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Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there

I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.

I have sampled so far in order of preference:

-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-

-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?

What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.


I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.

I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.

Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.

Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.





chorus
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,518 posts
 
I'll  chimes in for Luxman class A amps. I've owned a Luxman Class A integrated , I drove some Living Voice Avatar 2 speaker at 94db. Luxman is very well made (picture do not do their gear justice) and they have some interesting features that can be useful. I found their sound to be rather musical with no listener fatigue, Toe taping fun but yet very detailed top to bottom, but not dry lets say a nice touch of warmth but not over done. Over all very nice amps from my experience. I'd try to have a listen see if its something your interested in. 

Only Pass Amps I have ever owned were some older Alfa O's, really older now I suppose, but they were quite nice as well if my memory serves. 
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
3,879 posts
 
Krells New 300 integrated amp is 
Superb ,Their sliding Bias class A circuit is 
very detailed warm,Big soundstaging
and depth with Plenty of power .
$7k retail can get a bit lower ,and made in CT- U.S.A
daveman2's avatar
daveman2
58 posts
 
So, I'll add my $0.02, even though this discussion is already pretty long. I am extremely happy with the Schiit Aegir. It is a champ of an amp (TM) and ridiculously low in cost. Class A, resolving, neutral, and with good power/drive. As a bonus, it has a switch on the front to de-bias the output in a standby mode. It can operate in stereo (single-ended only), or like I'm going to do soon, in mono (balanced only) for roughly double the power output.
celtic66
1,615 posts
 
Aforementioned Luxman and Accuphase are really really good.
bulldogger
262 posts
 
Krell XD. We can debate whether it's true class A but the sound is really special. Dynamics, bass slam and all at the same time not harsh or fatiguing. Make sure you hear Krell XD ; ).
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