Thiel Owners

One of my amps has been shutting off randomly.  I've got a pair of Cambridge 840s I run bridged mono powering my 3.7s.  They're both 10+ years old and are fairly budget oriented made in China products.  I'm on the fence about trying to find someone to fix the problem.  I'm assuming I'll be amp shopping in the next few months.

So, what should I consider?  Should I consider a pair of the Benchmark amps?  That's 6k and knowing me I'm unlikely to spend much more than that, or even that much if I can avoid it.  I want the best performance I can get for the money but also reliability.  There's a pair of Bryston 7B3 for sale somewhat locally and I might stretch the budget a little for something that will be under warranty until I'm retirement age.  On the other hand, a lot of people seem to think the Benchmark amp is something special and I could get a pair of those brand new.  All else being equal I'd rather buy something that runs cool and doesn't waste a lot of electricity.  I definitely prefer buying made in America, or at least something not made by the brutally impoverished.

jon_5912

Much has changed in 10+ years regarding electronics. If you have a local dealer/retailer, start there. If anything it is worth looking over current offerings that will serve as a point of reference. As always, trust your own ears while auditioning the gear! Have fun on the Audio journey.

Happy Listening!

@jafant  On the digital side i will get Aqua Formula xHD + LinQ combo.As for cabling Gryphon VIP speaker and interconnect cables, Audioguest Firebird power cords and Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioner.

Jon, get a purify amp, or an hypex amp if you want to safe some money. Almost as transparent as the benchmark, twice the power, half or less the money. 

For the CS3.7 I have tried the following the past month.

1) CODA CSiB v1 with 150 | 300 at 8 | 4 Ohm. First 18 watt Class A

2) Benchmark AHB2 x 2

3) Currently the Krell K-300i 150 | 300 at 8 | 4 Ohm. First 90 watt Class A

The CODA and Krell are integrateds. They all sound great. The Krell especially nice with AudioMirror Tubadour III SE tube DAC. I have not heard the CODA with the tube DAC yet. I may this weekend unless I sell the CODA by then. The Krell is super smooth sounding with a lot of bass power, more than the other 2.

The Benchmark AHB2 is super clean sounding and I like it a lot and likely how I will listen the most, occasionally switching to the Krell.

These 3 units are not extremely expensive and make the CS3.7 sing.