Greetings Folks,
Throwing too much credit my way loads too big a burden on just one person's opinion. A number of you already know but fair disclosure = we are a high end system designer/installer, but not a retail seller. That's why we have broad expereince with many brands over the last 23 years.
No, we have not had every solid state amp in the world ever made through our hands, but we have had a few. I will take sogood51 as someone who knows this industry and supports the recommendation as opposed to an ignorant sarcastic slap, because I stand by the recommendation and would be happy to discuss most other products on the market currently or up to 20 years ago.
Yes, we do carry some rankings for tube amps also and would be happy to share. But it is JUST an opinion. And no one pays us to advertise for them so we don't have any vested interest in suggesting one piece over another. We do our very darnedest to get the greatest value for any client given the boundaries they set. So, there tends to be "best buys" at all levels of budget. Yet, we personally strive to talk you out of gear, and especially cables and tweaks, that are more expensive for the sake of being expensive when clearly better sound can be had for less money.
Nrchy, your asking excellent questions. Your first two are a little tricky for me, because when we set up systems it is usually in one fell swoop and to designate a break-in time for which component breaks-in first or when an individual component is "done" breaking in is very difficult to pinpoint. Sorry, for this ignorant answer but I would question the manufacturer directly for information on a particular piece. We are all of the camp, components do need break-in periods universally. We have had both Plinius products and Goldmund amps here for years.
Regarding my humble opinion on the SA-250, the adjectives I would string together would be insignificant to the numerous reviews and technical measurements available, from far more credible sources than I. What I can absolutley tell you is this amp is the most flexible and forgiving on the market. It is a no-brainer to set up, no fancy computer configurations, no crazy wiring schemes or harnesses,etc. We have paired it with tube front-ends like Aesthetix and Kora. We have used harsh ended digital stuff like Krell, and more mainstream digital gear like dCS, Theta, and Audiomeca. The Plinius pulled the most out of each of those setups, showing more detail of specific instrument placement within the soundstage than any other solid state we have heard. We have driven all kinds of speakers including electrostatics, planar, and god forgive us horns. 2 ohms, 8 ohms, 16 ohms did not matter to the SA-250. Even real "goofy" speakers like Huff's with that omni driver, the Plinius never ran out of gas, we have never been able to make it clip when used as a monoblock.
My personal favorite is the Nearfield Acoustics Pipedreams match-up.
Also have used cheesy cables and chessy power cords all the way up to Nordost Valhalla, along with solid copper, solid silver, hybrid mixes of metals, even used hardware lamp cord once to prove a point once. Any way we sliced it the amp never gave up and even made hardware store lamp cord sound pretty darn good. The real test comes in your system, I would A/B it against all comers, at every price. Unless you personally can hear more from a more expensive product I would urge to save the money. I would suggest comparisons to Gryphon, Burmester, Boulder to see if you audibly justify a price difference.
Question four, you're right I can't quantify a difference. But it was one of those jaw-dropping experiences we see once every decade or so. One could walk into the soundstage and almost play the guitar in your own hands, park next to the clarinet player and here the subtle breaths inhaled to produce the music, almost do a duet with the soloist while standing right next to them. And then I woke up remembering the $100K+ price tag, but went home a better person for having one of those experiences.
Question 5, OOPS! You caught me! Halcro too, I am embarrassed I forgot, I was to wrapped up in the Millenium listening too much. The Halcro amps are as good as advertised. They will give you the same slam and punch on the low end that the Plinius does. The Halcro does have a lower noise floor than anything else - it is DEAD silent. Those who lean towards the Halcro spin it with more detail than Plinius. Those who lean towards Plinius call the same music drier with the Halcro. Plinius fans like the smoothness which Halcro fans call too warm and tube-like. It depends on which way you say tomato. Halcro really is an amazing product and doesn't deserve short shrift one might glean from my Goldmund meanderings. In bench testing Halcro's specs will better the SA-250 but again listen in your room with your system and compare the $$ Halcro about 4x more than the SA-250. Balance all variables, not just $$, but overall sound and matching to your current gear and cabling.
If others see it differently more power to them, this is only what we have found and we certainly have not got the market cornered on all the good ideas.
My Sincere best wishes on your Quest, Paul
