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My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.

Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.

Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?

Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.

 It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.

Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.

Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.

Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.

Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.

Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.

My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


128x128jays_audio_lab
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Speaking of prescription glasses:

About 2 months ago i started to get crazy pain on my left and and on my forehead. I have never ever suffered from migraines or headaches in my life. I went to the Ophthalmologist a month ago and they ran all sorts of tests on my eyes and said my left eye was dry and had elevated eye pressure. They gave me prescription glasses with a blue filter. He said that he thinks this is due to the fact that i am behind a computer, phone or television for too long. The pandemic is making many of us use digital devices all day long since we are home and that has an effect called "digital migraines". I also think the LED lights i have in my room are not good for me because i catch myself squinting without even realizing it.
This also made me nauseous and/or dizzy at times. I think i got it under control, but i suspect this whole pandemic and working from home under LED lights all day, looking at my phone to respond to messages, watching youtube, Netflix, etc, etc has not helped me over the last 3 months. Stress is also another huge factor, alcohol (you all know i love my vodka and tequila here and there) are also not good for this. If i get irritated about something, it is as if someone just punched me on my left eye and i slowly start to feel the throb or pain little by little.
Man i am getting older !! it sucks!!

grey9hound
1,112 posts
 
WCSS
LEDs Effect on Light Sensitivity and Migraine

The neurological effects of LED lighting remain in question, but there continues to be emerging research in the area. Recently, a French health report acknowledged that intense exposure to the blue light specifically in LEDs can lead to eye damage and natural sleep disturbances. This is consistent with other data that shows blue wavelengths can contribute to the onset of migraine attacks, headaches, eye strain and other symptoms.1,2

Experts were quick to note, however, that these findings do not necessarily extend to our regular exposure to lower-brightness sources—such as smartphone use—although it can produce a cumulative effect over time. That said, they did warn that the strobe-like flickering of some LEDs can absolutely lead to headaches and visual complications. This is supported by other research which indicates that LED-lit LCD devices are more likely to lead to visual symptoms ranging from difficulty refocusing to eye strain and bright light sensitivity. This was especially worsened for those who read on their smartphone in the dark.3

Recently, researchers found that LED exposure—specifically based on color—leads to higher rates of headache and migraine symptoms (including photophobia), giving better insight into the origin of light sensitivity within the eye itself.4 While it is unclear exactly why LED lighting triggers these issues, its inherent properties are believed to play a role.

Another offensive source of LEDs are car lights. Their relative brightness, particularly on darkened roads, can negatively affect people without a chronic headache disorder; and they can be especially brutal for those prone to light-sensitive headaches or migraine attacks. Glare, and any pain or discomfort produced by it, can also be an unpleasant side effect of LED exposure on the road.5,6 As a result, it should be no surprise that LED headlights on vehicles are one of the biggest sources for painful light sensitivity at night.

LED Lighting Versus Fluorescent Lighting

We know that both LEDs and fluorescent lights can cause visual, headache and migraine symptoms. In addition to the high proportion of blue light wavelengths, these issues are likely a direct result of the rapid flicker they both emit. Even more surprising is that this flickering may be more prominent in LED sources, particularly at brightness levels less than 100 percent. This occurs because LEDs can only be completely on or completely off, so they have to produce the flicker in order to simulate these dimmer settings.

Arnold Wilkins—one of the leading researchers on lighting and health—has stated that LED bulbs switch on and off hundreds of times per second. This can lead to symptoms of eye movement dysfunction, double vision, headache, dizziness and the feeling of being unwell, all within 20 minutes of exposure! And these effects may be more severe when compared with fluorescent lights. Moreover, people with persistent post-concussion migraine report greater aggravation of their symptoms to LED and LCD displays, including head pain and photophobia.7

In a more direct comparison, certain colors of LED light has been shown to yield fewer negative effects than conventional fluorescents, but more research is needed to verify these findings.8 As a result, the jury is still out regarding whether or not LEDs or fluorescents are worse for people with migraine, light sensitivity or other chronic disorders.

Type and Color of LED Lighting Matters

With new technology often comes new features. This is especially true in the development of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) found within many newer devices. Instead of using a backlight, each pixel in an OLED screen produces their own light. And this may change how our brains interpret that light; a small study showed a reduction in the number of “headache days” and corresponding emotional symptoms for migraine patients in environments with this type of lighting versus standard LEDs.9 As a result, this also likely reduces the frequency of episodes of light sensitivity and photophobia.

The color of light also matters. As we showed previously, blue light remains a central component of LEDs and continues to be a primary culprit for worsening migraine attacks and sensitivity to light. In addition, red- and white-colored LED lighting also activate areas of the brain that are suspected of producing photophobic and migraine pain. Curiously, green lighting may be the least likely to instigate migraine attacks, but more investigation is needed to determine if any practical applications exist for patients.4 And remember: the color that you see does not necessarily reflect the amount of blue wavelengths you absorb; in fact, cold, white LEDs have the highest concentration of blue light even though they do not directly appear as blue to the eye.


jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
@grey9hound 
thank you for this man. i did read something about LEDs being horrible for your eyes over extended periods of time. As you know, in my room my overhead lights are LEDs...  
grey9hound
1,112 posts
 
WCSS ,
If they are LED bulbs , you can change them to Incandescent.  Incandescent bulbs dim better (dim lower) anyway. If they are led strips , you may not have an option.
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