Personal amp evolution

Updated yet again:

1980 - Akai something-or-other
1984 - Naim Nait (the first version)
1985 - Musical Fidelity A1
1986 - Cyrus II/PSX
1994 - SimAudio 4070
2003 - Sugden Au51P
2003 - KR18 BSI
2003 - Coincident MP300B
2003 - Wavelength Triton Blue
2004 - deHavilland Aries 845G
2004 - Canary CA-339
2005 - Audion Silver Night PX25
2005 - Tom Evans Audio Design Linear A

With the Linear A I may be done for a while. Mated to sensitive speakers it's the answer to a SET-lover's dreams - all the SET liquidity, harmonic richness and natural midrange coupled with a level of microdynamics, extension, imaging, resolution, transparency, palpability, air and impact that is unequalled in my experience. Not bad for a 25 wpc amp that uses 4 EL84s per side, driven by op-amps. Within its power envelope it's hard to imagine better performance.

spanning nearly 30 years...
- Pioneer receiver
- Hafler DH200
- Bryston 3B
- Levinson 331
- McCormack DNA-500

The McCormack is just amazing and ain't going anywhere soon.

These are my personal amps, in order of purchase starting in 1971. I think it is a fairly short list for 35 years. The amps I still have are marked with an asterisk. Dynaco Stereo 120, Harmon Kardon Citation 12, Dynaco Stereo 400, Phase Linear 700B, Phase Linear 400, Dynaco SCA35*, Dynaco Stereo 70*, Audio Research D51*, Audio Research D75, Dynaco Stereo 35*, Berning EA2-30*, Berning Personal Amp*, Berning EA2-150, Tact 2150x*.

Pioneer ('72)
McIntosh (@'75)
Yamaha ('79)
McIntosh (@'83)+ Yamaha vintage-1979
Krell (@'85)+ Yamaha vintage-1979
Yamaha vintage-1979
Yamaha vintage-1979 + acurus('96) + adcom ('96)
Yamaha vintage-1979 (today. it's been a keeper)

all solid state

Pioneer SX-450 (receiver) 1978
Hitachi (receiver) 1983
NEC (receiver) 1991
Denon AVR-1000 (receiver) 1994
Marantz SR-7200 (receiver) 2004
McIntosh MC2100 (amp) 2004
next? McIntosh MC252 2006