Obscure brands worth considering

I buy from well established companies that will stay in business for a while and provide great support.

That has worked for me in every respect except with amplifiers.  Clayton Audio is a USA-based company but really a one-man operation that handles requests but no longer seems to be in full scale production these days.

On the positive side, Wilson Shen is a great guy to work with and a very talented designer.  After selling to go with well-regarded Class D amps, I ended up going back to Clayton amps and commissioning Wilson to rebuild/upgrade the amps I was able to find and purchase.  The guy who purchased my original Claytons remains very happy with them.  Before finding another pair of Claytons, I tried a number of well-reviewed amplifiers but none that sounded so much like real music to me.

Do yourself a BIG favor and seek out JM Reynaud loudspeakers; unfortunately only 6 dealers in the US.

Sometimes some of the finest things in life are the most difficult to find.  Ye shall be richly rewarded.

Clayton amps are in a very high esteem in some circles. Unfortunately, I have never heard them.
Six dealers is not too bad, Nottingham turntables have just one, I think.

mitch2

You hit the nail on the head with Clayton amplifiers. Wilson built me an S2000 18 months ago and I’ve never been happier with my system.....it simply sounds like music, and I’ve owned many of the most popular brands before this.  I drive it with a VAC Renaissance 5 Preamplifier....such a great combo.  Wilson is such a talented designer of class A solid state and a wonderful and honest person. He related a nice story to me about meeting Nelson Pass at an audio show. Wilson approaches Nelson to make his acquaintance and compliment him on his excellent electronics. Nelson tells Wilson he has read of Wilson’s designs and topology, but he doesn’t care for it, then pauses and says ‘ but damn, your amps sound great’

So what is his secret?