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Looking for ideas - new mono blocks for stereo music

Hello!

I am on a bit of a mission to upgrade my equipment and just recently purchased the Esoteric K-01X SACD player.
In my case, the primary focus for critical listening is stereo music (aka red book CD) from the Esoteric.
My current chain is from the Esoteric through the Marantz 8802A into the Bryston 7B-SST2 powering a pair of JBL 1400 Array speakers.
I am very happy with the JBLs and just upgraded to the K-01X (had the X-03SE before).

Right now I would like to hear some suggestions for new mono blocks. I am already planning on adding the Esoteric C-03X(s) to the system to replace the Marantz as (stereo) pre-amp.

The primary focus is detail and resolution as I really love hearing new aspects of CDs that previous equipment couldn't reveal.
Soundstage and instrument placement are also high on the list. Bass slam / impact is not really a priority since I am stuck in an apartment for the time being.
Another factor is heat - I am looking for an amp, not a space heater. Especially considering the already hot summers in Toronto!
The price ceiling for me is somewhere around $20,000/pair

My current short list consists of:
Grandinote
Pass Labs
Simaudio
Mark Levinson

Now it's time for the brainpool (that's you guys!) to have at it :)

Thanks in advance!
eohtar

Showing 6 responses by elizabeth

elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I say your current amps ’could’ totally surprise you with a few tweaks. (I use a Bryston 4B-SST² amp witn my Magnepan 20.7)First get a Furutech or Oyaide top of the line duplex the Brystons power cords are plugged into. then get a pair of AQ Hurricane powercords.
If your amps are not set to high gain. flip the switch to high. Using XLR or not. High gain is the ticket. Then the IC to the Brystons. How good are yours? I would suggest something around $900m/pair or better. (I use a $3,200 7meter long pair of Kimber KA1116 XLR to my Bryston.)After you try some of this, you will know you don’t NEED better amps, you already have them.
I was going to upgrade my amp when I bought the Magnepan 20.7s.. My dealer said you don’t need a better amp. And turned me on the the Marantz SA-10 SACD/DAC I bought instead of new amp.
My dealer was right.
Bryston is always given a short stick on sound it does not deserve in the ’squared’ models.Work on a few upgrade to them in the power and be surprised.And if you STILL want new amps. look at PS Audio top of the line monoblocks too.
I also am in an apartment. Have to watch my bass... The Magenpans help with that. The Maggie bass just does not hit the wall the same as a cone speaker.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Consider if you do go for better cabling. You are talking about buying a $20,000 pair of amps.. If you did got big on cables, Think of it as being ready for that amp upgrade down the road.
If you have your amps set to low gain, get ready for a shock when you set them to high. It REALLY sound better ... Sure you lose a little volume knob. but WHO CARES!!                                
PS:how long are your preamp to amp cables?
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
One thing I forgot about the Bryston squared... If you are turning them off each time.. I know mine takes many hours to sound it 's best. and really is not 'wonderful' for at least 6 hours, and is still better after a whole day. So if you are turning off your Bryston 7B-SST²s each time and turning them on the play music. IMO you may be better off with some other brand which does not have such a long time to be at it's best. I play music all day every day, so leaving my amp one 24/7 is not big deal.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
If you are considering the Bryston Cubed, be aware they now idle with HALF the wasted energy of the Squared model. Due to various more recent rules (not sure if EU or Canada) anyway Bryston lowered the energy footprint at idle from to Squared to Cubed by half. (I think mainly lowering ClassA total. But they managed to make them sound better anyway. (And they have a good argument as to why big ’class A creates it’s own problems for sound.)I don’t think you would like the Pass amps. Pass are usually very biased Class A and that always means big heat and big energy bill.
As for annoying tweeters.. The trouble with treble is NEVER the actual speaker. It is always the electronics, for annoying treble. (Peole cinstantly blame the speakers, and use various means to dull the treble to cut the garbage. The hash and grit in the sound is the thing that drives one crazy. With perfect CLEAN treble, the annoyance vanishes, with the exact same tweeter output as before. I can tell you the Marantz SA-10 I bought totally ends treble hash in the output. I am a big treble freak too. And it is the most important part of the sound to me.                                     
The SA-10 totally solves the digititus.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Being in Canada the op would have to pay VAT and provincial taxes to import the product from USA. plus the problem of warranty. He may not be able to get warranty outside USA. So I (if I were the op) would be very nervous about a out of country purchase.(plenty of companies call buying outside the country of use 'grey market' and refuse warranty or even paid for service. They have distributors who get up in arms about grey market buying.)
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I m glad my local dealer sold Magnepan! It would have been tough to go for Magnepan having to audition 100 miles away.
MY recent purchase of 20.7 Magnepans was part "I can" and part if not now, never. So instead of buying 3,7i, I jump off the cliff and bought the 20.7s. One of the most interesting things was my dealer telling me I do NOT need a new amp(s) as I as thinking I wanted Bryston 7B3. Instead, he steered by to home audition a Marantz SA-10 SACD player. (I bought one)..All this story is just to say a local dealer can be a huge help. Over the years I have learned to trust the help my dealer has given me. I may not see him too often, Only once in several years? Lucky he is still around..            
One nice thing about him is if I want to audition something, I can sit down and play my brought in CDs (or LPs) for a few hours. He just leaves me alone. No trying to sell. I was lucky I had auditioned the 20.7 about four years earlier for several hours there. So I was able to just buy them later as he had no 20.7 as demos this year.
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