we were a luxman dealer years ago one of the very few integrated amplifiers that could beat it was the coda csib
the csib through a wider soundstage and had a touch better bass and dynamics
Dave and Troy
audio intellect NJ
coda Dealer
Requesting opinions about 4 specific amplifiers
Greetings Audiogon community,
I am requesting your input about four specific amplifiers in a particular price range and how they may, or may not, pair well with my Dynaudio Confidence 20 stand mount speakers.
My room is 20' x 16' and does have wall absorption treatment. I do not listen at high levels, typically in the 75 to mid 85 db territory.
I currently own a Luxman L-509X integrated amplifier, which is probably the best integrated amp I have owned to date. However I am wondering if there is a better amp match for my Dynaudio Confidence 20 speakers, and so am considering moving to separates. My budget for the amp alone is in the preowned $4K to $5K range.
Here are amps I am asking for your input about ;
-Simaudio Moon 860A V1 (Dynaudio dealers seem to endorse Simaudio)
-Pass Labs X150.8
-PS Audio BHK Signature 250 stereo (PS Audio has dropped the price on new amps in their closeout sale)
-Parasound JC 5
I realize there are many, many, amp manufacturers, and that of course if I reach a bit higher I could consider Ayre, or Aesthetix, or Coda, all of which interest me, but seem to stay outside of my budget.
I wish I could side-by-side compare or demo all of these amps, but unfortunately it is not possible. I am looking to your experience to help in any way possible.
Thank you!
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- 64 posts total
@jpipes if you are looking for a touch of magic trying a tube pre with a SS amp, class A sounds like it could be the recipe you are looking for. Pass, Coda, Newer Krell XD all could be a good fit. The Coda CSiB integrated can be biased to different levels of overall watts while putting out the first watts in class A. I had the CSiB in my system, really hard to beat. Krell 300i Integrated was also amazing, Class A first 90 Watts. Also had a Prima Luna Evo 400 Integrated, that’s all Tubes, was good but preferred the CSiB or Krell. I ended up with a Tube Pre and SS Class A amp combo and it’s the sweet spot for me but will be a bit more $$ than an integrated. There are also some great Class D designs out now that have captured some of that tube like magic that are worth a look. Good Luck! |
@mgw-This is helpful, thank you. Is your Simaudio 700i the V1 or V2 version? @audiotroy @mm1tt77-Thank you this good info about Coda. I think I am going to separates but the CSiB seems impressive. @lalitk-Great to learn about Accuphase, thank you. I was unaware they would sound warmer than Luxman. They appear very similar in appearance and in specs. I think a preowned Accuphase may be within my budget. Good to know-thanks. @yyzsantabarbara-Great intel-thank you! The Coda No. 16 looks like a beast! Beyond my budget, but wow what an amazing looking amp. Happy listening! |
I owned the CODA CSib integrated amp and the KRELL K-300i integrated. Both are really good as others have stated. However, separates are better. I tried a lot of preamps (including the CODA 07x) with the KRELL Duo 175XD, CODA #8, CODA #16, and Benchmark AHB2 amps. I found that the best combo for me was the Holo Audio Serene and Benchmark LA4/HPA4 preamps with any of the 4 amps listed above. An added bonus was that they were cheaper than most of the other choices I was considering. My choice was based on the preamp adding very little to the sound since the amps were so good. Only caveat, I may not use either preamp with the SimAudio 860 V2. Not sure if that would work unless the speakers were a bit warm. |
- 64 posts total