2. amps-preamps
  3. 166469-161155

Pure analog system with high power

Dear Hifi lovers, I introduce myself, I'm new to this forum. 
I need your marvellous experience in order to choose my next gear. I currently have a Rega Brio amp driving a pair of Wharfedale Evo 4.2 and I'm looking for a big step up, starting for now from the amp.
I am a vinyl lover, I basically play just lps. I also added a Rega Aria phono stage.
Now what I'm looking for is a kind of purist's solution, don't need to pay for dacs, or particolar digital inputs or functions. I want an integrated, or separated amp+pre is also well appreciated, capable of at least 150W in 8 ohm / 250W in 4 ohm as sooner or later I'll buy for sure some Magnepans, maybe the .7, or anyway some Harbeth's. My aim is to get the best money value for my purpouses, that's why I was mentioning a pure analogue solution. Anyway I accept also recommendations based on gears with dacs or digital inputs as that's the market now. Prefer new stuff but also used is fine. Budget is around 3.500/4.000 dollars. Thanks in advance to all people willing to share some knowledge and sorry if something wasn't clear, you can ask me any kind of questions!
adversam
alexleatham
8 posts
 
Make sure you are able to try the Maggies before you buy.  I had some in what I thought was a great room and they never did work.  I had oodles of Macintosh power but never achieved the sound I wished for.  
Harbeth will likely be good in most any situation.
For lower dollar and high power Parasound is the best in class.
I've been there and done all that.  Now I'm headed in the opposite direction.  Extremely efficient speakers on very low watt (4 watts per channel) SE Tube Triode power.  
It's all fun! 
terry9
2,354 posts
 
Bryston is bullet proof and reasonably close to state of the art. 20 year warrantee.

Now for the good news. Bryston has a trade-in program. Trade-ins are reconditioned, retested, and resold by Bryston, with a 5 year warrantee. I just picked up my 4th unit for an amazing power plant for a couple of subs.

Ask the VP, James Tanner for his advice. He's very helpful.
terry9
2,354 posts
 
By the way, Bryston plus Magnepan is a marriage made in heaven. My personal experience. Currently in use in my HT.

Audition Magnepan before you buy - I think it's a great sound, and by far the best for the buck - but not everyone likes it - don't understand that myself, but I know it's true. 
rfnoise
153 posts
 
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisaa60f-legacy-audio-ultra-high-current-amp-coda-ls96-ls200-pass-solid-state

1st 50w class A sliding into class A/B  250w 8ohm 400w 4ohm. Tons of current (50a). Sounds amazing. Bought one of these in lieu of a Bryston 4b sst2.
ghdprentice
7,241 posts
 
I have auditioned Maggie’s many times... they sound great with lots of good clean and natural power. But I have never bought them even though I have owned other ribbon and planar speakers. Then when I started attending the symphony moved to traditional speakers and found that although certain recording sounded not quit as magical, overall all music types started sounding much better. Overall, the musicality and fidelity has increased in my systems using traditional speaker system. But it depends on what kind of sound you value and what kind of music you listen to. For instance if I listened primarily to rock, I would have a McIntosh / B&W speaker system. If I valued holographic I would have a  Rowland / Wilson speaker. But I value highly detailed,  warm, natural, large sound stage presentation, so I have Audio Research / Sonus Faber speaker system.
More to discover