Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!


I am assuming some of you have experienced the following.... All else being the same in the chain, you replaced a power amplifier and started hearing more resolution and detail, perhaps a lil more in a track that you have heard a thousand times.

Ime, the higher you go up in price doesn't necessarily guarantee that you could experience the above mentioned. It seems to come down to the nitty gritty of the circuits under consideration, i.e., the black art of power delivery and analog circuit design.

What is a power amp you may have experimented with that provided the maximum detail and resolution at any price? (Not just perceived changes in tonal balance, etc).

I am hoping to shortlist a power amp based on some suggestions here for a future purchase.

 

P.S. If you are an ASR type of guy who thinks all power amps sound the same, this may not the right thread for you, I suppose...

deep_333

Maximum detail and resolution = Benchmark AHB2. I was hoping to use them with my Yamaha NS5000 speaker. However, there was a tiny bit of hardness on top that made me look at other options. My system is neutral with only a bit of warmth from my Holo Serene preamp. So, with a warmer DAC or preamp the AHB2 may have worked. I have used the AHB2 with many systems but the NS5000 is the best I have owned, and it showed some deficiencies in the AHB2.

I now use the CODA #16 with these speakers, and it has almost the same amount of detail and resolution as the AHB2 but with a lot of Class A smoothness. There is no hardness on top. I love this amp, and I cannot get myself to sell it, since I would regret it. The new CODA S5.5 maybe a good option for less demanding speakers. I also think the new CODA System 100 (I think) at $30kish could be a killer amp.

I am looking for another amp to use with both the NS5000 and my office speaker, the Magnepan LRS+. I demoed the new SimAudio North Collection 761 which was a detail and resolution champ. It may have been as detailed as the AHB2. I loved the amp, Though I did have a bit of fatigue. I attributed that to the Paradigm Persona 9H speakers, which has a Beryllium tweeter and mid. I think the not bright and very revealing Zylon drivers on my NS5000 would sound amazing with the SimAudio 761.

I also demoed the Luxman M10x amp and remembered how much I loved the older Luxman m900u. I think the M10x is more detailed and better for my needs than the m900u. I think the CODA #16 and the Luxman M10x are rather close in sound. This makes me think the 761 maybe what I get, but that Luxman really gets me into a good place.

Decisions, decisions. Luckily, I am broke for now.

 

I also demoed the Luxman M10x amp and remembered how much I loved the older Luxman m900u. I think the M10x is more detailed and better for my needs than the m900u.

Hmm, good to hear that the M10x is more detailed than the m900u (currently have the latter, wonder what they changed...), i.e., something for the shortlist/within reach. The benchmark is not for me. I bought it, lived with it for a couple of weeks and sent it back. It had a unpleasant that I couldn’t get over.

On a different note, the 70k Aavik class A had an insane amount of detail...but, the 70k is problematic at the moment with 2 kids in college and spouse monitoring the bank accounts like a hawk. AudioGroupDenmark dealers are so greedy!

I guess upto 30k is doable.

I forgot to mention that I also heard the CH Precision top of the line amp with the top end Clarisys speaker. That amp was amazing until I asked the price. over $100k. Not as warm as the CODA #16 and maybe the Luxman. I did not hear the Luxman on the Clarisys. I think the SimAudio was still a bit more detailed but that could have been the Beryllium drivers though the Clarisys ribbon seemed very revealing.

M10 Stereo Power Amplifier - CH Precision (ch-precision.com)

The more I think about it I need to give the SimAudio North Collection another listen.

Bakoon make the highest resolution amplfiers I have  used and heard.They sound extremely natural and pure.Next to them probably CH Precision.At a much greater price.The Bakoons are a relative bargain.