40+ watts SET, cost is not a problem

I purchased the NAT Audio Magma M mono block amps from OCD Mikey in Atlanta. They are SET and have two power settings, 50 WPC and 130 WPC. Mikey demoed them with the TAD bookshelf speakers and The TAD’s sounded really great! After hearing them together, Mikey and I both said we could have lived with that combination in our final rig.

I had the NAT Audio 805 Generators previously. They are also SET and push/pull. As awesome as those amps sounded, the Magma M’s are on another level! Just incredible! They’re definitely the last amps I’ll ever buy for the main rig!

The synergy with the TAD’s was really good but the synergy with Magico A3’s really blew me away, the match up is tremendous. Over the last three years, I’ve tried about 8-9 amps with the A3’s.

The comparison between the TAD’s I heard at Mikey’s place and my Magico A3’s is not a fair match up of speaker type. As I said before, had I owned the TAD’s and not the Magico’s, I wouldn’t be looking to replace the speakers after hearing them with the NAT Audio Magma M’s!

NAT Audio is still kind of a secret and good value in the hifi world. However, that is starting to change. I spoke with Mikey the other day and he told me that NAT is discontinuing the Magma New mono blocks. That model was one level above the Magma M’s and retailed for 40k. Mikey said NAT is coming out with a new SET mono block amplifier. It will be called the Magma EVO and the retail price will be 96k per pair.

There are pictures of both the NAT Audio Generators and Magma M’s in my virtual system.

I highly recommend consulting with Mike Powell (OCD Miley). He is a straight shooter that cares very much about his clients. He bends over backward to make things right if a problem arises with the gear he sells. He shares his honest opinion of what gear works well together and if that hurts feelings, so be it. I appreciate his honesty because I just want great sonics and if that means changing gear around to get there, that’s what I was willing to do.

I am not a tube amp expert.  I am being inundated with Upscale Audio ads.  I just saw a Western Electric integrated.  Has to be special ordered, so that could be a problem.  20W, 49 lbs.300B made in USA at their plant.  Sorry if I'm not on target, but this is a nice looking amp.

Email Paul at Bottlehead.  pb@bottlehead.com
he can build you a SET with any power you want. 
he built me 33 watt per channel 838 monoblocks. 
He just finished a pair of 88 watt 833 tube amps. 
I listened to them the other day. They sounded amazing. I have a pair of 450tl tubes he said that he would be able to make a pair of SET amps that would put out 200 watts per channel. 
I’ll probably start ordering parts slowly and have him build me a pair.

 

I have not heard the new WE amp myself.  But, an old-school Western Electric fan who knows a lot about amps did hear it and thought it sounded quite bad.  You must hear it for yourself. 

As for non-SET alternatives, I mentioned the Italian brand Synthesis.  I have no idea about the specific topology, but, I do think that they sound good.  At a local dealership, a shockingly expensive array of amps have been traded in favor of much cheaper Synthesis amps, including Jadis and Audio Note amps that cost more than twice the price.  There are custom builders that probably can make something that would fit your requirements, such as Aric Audio and Don Sachs.

Although some Atmasphere output transformerless (OTL) amps are voice a little bit leaner than my personal preference, they make wonderful sounding amps--extremely lively and immediate sounding without being harsh or analytical.  I liked the MA-2 model I heard.  But, because they don't have output transformers, they tend to have a high source impedance that may not work well with low impedance speakers so you should consult with them.  Every serious listener should at least experience the sound of a good OTL amp even if they don't ultimately fit one's bill.