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My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.

Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.

Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?

Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.

 It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.

Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.

Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.

Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.

Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.

Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.

My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


128x128jays_audio_lab
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
I am in the middle of other big changes at this time. Something i have been using for quite sometime now might go and something new will replace it. Working on it now!
viber6
2,444 posts
 
Excellent clarity on all the songs with the 725 even with the dark Antileon (relative to Essence) and the euphonic Constellation.  Let's hear the 725 with Essence.  The 725 is likely much clearer than your other preamps, so it takes getting used to.  Probably you would like the 725 + Essence much more than you did before.

Accept the more processed 80's songs, as long as you like the music.  Superior resolution and lack of coloration of the 725 enables appreciation of the good qualities of each recording.  The flaws can be ignored.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
I’m working on the other components that have been here for a week now.
I need another week or two before i begin to transition into new electronics and something else as well that is getting tuned for me right now.
A welcomed vacation is coming for me as well. It’s time to step away from the system for a week to let my ears reset.
I’m a huge believer that time away from the system is just as important. Right now, I’m taking 2 consecutive days off from the gym during the week and now that I’m in my 40s, i have discovered that it helps my joints BIG time to step away from the gym every few weeks or else i get tons of joint pain.
MRI said i have FOUR herniated discs and the doctor doesn’t understand why I’m still able to be mobile other than perhaps because of the muscle mass.
Doctors can be confusing as hell by the way. I got one doctor who tells me to quit the gym and that will help me a ton with the back issues because i won’t be pounding my joints and another doctor that said for me to NOT quit the gym because the muscles are protecting me from "falling apart".
Then i considered back surgery and one doctor said " do it NOW" that you are young, strong, athletic and your recovery time will be faster than most people who don’t work out and then the other doctor said " don’t do anything unless you are miserable. Surgery is your last resort".
This sounds as confusing as when you talk to multiple dealers about a particular brand 😂
viber6
2,444 posts
 
Medical scams are as prevalent as high priced audio scams.  Take it from me--I'm in the medical field and have been through the audio scams as well.  Everyone wants to make money at what they sell.  The honest way to make money is to have the patient's interest foremost, earn their trust, and then attract more patients based on this record.

First, get the proper diagnosis.  Just because the MRI shows herniated discs doesn't mean that the anatomic findings correlate with your pain or other symptoms.  (Sounds familiar--specs on the amp don't have a strict correlation with sound quality).  To establish correlation, see a neurologist, do the nerve conduction velocity and other tests, to see if the abnormalities in the nerve tests correspond to the specific herniated disc.  You have FOUR herniated discs, so how does any doctor know which disc(s) should get surgery?  DO THE NERVE TESTS.  In the old days, a great neurologist would do a careful exam, and establish the correlation without doing the tests.  Today, they do the tests to make more money, although also to more firmly establish the correlation for legal reasons.  The only time surgery for herniated discs is absolutely necessary is if the nerve to the muscle is being pinched and then the muscle is atrophied.  You have to restore strength to the muscle, so you do the surgery.  In the appropriate cases, surgery is dramatically successful and worth the risks.  But the risks are obvious--inadvertent collateral damage, scar tissue years later, etc.

Maintaining muscle strength is important, but it can be done at my moderate level of routine fitness.  At your advanced level, you are pushing the envelope and risk further injury.  

If it is established that the herniated discs are the root cause of your symptoms, there are alternatives to surgery.  First, lose a little weight.  I study your body as carefully as I listen to your videos.  You are well built, but your veins don't show as prominently as compared to pro body builders in the magazines.  So I estimate you could lose about 20 lbs of fat.  Do the body fat analysis at the gym or with a body fat scale you can buy at Bed Bath Beyond, etc.  The goal is 15% for the non athlete or 10% for the advanced body builder.  Second, talk to the orthopedist/sports medicine guy/surgeon about inversion tables.  The table straps you in so you can "stand on your head" which takes the weight off the herniated discs.  Over time, people with routine back pain feel better, but I don't have much experience with people with herniated discs.  Lately, there are commercials for tryTeeter.com.

It is worth seeing holistic MD's or DO's about prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma, stem cells for healing.  Get Dr. David Brownstein's book on "Ozone: The Miracle Therapy."  I met Brownstein in 2008.  He has a chapter on orthopedics and has used ozone to treat several problems ranging from routine back pain to herniated discs.  He practices in Michigan.  You can see him on youtube.

Maybe you will be attracted to smaller lighter amps, like my IceEdge which is arriving Mon.  Sometimes I think that you like heavy amps because they help build your muscles!
wilderness
16 posts
 
Jay, I can't thank you enough for your posts here and for your awesome YouTube videos.  I bookmarked your YouTube channel a few days ago.  I like your enthusiasm as well as your words of caution about system matching and symmetry, etc.  Too many audio reviewers sugar coat everything without being honest about how a component might not work in some systems, but I feel like I can trust you to give helpful advice.

Regarding back pain, I agree with viber61 about the benefits of using inversion tables for some people.   Until last year, I had lower back pain off and on that varied from minor to such severity that I had to crawl on the floor to get around the house.  I have used a Teeter inversion table for the past 12 years and it worked every time to eliminate or substantially reduce back pain. Two or three minutes at full vertical on the Teeter table is all it takes for instant relief of my back pain.  One of the advantages of being retired for the past year is that I have not experienced any back pain.  In your case with your four herniated disks, you should consult a doctor to ask about whether using a Teeter inversion table is safe before you try one.
Surgery is always a risk.  I did not get surgery.  I would weigh the risks of getting surgery versus the risk of not getting it.  And I would try an inversion table if your doctor says it is safe for you.  Massage can also help.  And, yes, watching your weight.  If you can find relief like I did without getting surgery, that would seem to be a safer bet.  Surgery for back pain does not always work, and sometimes it can make things worse.  I am not a doctor and so my suggestions are just those of a fellow traveler.

What about more reps with lighter weights?  And an exercise bike?
There is a cool video series on YouTube about a body builder who switched from weightlifting to resistance bands because of back pain.  He said that one change made a huge difference in reducing his back pain, and he is ripped.
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