2. amps-preamps
  3. 154622-79898

Why No Love For Peachtree Audio?

I am running a Peachtree Audio Grand Integrated X-1 (Class D 440W at 8 ohms) amp through Joseph Audio Profile floorstanding speakers.  I realize that this is not "high end" but it sounds pretty darn good and the connectivity of this amp can't be beat.  It has inputs for usb, toslink optical, coax digital and rca plugs. There is a home theater by-pass (though I only run it as a two-channel set up) and other common goodies. The DAC, while maybe not state of the art, is as good as many others touted on this forum.  I use this set up in the living room as our all-around stereo for music and tv (not a dedicated listening room) and it suits that purpose quite well. The original MAP at over $4k was optimistic, but a good used one can be picked up for well under $2k. At that price it is a bargain.

Why are there no good words for Peachtree Audio products on this forum.  It almost seems like that brand is held in disdain here.  What's up with that?
larstusor
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
I once had a Nova150.  While the connectivity options were nice I never could get past its dry brittle sound to my ears.  It looked nice but felt cheaply made to me and the volume control was the most annoying uncompromising design ever.  
big_greg
6,647 posts
 
I owned a Grand Integrated X-1 and it was a beast.  The tube buffer was a bit hokey, it didn't seem to do much, but it was a good looking unit that sounded great and had tons of power. 

I currently have a Peachtree 300 in my office system.  It has a really good DAC and a decent phono stage and headphone amp, doesn't take up much space, and I like the looks.  I did struggle with its sound for a long time, it always seemed a little rolled off on the top end and didn't give me quite the detail I would have liked until I mated it up with Focal Electra 1008 BE speakers.  That seems to be a really good match and I spend more time listening to that system than any other, although it's usually at fairly low volume as background music.  If I find myself working late and want to rock out at the end of the day, it'll do the job just fine.
jbhiller's avatar
jbhiller
1,437 posts
 
I owned a Peachtree Nova 300. It was a lovely amp. 
I wish other makers would pay attention to the case and layout of Peachtree. Just beautiful and it’s a piece of design for the living room. High WAF. 
The DACs and phono stages in them are great for the money. The overall sound, to me, was good but a bit thin and distortion free-I don’t typically love class D that measures distortion free.   In the end I needed more body to the music.  I also had an NAD M22 which sounded similar to the Tree. Very clean and detailed yet thin. I like a bit of meat with air on top-even if it had more distortion. 
larstusor OP
59 posts
 
I had to have the manufacturer replace the volume control which has since worked flawlessly.  I don't notice any thinness and certainly no brittleness in my system. Perhaps it's the JA Profile speakers beefing up and smoothing out the sound.
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
I am big fan of JA speakers and I suspect they certainly improve your sound but in the end I've found Class D just doesn't work for me - at least not in most cases.  I've since moved on to Class A amps (both tube and SS) and love their qualities for my listening tastes. We all have different tastes. 
More to discover