2. amps-preamps
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Need help in deciding

Haven't posted in awhile but need some suggestions to upgrade amplifiers and to add a preamp with home theater bypass to my HT system.Thought is to upgrade the two channel performance for this system.

Current amps are five Nuforce Ref 8B's. Should I upgrade them to the latest version or look for an amp to drive my Sonus Faber Grand Piano Homes with matching center and surrounds??

Current pre processor is the Classe SSP 60 which is fine for home theater but not for two channel. What would you suggest??

Budget for preamp and two channel amp would be 5K total. Upgrade cost for Nuforce amps is 3K for a reference.

All suggestions welcome.
hiflyer
vicdamone
850 posts
 
+1 wow, some excellent suggestions.

Regarding your NuForce amplifiers. The suggestion to hold on to them for now and become familiar with a new preamp is good advise. I upgraded from version 1 SEs to version 3. While the upgrade was audible It made me realized I wanted to go back go tubes.

Am I assuming correctly that you want your two channel to sound all it can be yet still have it play its part as the left and right channels of your HT system?
hiflyer OP
99 posts
 
John,

Thank you for the update on both units.Like I stated I have used the AI Modulus 3 along with Clayton M 70's and Martin Logan Requests and the sound was magical. The music jumped out at you and the horns were vivid and live sounding. Miss that combination.... The Cary unit definitely is an option.

Glenn
hiflyer OP
99 posts
 
Zd542,

Thank you for the information on the Aesthetix Calypso. I will do my homework and compare it to the Cary unit. Which CJ unit would you recommend? Have never used CJ equipment and have thought about trying their amps.

The Nuforce amps are fine for HT but I find them a little too analytical for two channel. But will purchase the pre first and see if it helps.

Glenn
hiflyer OP
99 posts
 
Vicdamone,

Agree on waiting until I purchase the preamp. What tube amp did you eventually change to? I have never owned a tube amp but would not rule it out especially with Sonus Fabers. The Clayton amp is by far the best I have owned and is my first choice at this point. There is something so right about this amp compared to all others that I have tried. And boy that has been alot!! Open to suggestions to pre and amp combos that have worked together like the AI and Clayton amp.

Glenn
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Glenn, great amps! I owned a pair of the Clayton M-100's, and I thought they were about the best SS amps I've ever heard. Wilson Shen and Stan Klyne are two SS designers that seem to have figured out how to do it right. :)

As for Zd542's reco's, yes, any CJ tube preamp will fall into the musical sound that you are looking for too. I am just not aware of a CJ model that has a HT bypass. If there is one, it should also be on your list.
The Aesthetix Calypso is more on the transparent side of the fence, with preamps like ARC and VAC. These are all good preamps in the right system, but since you responded that you were looking more for musicality than transparency, that's why I did not mention the Calypso. Also, you may not be able to get one for under $2K.
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