wolf_garcia > Dennis Had Inspire "Fire Bottle" or "Hot Rod" amps are hand made, sound astonishingly good
blindjim > THX – is he still making stereo or mono amps, or just HP amps?
I am a card carrying member of the “if’n I ain’t gotta pay mo”I don’t and won’t feel bad about it! Club. It is exactly like COSTCO or SAMS, ‘cept different.
I do have to admit this caveat I’ve found often very true, more money invested into amps always equates to increased levels of performance, subjectively speaking and to a point of course.
Less frequently, yet still valid, boutique high end audio amp makers can and do produce and establish immense value into their products by virtue of price considerations. Designing, producing and marketing all done on a ‘cotttage industry’ format.
There’s a perennially inherent argument on price and performance with everything in audio. Even debates on actual validity of certain approaches, or products’ sincerity. Truth, snake oil, or Magic Elixir? Maybe equal parts thereof?
Reputations mean something in audio. It seems to me that they must.
All in all, this thread was generated by these guidelines predominately affixed to cost. Apart from as you stated about Dennis, the $10 to $15K region for amps should put son one right at or a bit into the threshold of less good stuff coming from this point onwards. At least in 2017.
Thanks for the insight on the head Hot Rod amps.
One infrequent and unique situation arises in a lifetime which enables one to reach out and grab more than they ordinarily would be able to grab, perhaps.
So on ‘Rep’ alone, at this particular instance, I’ll reiterate the question to illicit more input on
Which power amp or amps from Shindo, Ayon, Audio Note, or Nagra could you live with indefinitely?