I have had a variety of units in recently that are Class D (Rogue, AVM, Canor, NAD) or unspecified with switching power supply (Chord) in case my benchmarks which are a pair of Art Audio Opus 4s which are Class A KT88 based monos.
Each has pros and cons. In terms of pure refinement, The Chord monos I had here were spectacular but are brighter. Tremendous detail and a big soundstage. Superb separation of instruments and one of the most detailed amps I have heard. Speaker pairing is critical and a warmer speaker is required to get the most out of them. With the wrong speakers, you be quite unhappy. The Chord Ultima 6 power amp would be in this range.
I have the C298 here now and have heard the M33. The M33s excellence stems from its room correction like Lyndorf and Anthem. The C298 is a very good sounding amp but is not in the same league as Chord. I have been told it is essentially the same amp module that is in the M33. These are Purifi based.
Canor AI 2.10 has a 6922 based input stage. I spent the afternoon listening to this. It ever so slightly lacks the separation of the much pricier Opus 4s. But it is quiet and dynamic. That being said, I have the crappy stock tubes in and am waiting on options to roll in. I have three pairs on order. This a Hypex module with a tube input stage. For $4k, it is nice.
AVM A5.2 is also Hypex based with a tube input stage. This is a big, powerful amp that is detailed and dynamic. Sounded cold and analytic out of the box but gets warmer and more engaging very quickly. They use a proprietary tube that can’t be rolled but sounds very, very good. This is definitely the closest to my Opus 4s and I am bringing one in. Also is nice because it has optional cards that can be added for DAC, phono stage and FM tuner. At $6500 for the base model, it is in the same league as Chord in terms of price.
Finally, the Rogue Hydra which is also a Hypex module with tube input stage. Relatively inexpensive with a 12AU7 tube used in the input stage. Like the Canor, this falls a hair short in terms of detail and separation of instruments but at $3K???
I hear very good things about the Jeff Rowland amps and I am sure there are others that are incredible.
I am a dealer for Chord, AVM, NAD and Canor. I have no affiliation with Rogue, Langford, Anthem or Jeff Rowland
Each has pros and cons. In terms of pure refinement, The Chord monos I had here were spectacular but are brighter. Tremendous detail and a big soundstage. Superb separation of instruments and one of the most detailed amps I have heard. Speaker pairing is critical and a warmer speaker is required to get the most out of them. With the wrong speakers, you be quite unhappy. The Chord Ultima 6 power amp would be in this range.
I have the C298 here now and have heard the M33. The M33s excellence stems from its room correction like Lyndorf and Anthem. The C298 is a very good sounding amp but is not in the same league as Chord. I have been told it is essentially the same amp module that is in the M33. These are Purifi based.
Canor AI 2.10 has a 6922 based input stage. I spent the afternoon listening to this. It ever so slightly lacks the separation of the much pricier Opus 4s. But it is quiet and dynamic. That being said, I have the crappy stock tubes in and am waiting on options to roll in. I have three pairs on order. This a Hypex module with a tube input stage. For $4k, it is nice.
AVM A5.2 is also Hypex based with a tube input stage. This is a big, powerful amp that is detailed and dynamic. Sounded cold and analytic out of the box but gets warmer and more engaging very quickly. They use a proprietary tube that can’t be rolled but sounds very, very good. This is definitely the closest to my Opus 4s and I am bringing one in. Also is nice because it has optional cards that can be added for DAC, phono stage and FM tuner. At $6500 for the base model, it is in the same league as Chord in terms of price.
Finally, the Rogue Hydra which is also a Hypex module with tube input stage. Relatively inexpensive with a 12AU7 tube used in the input stage. Like the Canor, this falls a hair short in terms of detail and separation of instruments but at $3K???
I hear very good things about the Jeff Rowland amps and I am sure there are others that are incredible.
I am a dealer for Chord, AVM, NAD and Canor. I have no affiliation with Rogue, Langford, Anthem or Jeff Rowland