclipse is sublime. When I compared them a REF150se edged it in midrange magic.
mountz's avatar
mountz
133 posts
 
Tomic601: I use an Aesthetix Callisto Eclipse for my pre and agree that the Eclipse is the way to go.  Ref150SE?? - I don’t see that on your list, but presume you are speaking of audio Research.  I would suggest you audition the VM-220, tubes are perpendicular and has bass with tubes that must be heard. (preferable to my Ear).  I also have the  Bel Canto Ref600m and feel they are great for class D, but lack the midrange warmth that a tubed amp provides.  
Have you ever listened to a tube buffer with SS amps?  Much less fuss than a tube amp but you do get warmth.  
I have also gone through the heard with headphone amps and settled on the Woo Audio 5-LE with 1940 tubes, but that is for another discussion.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,472 posts
 
You should have bought tickets to live concerts.
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