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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
decooney
2,086 posts
 
@aldoallen
.. I can’t think of anything sound wise I would change but it is definitely not audio jewelry. Just a plain black box...

aldoallen,
Congrats. It is unique black box. Not like most other 10w amps. My colleagues ZOTL displaced a former Cary -and- Dennis Had Inspire amp (all stock, unmodified) yet he does like detail and fast punch over lush-plush-bloom triode tube sound. And, to read yours displaced a Coda 10.R SS with the first 25w in Class A - is notable. Synergy with speakers is everything. Glad u found it for your ears and prefernce. :)
Ag insider logo xs@2x
greginnh
382 posts
 
Keep your eyes peeled for a used Luxman L-590 AX II. Probably the best value on the planet. As for Accuphase have owned three of them, an E-470,  E-600 and now own the E-800 (the last two are Class A.

If if I had to select one integrated for dollar for dollar value, it would be the Luxman. It does everything so well and the specs are way understated.
lowtubes
103 posts
 
Chorus, 
       I gave you 2 excellent choices to go with. Threshold SA series or T series. I happen to not like Solid State as much as tube amps because tubes sound more like music compared to SS. The 2 amps I’m recommending are tube-like sound and extremely good. When I say good, I mean outstanding. Just so you get an idea of where I’m coming from. Your mid level cables should be fine-to-perfect. I like some other amps mentioned but what I like to see in a solid state amp is simplicity and built solid. I know of other amps that sound fantastic too but are built very complex with a ton of internal parts. I feel that the simple, well made SS are my favorites and most reliable. Also, I’m bias that I highly prefer class A amps. If I were you I would not discount older class A amps, 20+ yrs. Some of these are beast and will out live you and me and the next generation. Some just require new power caps and they are good for another 30yrs. The 1st thing I listen for in a SS amp, is it musical and transparent.  Next, does it have detail. Is it refined and does the music flow. Resolution, imaging, soundstaging, etc. I go down the line. If it passes all the things that matter to me, then I feel it’s a killer piece and it’s for me.  You happen to be fortunate that your speaker do not need a lot of power.  Try a Threshold T-100, or T-50.  
I

decooney
2,086 posts
 
@chorus

Are the INT-25 and XA25 still in the running?

Different amps, but also wondering if you already reviewed the INT-60 too... or heard one in person somewhere.  
joshfilm
70 posts
 
The previous generation Luxman m-600 and m-800 (all class A 30w and 60w respectively) had something that even the newer generation models don’t have in terms of thick class A signature sound and tons of current to punch way above their weight. Might be worth looking into whether they are a good match for your speakers. I compared them to all the Luxman integrateds and preferred them by a significant margin (though they are more similar than different). They also run nicely as monoblocks.
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