anyone heard the new thor tpa 150 monos?


hey any feedback on these amps- look great!!
bebop86
I have owned Thor gear for years, and have only the best praise for their excellent and very musical sonics. After the Mark2 upgrades to the source and preamp pieces, Thor is bettered by none, in my experience, and I've heard and owned many preamps. The preamps sound great driving both the Thor TPA-60 amps (with Merlin VSM-MM speakers) and also driving a custom 300B amp (Kevin Kennedy design). The TPA-60 amps are also absolutely first-rate, and the whole Thor line brings out the subtlest details amidst complexity, with a fully musical presentation. You're welcome to email me for more details and feedback. I can only wonder what was going on with other gent, Larryi. I've tried a lot of gear, including low-power setups, and conclude that what matters is good sound, period - Thor has that.
I have no interest in "bashing" Thor products. The original poster asked if anyone head the Thor amps and I responded. The model I heard was a + $20k monoblock that I assumed was the 150. I have no doubt that the amp could sound good in certain systems, it's just surprising to me that it did not work with such warm and forgiving speakers as the Audio Notes.

I should have further qualified my opinion by saying that I am mostly familiar with the sound of very low-powered tube amplifiers. I am generally not a fan of most higher-powered tube amps. That said, I suppose that if someone needs more power, their choice is limited to high power tube amps or solid state.

I currently own two tube amplifiers -- a push pull amp using 45 triodes and an Audio Note Kageki. The Kageki is, in my opinion, one of the best amp for low powered operation. Another favorite amp that I have listened to extensively and really liked is a custom built OTL that is truly frightening (does not even have a coupling cap, and priced way out there).
I don't own the TPA150s,but do own and have owned Thor TPA30 and T1000 linestage for years.
It sounds to me like someone has an agenda to bash Thor Audio products.I have had contacts with a other Thor owners for tips on tube rolling etc,and never heard one bad word about Thor Products. Evereyone I have talked with or come into my home have been flaborgasted at How musical and natural sounding Thor electronics are. If you really need to no how good Thor products sound ask a Thor Owner! Then you'll get the truth.
I own the Thor TPA-150s and I have to say that they are the best tube amps I have heard to date. You are of course, entitled to your opinion, but I wonder, Larri, who are you? Your negative post on this site and two posts on another audio site regarding Thor Audio make me wonder. You are not even a registered member of the other site - you could be anyone! Are you working for another manufacturer? Do you just lay in wait to post another negative comment?
Anyway, you are claiming to have heard the TPA-150s (150W) amps at the retailer you mentioned in your other post, but what you heard were the TPA-60s (60W) amps. I live nearby and have actually spoken with that same retailer and they want to become a Thor dealer. So, they must have liked what they heard!
In any event, when you post comments saying that you like an twenty year old ($500.) pair of PA (Public Address) amplifiers over the Thor, you really make me wonder what real agenda you may have here. Even if you do not have one, your hearing is obviously suspect and any comments you make going forward about anything need to be taken with these things in mind. As for me, you have lost all credibility for any future opinion(s) about anything.
I have a pair of TPA 150's and a TA-2000. (Larryi heard a pair of TPA 60's) Larryi also considers public address equipment to be on a par with good audio equipment as per his note on Audio Asylum.
If one compares the stark response of Pro Sound Reinforcement products to the wonderfully melifluous and delightful sound of Thor Audio it is like comparing the ride of a VW Beetle to a Rolls Royce.
Perhaps Larryi doesn't deserve better than a PA system.
Larry...I agree with your 6550 remark. I, too, have noticed that kind of sound from many 6550 amps including one I owned, Mesa Baron. Great highs and lows but an overall somewhat fatiguing sound even after I had the gain lowered.
I heard them at a dealer that had them in on a brief trial basis. They may have not been broken in and the set-up certainly wasn't optimized for the amp. The preamps used were either the Thor or an Audio Note M-8. Source was an Audio Note transport and a DAC-4.

I did not like the sound at all. It had a thin, bleached sound, brittle textures, and a flat soundstage, i.e., the kind of sound I associate with some bad pentode amps. I believe it had EL 34s in it, but it sounded more like a 6550 amp. Think Audio Research kind of sound.