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which amp to upgrade my Levinson 383/39/WattPuppy6

hi,

i have a Mark Levinson 383 integrated, 39 CD proc, Wilson Watt Puppy 6, Transparent cable setup. my room is not is a fair size (22'x16' w/14' ceilings), but minimal rugs and lots of windows without curtains. the sound in this room tends to be on the bright side with all of the windows and no sound treatments.

even with the Levinsons, the sound feels a bit forward, almost bright sometimes, and i'm not getting enough "weight" in the bass (i seem to lose a lot under 30hz). assuming i can't do much with the room, what is the best way to help improve the sound. especially in the bass area. if i add a multi-hundred watt stereo or even mono-block amp, will this improve?

i prefer solid state over tubes, and mostly listen to standard cd's, mostly jazz, classical, house/trance.

i've been considering upgrading my amp (using the pre-amp in either the 383 or even 39) to a Krell FPB series, Classe CA-M400, Parasound JC 1, or Pass Labs 350. am i on the right track or should i be considering something else?

thanks in advance!

h
henrus
woodburger's avatar
woodburger
143 posts
 
RUN to the NuForce site and order the Ref9s. You will find exactly what you lack. You will also have 30 days if it isn't right.

I have WP7s in a room approximately your size. NuForces gave me weight and dynamics I didn't think I could get! Boy, are you in for a surprise!

And for god's sake, get a rug!

Bob Wood
http://www.GreatHomeTheater.com
netexpress
7 posts
 
Henrus,

I like the suggestions so far: Halcro, McCormack, BAT, Nuforce. All really great options.

I have Watt Puppies too and about the same room as you. I think the suggestion that the 383 isn't going to cut it is correct. It's got to go.

I was driving my puppies with a FPB200 200W Krell and the sound was decent. It doesn't take much power really to handle the puppies - they are pretty sensitive. Just use a good separate amp. All the ones above are great.

However, Pass Labs just released the new X-0.5 series which sound a lot like the XA series but faster and with more power. I took a chance and bought the new X-250.5 and it is the best amp I have heard to date. With the puppies it is perfection. Be careful though because the older non-.5 models do not sound anything like this. Get the new .5 models. They are from another world. At 250W the meter shows I'm only pulling about ~23% of the max power out of the X-250.5 even all loudest volume I can handle. So I've got plenty.

It you want to buy my old Krell I'd probably sell it at this point. It'll take care of the bass problem you have. But I wouldn't suggest it. The X-250.5 is really the bomb.
henrus OP
12 posts
 
what a cool site. only here will you find not just one but 2 or 3 other guys with similar equipment. too fun. thanks everyone for the suggestions. i will try to audition them all (assuming the dealer will comply and carry. :>)
jc51373
523 posts
 
Oh my stars....If you went to a a Full Peanut Butter (FPB), you would really hear a difference in that system. Or any of the ML amps.
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