PX25 SET amps-Art Audio, Audion, Wavelength???

After a bit more thought, I'll throw up a more concrete opinion. Unless you have a good local dealer with excellent technical capabilities I'd be wary of buying Audion. My story turned out OK in the end, but there were serious bumps in the road. The amp arrived with both assembly and shipping damage that required replacement parts ( a cap and power transformer) to be obtained from Audion. That added about two months to the already extended delivery time. Fortunately the repairs were done here and didn't require the amp to make two more Atlantic crossings. If I hadn't had such a good dealer I'd have been in real trouble. I'm glad the things turned out well, because the amp I got is exceptional in every way, but I'd be hard pressed to recommend that someone else expose themselves to this kind of risk.

I have no way of choosing between Wavelength and Art Audio, but if I had to do it again I would definitely choose one of them.

Boa2 - thanks again for sharing your experience. Certainly a case of buyer beware . . .

Gliderguider - I wasn't aware of your extended waiting period (memories of the Blowtorch preamp, eed gad) followed by the dissapointing realization that it now needed some repair work - man, you must have been mad as hell. Thanks for sharing the 'war' story.

I spoke with Joe of Art Audio today - what a nice guy. He talked about the differences between the PX25 tube in his PX25 amp and the 300B in the Symphany II amp saying that the extra power of his 300B amp would produce more dynamics but that the PX25 was better in pretty much all other areas including frequency extremes, noise level, resolution and maybe 1 or 2 more metrics I've missed. We also discuss what he saw as the differences between his PX25 amp and Gordon's at Wavelength. The guy's a real gentleman and had nothing but praise for his competitor's (Wavelength) product and designer. A class act . . . unlike what Boa2 experienced from Audion . . .

Tomorrow I hope to have a fireside chat with Gordon of Wavelength.

Thanks for keeping us updated, Kevin. You'll end up with a superb amp, no doubt. Deciding between the PX25 and the 300B can be difficult. Quite a different sound, to my ear.
All the best,
Howard

After speaking with Gordon at Wavelength today it seems like its now down to his Cardinal amp (US$7.5K) vs Art Audio PX25 (US$6.5K) which is a 300B vs PX25 choice. Gordon's Saturn PX25 amp is good for 8-16 ohm speakers and mine are a nominal 6 ohms dropping to 4 ohms so he advises against the PX25 and recommends the Cardinal instead which can accommodate 4, 8 ohms. He said that the 4 ohm load of my speakers is in the bass and that takes lots of current which I guess a 6 watt PX25 can't provide. I now need to double check with Joe @ Art Audio that his PX25 will perform with my speaker ohm load. Also, Gordon opinion of the KR Audio PX25 tube is that it has a tipped-up frequency extremes and sounds like a 300B and therefore isn't a genuine PX25 tube so he uses a TJ Mesh tube instead. But this is all water under the bridge if the Saturn amp won't work with my speakers . . .

Audion is now off the short list due to too many "war stories."

Gliderguider - how does your Audion Silver Night PX25 amp work with the 4 ohm load of our speakers? Does the amp have a 4 ohm tap or do you not worry about it and use the subwoofer to augment any shortcomings the amp may have in the low bass?

Kevin,

My understanding is that the Model One is essentially a 6 ohm load. Am I misinformed? Be that as it may, I have absolutely no issues with the bass on my amp with its 8 ohm output, down to the limits of the speakers. The subs make up for the speakers' shortcomings, not the amp's. I hear no difference in bass extension between my PX25 and my Triton 300B amps, though the bass resolution is better with the PX25.

On the question of tubes, I just don’t like the TJ PX25 that Gordon swears by. I find it overly warm, too bloomy and rolled off. I think the KR tube is far more neutral, transparent and extended - at least in my amp. Maybe that means I don't like "real" PX25's? So be it. The KR tube in my amp is a stone killer. Get Joe Fratus' opinion as well of the two brands before you make up your mind.