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Integrated amp -- Pass Labs vs Luxman vs McIntosh

I posted a similar query earlier but did not get a lot of responses unfortunately. As mentioned before, my speakers are Sonus Faber Olympica II, currently driven by Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, in a 20x15 dedicated media room. As an aside, I’m already working with GIK acoustics to treat the room. As much as I love the Cronus Magnum II, it’s clearly struggling with the speakers and room dimensions. I have been doing some research and narrowed my choices to the following (Note: mostly looking for used since my budget is $5 - 6k max)

Pass Labs INT-60 -- love the fact that the first 30 watts are all Class A; these don’t come up for sale often though. I’ve heard that these are as close to the tube sound one can get without compromising what makes SS great. I listened to INT-150 a couple of years ago and was really impressed. From what I’ve read, the 60s are clearly a step up in every way. Besides, I’ve always been fascinated by Pass Labs.

Luxman 590AXII -- I have yet to read anything negative about these. I like the fact that they are a class A design. Unfortunately, the only Luxmans I’ve listened to were 20+ years old and did not leave much of an impression (polite to a fault).

McIntosh MA352 -- A friend has the smaller brother, MA252, which I really like but not sure if they have enough juice to drive my speakers. None of the dealers near me carry the MA352 so I have to rely on feedback alone. I like the fact that this is a hybrid.

Another suggestion from a dealer is Naim SuperNait 3, but honestly I don’t know if it competes in the same playground as the aforementioned amps.

My goal is to find a nice balance between the strengths of tubes and SS -- retain good 3D soundstage, instrument separation, midrange magic, but not at the expense of bass and dynamics. I do understand that I cannot expect an SS, regardless of class A or not, to have the same lush, holographic presentation of tube amps, but want something that gets as close as possible.

I would love to listen from owners or people who have heard the amps before. Since I’m buying used, I will not have the opportunity to return them so due diligence is necessary.




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jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
i would suggest what you are really looking for is a big hegel -- if it is indeed the sound that matters... h360 h390 or h590

no affiliation ...
geof3
1,129 posts
 
What jjss49 said. The big Hegel’s really shine!
timlub
2,039 posts
 
If you buy a Coda directly from Coda,  they will bias the amp differently if requested.  It comes in 3 versions, v1 is 400 watts per channel, v2 is 250 watts per channel and v3 is 150 watts per channel.  It is all the same amp, the difference is how the amp is biased to produce more class A output.  
arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,661 posts
 
@erikt You're right, I should have been more clear in my original post. First of all, I want to make sure that I absolutely loved the Cronus Magnum II when it was in my home office driving the Harbeth P3esr's. I had rolled some tubes to tailor it to my liking and was completely satisfied with the sound. Hope nobody interprets this post as a knock on the Cronus Magnum II. In fact, once I get another amplifier for the media room, the Cronus will be back in my home office and stay there for a very long time.

Now, when using the same amp in the media room with the Sonus Fabers, it does get plenty loud, in fact I've never gone above the 11'o clock position on the dial. The issues that I am having (some of them have been mitigated to some extent though, I'll tell you why later) are ...

Bass is not as tight or punchy -- I'm working with GIK acoustics so let's see if that helps. But I can tell the amp does not have as much control on those woofers.

Soundstage depth and imaging -- not as good as I was expecting. Definitely the nice 3D holographic image that I was getting in the study is missing, imaging or placement of instruments is not as precise or locked in. Also, the sound is less fleshed out.

Vocals -- not as centered or forward as before. On some recordings, I expect the singer to be standing a few feet ahead of the rest of the musicians, but right now it's rather 2D. BTW, this is one area where I miss the harbeth sound sooo much!

Refinement -- there is just a general lack of refinement and liquid sound. Instruments suddenly jump at you out of nowhere, and not in a good way if you know what I mean. 

So in summary, it's not necessarily the lack of volume that's bothering me, but all the other aspects that I mentioned above.


arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,661 posts
 
@jjss49 Thanks for the recommendation. I had heard a Hegel (I think it was a 360) a few years ago at someone's house, and felt that it was a bit boring. Of course, that could have been his setup as well. But I've been told that the sound characteristics are quite a bit different than say a Luxman or Mac. I found it to be a bit too neutral for my taste.

The other thing is the looks. I know this is somewhat superficial, and in the ideal world sound should trump everything else. But boy, do they go out of their way to make it look as plain and nondescript as possible. I guess the scandinavian, utilitarian look is not my cup of tea. However, I am going to reach out to my dealer and see if I can arrange a demo (H390) before scratching it off my list.
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