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D'agostino amplifiers: where's the beef?

So I've owned two of the classic monster Krell amplifiers from the distant past, the KSA 50 and later the KSA 250.  Both great amplifiers in their time and both collectible for those interested in that kind of stuff.  I'm generally a fan of D'agostino as a consequence.

I'm currently shopping for a new solid state amplifier to pair with potentially new speakers (Wilson or YG or Von Schweikert or Magico or Joseph - long story for another day).

 So recently while auditioning at my local dealer the system was powered by the current D'agostino M400 mono amplifiers.  While the sound was good I couldn't help but notice how TINY the $65K amplifiers were sitting on stands near the speakers.  OK they had nice metal work and were shiny but I couldn't help wonder WHY are these things so expensive?!  Later at home photo's of the insides of these amps on Google led me to wonder even more!!  The power supplies and interior construction in these things are nothing like the monster supplies and parts in the classic Krell's

Plus while the Krell's were expensive in their day (with great sound) the current D'agostino's have absurd pricing, far exceeding inflation.  

Are people spending this kind of money for fancy heat sinks?  Really?

I'd rather have an old Krell and a new Porsche Boxster or C8 Corvette for the same money.

Any one else have similar impressions?
bobbydd
mg012
7 posts
 
There are very good class D amps, but I don't think they will ever sound as natural as a class A amp.  Class A amps are obviously much less efficient.  

CD vs Vinyl is a good analogy to class D vs class A.  Viny offers continuous information, class A uses continuous full bias, but digital music is broken up into bits and class D has variable bias.  Both are solutions to reduce cost and increase efficiency and convenience.  
bailyhill's avatar
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bailyhill
53 posts
 
bobbydd-----"I'd rather have an old Krell and a new Porsche Boxster or C8 Corvette for the same money"

I almost agree with you.  I have a 35 year old Krell KSA-80B factory recapped driving my Apogee Scintilla One Ohms--and a BMW X3 30 e Hybrid.  Feeding them with Roon/Nucleus+ and a Meridian Ultra Dac.  Love them all.
rbodner
52 posts
 
I really enjoy my Concert Fidelity 200 FX monobloc amps
pfrank12
23 posts
 
after having owned many amps, i now run the Dagnostino Momentums and my "sound dreams" are fulfilled. My wife says, finally a piece of equipment that looks as good as it sounds. No regrets here on the cost. I have also found the company to be very responsive to my inquiries.
eziggy
137 posts
 
Let's not forget to factor in the level of R&D that goes into building these things.  Even as simple as a heat sink can take 6-12 months to get right.  If I was to guess (and I could be wrong) the copper used in the chassis is for more than just aesthetics.

Not saying it justifies the price, but if you like the sound, you are not only paying for the obvious parts and labor, you are paying for the process of getting you that sound.  As an example, if it took a manufacturer 3 years to design and develop (time + money) then it is they need to get some sort of return on that investment.  Even though it may seem otherwise, they really don't sell many of these in a year.

That being said, some of the pricing on really high end gear just shatters my mind, especially as it pertains to cables.
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