Conrad Johnson Premier 350! |
Have you thought about any class-A amps? That would be my choice. |
On my short list to demo in that range would be Pass Labs X250.5 and Plinius SB300. I'd like to get the SB301, but they go for $8K new, and I haven't seen used up for sale yet. Maybe you could get deal for a new one?? When business is slow people tend to take less margin than usual. If I was a dealer and could make an easy grand on a sale I'd take it. |
Rowland 501 monoblocks, used. |
Ayre V-5xe or Ayre V-1xe; any of the big Pass amps.
There are a set of BAT VK-1000 monoblocks for sale now-I'd think about those, in addition to the VK-220 & VK-250.
Owned both Ayre pieces, currently have the VK-200, which is in the same family as VK-1000 & have listened extensively to the VK-220 (w/BAT pack) and have listened extensively to a Pass 350. |
I had the Ayre V-1XE and did a home audition of the Pass 350.5. I preferred the Ayre. But the Pass was also nice.
Should be able to find one used in your price range. |
how many watts do you need? If 30 is enough, I doubt there is any ss better than Pass XA30.5 or used XA60s. Although Ayre would certainly be on my short list. |
There are some Cary mb500's for sale in your price range (used). I love mine and they will drive anything. I had Rowland monos before and wasn't happy with class d.
The Ayre is nice but monoblocks are so good at so many things...
Can't go wrong with Pass either. The 250.5 or 350.5 will not disappoint. |
cj, mccormack, mac, krell |
Like others have stated, I would also suggest you consider either an Ayre v-1xe or Ayre v-5xe. |
Garebear, have enough feedback? |
Why do you ask Pubul57...if I have enough Feedback ??? Never....the more choices the better |
Well, I think at this point there will not be a narrowing down, assuming that is what you want to do. In the realm of SS, it is pretty hard to beat Pass, Ayre, SIM, and Plinius in your price range, though beyond on that there are certainly some additional good choices, namely Symphonic Line and Dartzeel. So I guess my question is, do the lines mentioned seem like good choices for you, is it helping you narrow down to 2-3 worth considering? It will not suprise me if you hear Pass and Ayre mentioned, alot. Don't know your speakers, but I suppose if you needed a lot of power in theprice range, Bryston and McCormack might also be worth consideration. |
Personally, if I were looking for some SS in this price range I'd try to find a Plinius SA-250 mk IV amp and just forget about it. If looking for a more current model, I second the Cary MB-500 monoblocks. Either amp should drive your Avalon's with ease.
Cheers,
John |
Classe makes a fine amp for 5k |
My vote is to pick up a used McCormack DNA-500 and never look back....... 500w/channel into 8 ohms; 800w/ch into 4 ohms. Plenty of power, great detail, transparency, musicality, etc. Just a really great amp. ALthough I've switched to tubes, I will probably never sell my DNA-500. I'm pretty sure the many other 500 owners will echo my sentiments. Worth hearing before you make a decision, if possible. |
Hello, I've listen my v-1x with a pari of Avalon monitor and sound is great. I've already listen it with a pair of Avalon Ascent (enormus speakers with a great separate crossover) and my heart is remained them with my ears |
You ought to consider the Sanders ESL stereo amp. I have heard it driving Cabasse, Dynaudios, Harbeths, Vandersteens and it is consistently good with all.
There is something "correct" about the highs, a kind of purity which is hard to describe. So often when listening to digital sources, I would get fatigue because of the hard sounding tweeter. However with the Sanders, you get very clear and clean highs, which you want to just turn up the volume because it sounds so good.
The amp also has a firm grip on the bass, which allows you to hear deeper than ever before. In fact the whole spectrum is so well controlled, the PRaT is also well served, the music comes across as a consistent whole. |
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Thanks Polk....but my request was ss amps not tubes...read the thread. If I wanted to know about tubes I would have asked about....tubes. |
Does the $5-8k include power cords as well? Or is there a separate budget for these (or do you already have them)? |
