Old Amps that can still Kick Butt

Eastern Electric Minimax Tube DAC Supreme.


Maybe that's the secret, color the sound of the class D amp with a tube dac.

invalid, that’s not a bad guess, but actually the amp has revamped the sound quality of the DAC. I have been using the DAC with numerous amps for years. This amp has elevated the DACs performance, as it has the other DACs I have used.

BTW, for better performance, the tube has been removed from the DAC. That was a trick learned long ago when the DAC first came out. Rolling discrete opamps has elevated the sound quality.  :)

I don’t know how to do those fancy looking things to include ones comments, but to answer what knotscott said:

“It’s been fun reading through this thread and seeing some blasts from the past. 

I built a DH500 from a kit in 1985, then moved on to a New York Audio Labs Moscode 300 about 2 years later (that one’s a bit obscure, and was surprised to see it mentioned! I actually got to meet Harvey Rosenberg...a very colorful and interesting character, as so many of these high-end entrepreneurs are!). My next amp was a Distech LS-2 based on the B&K ST-140. Ironically, I just picked up one of the last of the B&K ST-140s for my son as a graduation gift....he’s gonna love it!”

He sure will!!! - Still one of the best sounding amps, IMHO.  I’ve owned about 3-4 ST140’s (always the early ones with silver handles) over the last 35 years & an EX442 Sonata.  I had a chance to get a rare mint dual mono EX140 but ended up not going for it because I didn’t want to drive 2.5 hours to pick it up.

I also met Harvey Rosenberg years ago, he MC’d Stereophile’s Single Ended Symposium in Philadelphia in the mid 90’s and was the first time I heard SET amps! Was completely blown away!  Met many other amp designers & magazine reviewers that day as well.

I also remember the Distech amp, never heard one, but heard they were quite special.  Back in the mid/late 80’s & 90’s, Stereo Trading Outlet in suburban Philadelphia was like a museum of high end rare audiophile gear and I purchased many things there.

I heard a VSP Labs TransMos 150 that was very special and auditioned an Acoustst TNT120 that was also pretty special.  
I read and owned tons of hi end magazines and read lots of reviews of gear that I would never have a chance to listen to.  Recently turning 60, and in this hobby almost 40 years, including selling it for a couple years @ retail in the early 90’s, my favorite era of gear is the 80’s, although, I dig it all.

The nostalgia of some of the older gear is very fun too.... a good friend recently acquired a bunch of classic tube gear as part of an estate (Dyna, Fisher, Scott, Sherwood - all museum quality, a few pieces heavily molded and done well) and this was his first introduction into tubes.  The classic gear is just super pleasing sounding, nothing like it and nothing will ever surpass it either, despite what someone above has said about class D stuff.

I’ve heard lots of class D chip amps and have owned close to a dozen different pieces and while they can be very good, to my ears, they all tend to sound a little dry and all need a tube preamp in front of them to make them shine - but it’s all about system synergy, so in the right setting, with the right gear, they definitely have their place, no doubt.

some old speaker designs, with paper woofers, alnico magnets, peerless tweeters just sound warm and extremely listenable too...

.... JUST ENJOY THE JOURNEY ...


BTW, RODMAN - I’ve never owned a Moscode 300, always wanted one though...Counterpoint & Perreaux gear too :) 

Not sure what to make of this; the Rowland website shows the 925 production suspended. This amp is 8 years old and seems to not be continuing. I suggest that under those circumstances it is not a great candidate to assess current class D offerings. 

If the listening experience is from at least 3 or more years ago, then I submit that it does not represent what is happening currently in class D design. I have worked with perhaps 3 previous generations of  class D, and this one is unlike the others, holistically superior. The others were no threat to SET, A, or A/B. This one supersedes them. 

You know how the updated Terminator kept coming back better and better. That's class D. This time, it wins.  

Some class D amps can sound good, but there is just something missing in the sound for my tastes.