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Plinius SA-250 or Mark Levinson/Krell/Mc

I'm about to place my dollar on a new Plinius SA-250 MKIV and now having a second thought. I'm planning to upgrade my speaker to B&W 802. Is Plinius in the same league as Mark Levinson/Krell or McIntosh? Will I be getting the same sonic quality/sound stage as the big league equipment? Should I save my money and go for a used ML/Krell or Mac instead? Please help.
patrick123
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
The Plinius SA-250 is an amp built to do a particular job, that is drive and flesh out a difficult speaker. For example the Plinius sounds just wonderful in combination with the big Thiel speakers. But I have also heard the Plinius SA-100 beat the SA-250 on "easier" speakers and with my Martin Logans the SA-250 sounded awful - overweight, coloured and slow. This is not an amp I would buy unheard. To use an analogy, the SA-250 is like a big V8. If the car needs a V8 to really move it, then a V8 is needed. But it ain't the right thing to throw into a mid-engine sports car. Sure it will go fast and even be exhilerating but it will be tiresome to drive. Sorry, but this is the best I can do to explain what I have heard. Now the 802 is a "car" that needs a "V8". I have heard this combination and it sounded pretty good to me, but the combination of SA-250 and Thiel 3.6 sounded even better. Hope this helps.
adamanteus
80 posts
 
Patrick,

Just as others have suggested, the only way to get an accurate reading on this is to bring each of the contemplated units INTO your listening room and use it driven by your electronics and driving your speakers. Specs, opinions, cult status, any of that stuff is meaningless for your purposes. My local dealer will allow auditions; there are many better shops that will do the same. Remember, you have to live with this critter. Take your time. It's a bit tedious, but will pay dividends over the long haul. Unless of course you're one of the component-of-the-month club. Me, I like to find what I like and stay with it. YMMV.

(Hey, Redkiwi... you utter blasphemy, man. A New Zealander criticizing Plinius? The horror, the horror! ;>) Plinius is great stuff, but as you point out it doesn't work in every situation.
thorman
1,262 posts
 
One of the things you should consider is to get a loaner from this dealer and try a home demo. most good dealers today,especially with expensive gear should be able to lend you a loaner for a weekend.If they refuse move on to another dealer. If its private party ask for a home demo also! Good luck
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