@techno_dude - Any idea what the retail price is of that APL DAC? TIA
My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:
Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005
With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)
NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)
Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)
rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)
cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)
parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)
lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)
McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.
butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)
pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.
classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)
Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:
PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.
Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.
Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?
Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass. It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.
Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.
Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.
Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.
Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.
Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.
My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.
That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!
Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005
With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)
NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)
Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)
rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)
cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)
parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)
lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)
McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.
butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)
pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.
classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)
Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:
PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.
Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.
Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?
Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass. It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.
Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.
Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.
Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.
Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.
Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.
My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.
That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!
Showing 45 responses by bill_k
@whitecamaross - When using the XLR outputs from your Luxman C-900u with the Rowland amps simply activate the BAL INVERT function on the Luxman's remote. The corresponding indicator will light on the C-900u and in that setting its XLR input & output polarity will match that of the Rowland so they will maintain absolute phase. In its default setting the C-900u has its XLR connections wired with opposite polarity than the Rowland does, but the BAL INVERT function corrects that. Hope that helps and enjoy the tunes! |
With all due respect to @charles1dad according to the Rowland website their 925 mono amps do use a Class D output stage powered by their custom PFC SMPS. To confirm is this quote from the 925's webpage - "CUTTING-EDGE OUTPUT CIRCUITRY - Innovative class-D audio power technology is based upon a non-hysteresis 5th order self-oscillating control loop taking feedback only at the speaker output." Their 625 S2 and 725 amps do use Class A/B output stages with their SMPS. |
Actually the Luxman TOTL separates were previously priced through distribution in the US at $19,900 each after initially being introduced at $19,000. Since Luxman has now taken over distribution themselves for the US market they have been able to significantly reduce their pricing to $14,995 each. That type of price reduction is to be expected by eliminating a complete layer in their distribution chain. |
As a generalization usually the better cable would be used up front between the source and preamp with the lesser one between the preamp and power amp, but in audio things don't always work according to theory or expectations. In the end I'd suggest trying them both ways to see which sounds best in a given application. Another factor to consider is that if you have more than one source using the best cable pre-power would benefit the sound of all sources, while using it to connect a source would only benefit that single source. Too many variables for a definitive answer. |
techno_dude - There's usually more than one way to engineer a design, and it's rare when one approach is best in all aspects. Trade-offs are generally involved and in audio it's further complicated since subjective preferences are so significant. So it's not a matter of right or wrong in engineering decisions, but coming up with effective ways to address specific problems. Take turntables for example, there are low mass designs which some companies specialize in while others choose to use high mass. One is not inherently better than the other, but we can all benefit from the many choices in the wide range of products that we have available. |
While Balanced Audio Technology does indeed make excellent sounding gear, I don't see an indication of any of them operating in pure Class A on their website. They do offer a fine range of tube and solid state electronics. Their ability to drive your Apogee Duettas is a true testament to their being able to deliver high current into low impedance speakers. |
@viber6 - Regarding high bandwidth amp designs, with all due respect I believe you may be confusing two different things with your statement: "The coming Merrill Elements have Ghz bandwidth to put Spectral’s Mhz bandwidth to shame." Spectral electronics actually have a true signal bandwidth in the MHz range, but I don’t see any signal bandwidth even specified in the detailed specifications on Merrill’s site for his new Element amps. The mention of their GHz speed that I’ve seen is in reference to the switching frequency for their Class D operation, not the amplifier’s signal bandwidth. Those are two entirely different things and even though they’re both specified in frequencies are not comparable. If the Merrill Element amps truly have a signal bandwidth in the GHz range I would think that they would detail that in their given specifications. Since Class D amps generally require a filter on their output to remove the high switching frequency ’noise’, it’s unlikely that they would have a signal bandwidth that extends linearly to anywhere near their switching frequency. |
There are more details on the Merrill Audio Element amps at the link below, but there is still no mention of their signal bandwidth. There is however confirmation from the designer that their output is low pass filtered. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?25427-New-High-End-Amplifier-Monoblocks-from-Merrill-Audio-ELEMENT-118 |
Of course the GaN devices are in the output stage and therefore in the signal path, I never meant to infer otherwise. What I was questioning was the actual signal bandwidth of the complete amp design, since with their confirmed low pass filtering it will be lower than their potential GHz switching speed. I can't predict what their signal bandwidth is or how it will compare to the Spectral amps, but generally agree with Al's post above. |
For those interested in the new Merrill Audio Element 118 amps: http://enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1018/Merrill_Audio_Element_118_Monoblock_Amplifiers_Review.htm |
I appreciate your ongoing effort and enthusiasm in this thread, but with all due respect you should keep a few things in mind. First of all even with a broken in amp one hour of warmup time is not sufficient for most solid state amps to reach their sonic potential. Since the BC Black system includes an integrated DAC with MQA decoding, when you compare it to other pre/power amp combos you're also apparently using a different digital front end. So you're not effectively comparing amplification alone since the sonic differences caused by unique DACs are also influencing your results. Just something to keep in mind before you dismiss other fine electronics. |
Since you're not opposed to Class D you may want to check out the latest amps in NAD's Master Series, the M22 V2 which are bridgeable to 900 watt monos and retail new for $2,999 each. https://nadelectronics.com/nad-masters-m22-v2-delivers-increased-power-flexibility/ |
Admittedly it's the nature of most audiophiles (myself included) to always wonder what could possibly be improved in our systems. No matter what level we're at there is almost always something better out there and it's our mission to find it. There's no end to the madness, but for many of us that's all part of the adventure that makes it so much fun! |
@grey9hound - With all due respect this is @whitecamaross thread which is focused on his search for gear in the upper echelon of performance. Of course there are financial considerations for anyone considering such products, and if you’d like there to be a similar thread concentrating on more affordable gear then feel free to start one. I don’t think it’s appropriate for others to dictate what level of gear he chooses to evaluate as his search continues, and it seems that he’s already gone beyond the level of what the majority would consider affordable. Even though I’m not considering gear at the price levels he’s currently reached I still find his experiences to be of interest. |
@grey9hound - I guess I should have just left it to @whitecamaross to respond as he did. While some other posters have suggested specific products it seemed to me that you were asking to change the entire direction of the thread by focusing on a completely different category of gear than was intended. I never stated that I was offended by your post and was only suggesting that your needs might be better served on another thread. Please forgive me if I overstepped and I certainly didn't intend to upset you or to limit your participation. |
When running stereo amps in bridged mono mode (like the Benchmark AHB2 amps) the load impedance seen by the amplifier is effectively halved. So for example if you're running an extremely low 1 ohm load as Viber6 is, bridged AHB2 amps would effectively be driving a 0.5 ohm load. So while the higher power may be an advantage in some setups it should be taken into account with the lower effective impedance and the requisite higher current demands. |
@minorl - After some advanced searches of this thread, I found that it was the Boulder 2060 and related discussion started on this page. Initial impressions were very favorable as I recalled, stating it had the best bass, control, midrange, etc. along with incredible speed and dynamics. Then it seems WC considered getting a Boulder 2010 preamp to best match with it but apparently that never came to be. Later on he did some group comparisons of various preamp/amp combos and reported "Anyhow, we all agreed that the boulder 2060 just sounds lifeless, clinical, analytical and it is probably in need of either its matching preamp or just a pair of Rockport speakers which we all know has synergy with it." Later on he spoke with a Boulder dealer who claimed that the magic would be with the 2050 mono amps, and then I didn't see much continued interest in Boulder from that point forward. Hope this helps... I know trying to find specific references in such a lengthy thread can be frustrating and very time consuming! |
In response to viber6 questioning Boulder’s status, not sure where you might have heard that they're out of business but don’t believe that to be true. They've recently introduced a new phono stage and have been participating in audio shows as documented on their News & Events page. |
I've had the pleasure of hearing the Wells amp (Signature version as well) and they're quite impressive. While they don't have the ultimate power levels that some of the other amps here do, they're extremely refined and excel at reproducing natural harmonic decay and texture. I know that this is often said but they are very tube-like in their presentation with a great sense of musicality. Given an appropriate match of speakers they're a very worthy contender. |
@ricred1 - Haven't heard the Absolare myself but have only read good things about it. Did you hear it driving your speakers? From what I know about your MAs I don't think the Absolare would have sufficient power for them either. Since your wife likes them so much there would be an easy solution, also upgrade your speakers to be a better match! ;~) |
@viber6 - The only power amp from Exogal is called the Ion PowerDAC which can only be used in conjunction with their Comet DAC. Reports I've read on its sound quality are rating it as exceptional and details on each can be found at the provided links. |
Just a technicality for reference... pure Class A bias amps run at their full rated Class A power at all times. When actively driving speakers a portion of that rated power is dissipated by the speakers instead of by the amp. As a result the amps will run their hottest when idling, not sending any of their power to the speakers. As you play your speakers at higher volumes more of the rated power output is dissipated by your speakers so the amps will actually run cooler. If a Class A rated amp is not putting out a significant amount of heat when on but not driving a speaker then it's either some type of dynamic bias system which is not maintaining its high level of bias at all times (by design) or it's not truly Class A in operation. |
@almarg - Thanks for your very detailed follow-up regarding Class A operation which covers much more than I did. You made an excellent point about the inefficiency of Class A amps so that even when driving speakers at a high level the amps will still run hot. Nice to have your level of technical expertise enlightening participants of this thread! |
techno_dude may have an ulterior motive and actually wants to buy the Ref10 from WC, that's why he's so strongly encouraging its sale. ;~) I similarly believed that simplifying things by eliminating an active line stage in a digital system would be clearly superior, but my experience over the years has proven otherwise. An average line stage may add distortion and some dynamic restriction, but a suitable quality line stage can provide a level of musical realism that is lacking without it. Of course it all depends on system matching with the specific source and amp combination. |
Russ (@benzman) - Don't know exact dimensions but you can see several pics of WC's listening space with much of the equipment he's gone through on his system page: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7631 |
@grey9hound - According to the 6moons review of the Pacific it uses a Sigma Delta DAC chip, the identity of which remains a secret: "The digital board changed significantly as well. LampizatOr's chipless DSD engine can
be mounted if one desires yet has stopped being the default. Likewise
for their previous generation of discrete R2R PCM circuitry. This time
Łukasz rolls an ΣΔ chip. I was told that its supplier considers
LampizatOr influential enough to grant them being this silicon's
earliest adopter. The identity remains a secret. Once opportunity struck
to try this new chip, Łukasz acquiesced to a return to balanced
sigma-delta conversion. But it still took him a year to discard the
regular data-sheet implementation and build his own circuitry around it
from scratch."https://6moons.com/audioreviews2/lampizator4/1.html |