Just ordered the Jungson 88D Luxury Edition.


Based on some of your commends and a sparse BFS review, I'm taking the plunge. I really hope it will sound good in my system. The guy I bought it from says it's ultra smooth, lush, and just seductive. He also carries the DK VS1 integrated and prefers the Jungson sound over the DK. The Jungson LE is supposed to have better build quality and sells for $1300 less! Any comments on the Jungson is welcome.
dracule1
Yes I have begun to realize my choices seem endless. Fortunately it will be a few months before I seriously consider making another purchase. I live about 1-1/2 hours north of where they sell those Jungson's in Indianapolis.

In the meantime my Denon stereo receiver is the Pre for a Sonographe (conrad johnson) 120 watt stereo amp. It sounds better than the receiver by itself of course.

Mmmmm...S.S. and tube or all S.S. or all tube. So many choices I'm glad there is no hurry.......lol.lol.
Tube pre is without a doubt, in my mind, the best way to go with a ss amp.
At least with a tube pre some tube swapping can be done.
With solid state what you get is what you got.
Speedball, another consideration is the noise floor of the amp. Although the Jungson is dead quiet hooked to my speaker with 90 dB efficiency, it may not be hooked up to a speaker with 102 dB. The BFS reviewer states, although the Jungson is quiet for a SS amp, it is not the quietest the reviewer has heard. So you may have to use the balanced connection on the Jungson to gain that extra 3-5 dB reduced noise floor. Or go for another amp more suited for your speakers, but I doubt you can get a SET amp of high quality anywhere near the price of the Jungson. I think you can get the stereo amp version of the 88D for under 1K which is really an absolute bargain. But this is all conjecture as I have not heard the Jungson through a speaker that efficient. Good luck.
The tube Pre is something I have certainly thought about even if it's with a class A S.S. amp. Some tube integrateds out there are looking pretty good too.

Really I was wondering if class A is a big difference in sound versue A/B. I've never heard it before and the Jungson being class A is what caught my attention.

Right now There is a guy offering me an old Musical Fidelity (Dr.Thomas Edition) for 400 bucks in excellent condition. It has 120 watts and the first 30 watts or so is class A. The price is right and I could still use a tube Pre with it eventually. What I'm concerned is, will I be able to hear a difference that 30 watts of class A makes versus A/B.

On the other hand I can keep filling the piggy bank and drop fifteen hundred or so on something in the future.

Sheeesh, decisions, decisions....lol.
In general, class A amps will sound smoother, more refined, more natural than their class AB counterparts. I would advise against getting a class AB amp for highly efficient horn speakers, unless it has been shown to mate well with horns.