Aleph 3 - Its 2013, are they still awesome ?

Hello Essrand,

from my experience, the Alephs run very well with a wide range of Preamps, I used Klyne 7, Aesthetix Callisto sign., Lamm L2R, Lamm LL2 and my favorite match was with Lamm units. Specially LL2 (or LL2.1) is amazing (and reliable).
Gain is generally a chain, when you have a weak Preamp output but a high sensitive speaker it doesn't matter so much, but when all is on the downside + a speaker which has a complex X-over (that is important, because such a design can ruin ever a high sensitive speaker design, Wilson, Martin Logan and others) even good units will be not able to serve an effortless reproduction. The Aleph Design itself is outstanding good but a lot of Audiophiles used them with problematic speakers, that was the reason for higher powered Alephs (until Model 1.2) because most Users simply didn't understand that this amp is totally different to others (former Threshold, later the - boring - Pass X-amps ...
It is in a "way" a 300B, but made with Transistors.

A relatively inexpensive used pre amp that you could try is the Pass X-1. I replaced the Aleph P with the X-1 and found it to be quieter and much more transparent. I used the X-1 with a pair of Aleph 2s.

Syntax is correct when he writes that the Aleph 3 is an excellent amplifier, but it needs to be paired with the correct speaker load. I would try to stay with an 8 ohm nominal rating and fairly efficient (90+dB) design.

I thought the aleph p was a real boring sound personally I didn't like it much. I would go for the BAT that is a much better preamp and may even give a nice flavor to the aleph 3

Its probably a really good 30 w/ch amplifier, but still only 30 w/ch. I would not compare it to other good higher power amps that would come in for similar or less cost.

So its about quality more than quality. Gotta have speakers that can reach their full potential with only 30 watts for best results I would say. THat would seem to infer the speakers be fairly efficient, unless litening at higher volumes is not a concern.

"07-29-13: Mapman
Its probably a really good 30 w/ch amplifier, but still only 30 w/ch. I would not compare it to other good higher power amps that would come in for similar or less cost.

So its about quality more than quality. Gotta have speakers that can reach their full potential with only 30 watts for best results I would say. THat would seem to infer the speakers be fairly efficient, unless litening at higher volumes is not a concern."

That's not always the case. Amp power ratings can be all over the place. There's no standard for measurement. I took my Pass 0s (40 watts x2) and easily drove a pair of B&W 802's. When I put my Krell KAV 250 in the system, there wasn't that much of a difference. The bass was better and you could get a little more volume, but the amp really wasn't necessary. The Pass was more than enough.

Essrand,

Given the above statement, I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy a big, inefficient pair of speakers. The 0s is a much bigger amp than the 3, or even the 5. If you are considering ProAc, I wouldn't go any bigger than the Response 2. I have heard the 3 with the Response 1sc, 1.5 and the 2. Great sound with all 3.

As far as a preamp goes, I never really liked Pass preamps. Its been a while since I've heard one, so its possible they have changed. I wouldn't hesitate to get the BAT. That was the best one I tried. (VK 5i I think was the model). A BAT Vk-50SE should sound even better. The build quality is also as good as it gets. Pick a good source and you will be very happy with the combo.