The Agostino would be on my short list. You could go new with the Classic or even better with a mint used Momentum S200. Sweet and powerful from a legend. FWIW.
2017 amps - $10K to $15K who is on your short list?
Hello!
I saw recently a short list by TAS on 2016 amps between $10 & $15K MSRP the TAS staff concluded were their choices of the best for last year.
Perhaps these were new entries from2016 only. I don’t know and thee article did not mention that aspect. The list also appears to be a global perspective.
The list contained:
Air Tight ATM-1S,
AVM Ovation PA8 preamp and SA8.2 Power amp,
Constellation Inspiration,
Dn D'Agostino Classic Stereo,
GamuT D200i,
Hegel Music Systems H30,
PS Audio BHK Signature 300,
Triode Corporation TRX-M300,
Zesto Audio Bia 120
Regretfully some more mainstream names were not included which came to mind such as, BAT, VAC, Pass, and perhaps a couple more.
My question here is which ‘current production’ amps in this MSRP financial ball park would be on your short list were you shopping for new amps, or are in your present system?
Valves Solid State, hybrids, integrated, or Class D which are not speaker specific, requiring high Eff speakers or horns to work well.
Let’s include current production amps which are near the upper and lower limits of the spread, so if in your opinion there is an amp at $8 or $9K which out performs those costing more, or is even on par, in your opinion, plese feel free to mention it or them.
All amps must be at least in production now stereo amps. If they can as well be run as monos, fine enough, but let the price range of more or less, 10 – 15K dictate your ascertions on two channel amps or twin monos which would land in or near the mentioned boundaries.
Here are some I feel should be among the TAS list but were not, in no particular order:
VAC Signature 200 iQ Stereo/Mono - $14,000
This one is here on rep and new technology in the bias circuit alone. Have seen no reviews, and I have not heard it. It does offer itself as a mono if an uncle or Aunt dies and leaves you an inheritance.
Balanced Audio Technology VK 76SE stereo or mono $13,995.00 2ch price
I previously owned BAT vk 60 and found it very acceptable. Also in mono, see ‘inheritance’ above if twin mono setup is desired.
Balanced Audio Technology VK-655SE $16,500
(well, it is within a grand or so of 15K and BAT has strong performance heritage and very good secondary market presence. Also, didn’t want folks to think I was biased to tubes only)
I’ve owned BAT VK500 BAT pack, and loved it. Purely musical with control and finesse. A tick or two on the warm side. The latest iteration scales up the power and refines the voice, if the reviewer isn’t deaf. Once more offered in mono config too.
no inheritance on your horizon? Perhaps you can get pics of BAT Execs with tempestuous farm animals to negotiate possible lower price for twin mono setup. lol
Who is on your list and briefly, why?
71 responses Add your response
audiotroy Audio Doctor NJ I appreciate the input. I would remind you the aim here is to develop some concensus of a list for 2017 people could refer to which could help broaden their search base for a proposed solution someone may be looking towards. Yes, I’m in that mix with any luck at all quite soon. What I fail to understand is why “Audio Doctor NJ” feels compelled to offer services rather than merely first hand opinions on so many, many, many gear threads? It biases me that with a dog in the hunt, the info being demonstrated is slanted past ordinary subjectivity with an intended aim for the preposed possibility of future business, and not simply as casual advice based on in your own home experience (s). It does taint the input IMHO. My input of TA as an option in this list of well heeled amps was entirely arbitrary. Just saw the name somewhere and thought to illicit more input, and or links to its articles. Maybe, Troy, and Dave, you should do your advertising via ‘PM’ and place the business name atop the input or feedback you solicit in all of the forum topics you decide to invest your notices and accounts within. Better still, simply insert your experiences without any mention of the business aspect you obviously seek. That would be taking the high road. I suspect such an inventory possessed by your business can well afford to buy advertising, rather than to freely slide it into various forum threads across the web at each opportunity. Albeit, the input is appreciated. The inference of some forthcoming business deal however, is not good business. Face to face is where money changes hands and sales are made. If a seller proves themselves worthwhile and have desirable goods, and prices there are competitive, people will find you, you won’t always have to go out and knock on their doors. Good luck. marko888 thanks so very much. My ears are just not in agreement with yours on this particular point. However, Ayre deserves as much noteworthiness here as does anyone else’ amps. Thanks. New Zealand’ <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:12.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> SA-Reference s Plinius has a stereo amp which can be used as mono that yields 100wpc pure Class A bias and 300 AB watts @ 8 ohms, for what I read as $20K. not sure if that’s in off shore dollars or in U.S.D. though. Very interesting fare. Price alone does not dictate if an amp is great, incredible or even magical. Amps are after all, just another link in the chain and must be subservient and master at the same exact interval. |
Jim, one of the most interesting and highest performing products you mentioned but nobody replied until now. We are the East Coast representatives of T+A and in their case you can look at two options the first being their PA 3000 HV integrated which is $18k or one of the their PA 3000 power amplifiers which is $19k so a bit more but still within the ball park. The integrated amplifier from the HV series is a remarkable performer, that was recentely compared to $120k, yes that is not a misprint CH Precision's seperate components, in the Absolute Sound, Allan Taffel found that when we switched systems he was having a difficulty telling which one is which. So if you can't really tell or are having difficulties determining which is better between a $120k worth of fine Swiss gear vs a $18k integrated amplifier I would if I was shopping for electronics want to hear that piece. http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/ta-pdp-3000-hv-cdsacd-player-and-dac/ To give you a few more bits about T+A they are the largest high end company in Germany with 110 full time employees with 10 of those people being full time engineers, MBL, Burmester are 10 person companies. Why does this matter? The company's name sums it up, Theory plus Application. T+A. This brand is the number one brand in Germany and because of their size and engineering talent can come up with novel and unique designs that can compare with radically much more expensive gear! The HV series, stands for High Voltage, and in these designs transistors are run at comparable line voltages to tube designs, T+A engineers theorized that the reason tubes sound so good and musical was not due to even order harmonic distortion/coloration but due to the increased linearity of a device which occurs at higher voltages! This is novel and unique thinking. The result T+A gear has athe smoothness and naturalness of tubes with the speed, clairty, and dynamic punch of solid state as well as their practicallity no noise, and no tube replacements would ever be required. Their $4,200 dac the Dac 8 DSD has been compared to dacs that cost $10k and more, the dac features novel and unique filtering, and conversion techniques as well. So if you were to trade in or sell a preamp that you wouldn't need the HV 3000 intergrated might be the perfect solution for you and if you look at the features; 300 watts into 8 ohms, 500 watts into 4 so you will have the power to drive any loudspeaker for now and forever a phono card option that brings you close to a $6-10k phono preamp for $1800.00 built in room correction and eq options a completely silient design a huge three dimensional sound stage incredible build quality and styling dynamic transparency with a liquid midrange fantastic dynamics and a tight punchy bass. practical size and weight no noise no tube replacement in the case of the PA 3100 an upgrade path to improved sound by adding an outboard power supply legendary German build quality and design and lastely incredible sound quality for a reasonable price point, the HV series integrated has been compared to $120 worth of CH Precison seperates and the upgrade PA 3100 which offers front meters and the option to add an outboard power supply for even greater performance at $21,000 was compared to a $45k Dagastino integrated http://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ta-elektroakustik-3100-hv-pdp-3000-hv-sacdcd-p... So when you add it all up, T+A should be on your short list if you look at what T+A offers for the price, I think you will come to our conclusion that their products represent both a unqiue level of performance and are a remarkable deal for products which can compete with Solution, Dagastino, CH Precision and the very top echelon of audio gear yet is way more affordable at 1/2 to 1/5 the price of the gear they can easily compete with. Lastly the marriage of T+A with Paradigm is incredible we should know we were demonstrating this system at the New York audio https://www.facebook.com/rutherfordaudio/photos/pcb.612221115616753/612220672283464/?type=3&thea... and after the show showhttps://www.facebook.com/122499304489958/photos/a.122500301156525.22643.122499304489958/138072913200... Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
Audioman58 Very nice. Thanks. I saw something online in a search that revealed ‘on a Higher note” which appeared to be a retail outlet for the Griffin products. Good. leeagc I guess you meant to write ‘Diablo and dnoe’. Yep. I could agree. Especially with the apparent output power rating. Vinyl and me, just don’t get along as well these days as we used to, so that portion of the spectrum has no appeal to me going forward. I’m strickly ‘digital’. Point and click. And click. And click. And…. Jriggy Thanks. Yeah. I’m finding out a lot more about Jeff Wells. A Friend of mine lives out that way and is quite familiar with him for some years now. I never knew. Oil well. The inference on the reported voice of Wells amps/gear seems appealing, being a tube first sort of guy lately. sfcfran Parasoumd JC-1 monoblock pair: 9000 pair. 1st 25 rma watts are class A beautiful, with 400 watts of pure signal path a/b in total. Thanks so very much. Saw a mention of these in a review I recently read which were part of the man’s regular system. Stereophile? Not sure. Hearing Curl’s lesser amps I came away with the impression they were well, too cool sounding. Maybe these are quite different. We’ll make the effort to find out with any luck at all. russbutton a pair of Bob Latino VTA M125 monoblocks, available in either kit or assembled form. Thanks for the info. Assembling an amp is what I used to do now and then professionally, long ago. Its not something that is doable now. Take another look at my Agon handle and you’ll figure out the why of it. Thanks again. I’m sure there are other signal amplifying Pearls which don’t often get the pub they might given the entry fees allocated for them by their makers. My aim is to splice the ‘whatever amp (s)’ downstream of my Thor line stage preamp which IMHO is a keeper fast approaching antinque status. This is despite the fact it has sat static for a few years on the tall Sound Anchor rack. A minor concern is my Thor TA 1000 MK2 is single ended in & out only. It has shown it works well with other purely balanced amps provided a quality adapter is inserted. so it’s as said, a minor issue and no deal breaker either way. I feel its as good a performer as many of the preamps selling now for about the same as the amps being placed onto this summary. It did originally sell for $10K sans the NOS tubes of course. The notion of a solid entry in the Integrated amp phylum however is not a bad idea at all. For anyone willing to spend for it or them. For myself, the problem is choosing the primary path and then of course, garnering as much synergy as is possible up and down the signal path, and with speakers. Yep. New upscale Speakers as well are going to be acquired as I alluded to previously. That is, God willing and the hurricanes don’t land in my yard. The Wells Majestic Int. sure does seem a worthy candidate to get a unit which would surely trickle down into a bedroom or ??, and could serve well as a baseline for comparison listening down the road. It would relieve some pressure too on making a hasty amp buying decision, if it, or another INT were bought first. Its damping factor keeps it as a very viable choice. Naturally, the chosen loudspeakers will or should, dictate the amp’s electronic attributes, the rest like voice, presentation, and degree of detail and extension which are ordinarily subjective anyhow, will finalize the formula as budget and conscience allows. Any MBL or other amp makers devotees willing to chime in here? |
Jim, If you want to hear the BHK 300 mono's and you ever travel to the NYC Area, I'm a dealer and would be glad to meet another A'goner and let you have a listen in Manhattan. Especially with NOS tubes and good power conditioning, I feel the hybrid design reveals the best aspects of both technologies and makes the TAD's truly sing. Bascom king did try a solid state input as part of the original plan to offer swappable tube and SS input sections, but once they heard how amazing the tube input sections sounded, they felt no one would use the ss option and dropped it. PM me if you like. |
I’d for for a pair of Bob Latino VTA M125 monoblocks, available in either kit or assembled form. Assembled, ready to run, they’re about $2800 pair. The kit, without tubes, is $1800, but y’all would never get your hands dirty, would you? |
Parasoumd JC-1 monoblock pair: 9000 pair. 1st 25 rma watts are class A beautiful, with 400 watts of pure signal path a/b in total. This is John Curls cut loose product, where parasound took the handcuffs off of him. If you are not familiar, John Curl is the designer that put Mark Levinson on the map, taking a big bight out of the likes of Krell and mcintosh, back when they were practically the only amplifier gods in town. At the very least, I recommend you give them a listen. Happy hunting! |
More out there on the Innamorata Signature than I thought: http://www.dagogo.com/wells-audio-innamorata-signature-stereo-amplifier-review http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0115/Wells_Audio_Innamorata_Signature_Amplifier... http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/wells-audio-innamorata-signature-stereo-amplifier i guess I should of said much "tube like" harmonics ;^p... but I do own one and luv it. |
aolmrd1241 Thanks much. Exactly the sort of item to have on this list. Mainstream , and obscure or boutique amps which really push the sonic realization threshold. Amps which provide a whole lot of “they are here” or “you are there”. I prefer the former mostly. ricred1 thank you very much. Rowland always seems to have a contestant with finesse and strength, though seldom are they modestly priced. shadorne much appreciated. Power alone is not the main thrust for this particular assortment of amps, but it certainly can’t be dismissed in what it brings to the table for many loudspeakers. randy-11 thank you for the insights. jriggy great! Thanks. I’ll look for the review. ‘tube harmonics in an SS amp”. Really. It always begs the question when that line is delivered IMO, which tubes? EL34S? WHICH EL34S? 88S? WHICH 88S? 300B? WHICH 300B? LOL I do get it though. Thanks. Thanks for all the links too. They’re a big help for anyone interested in stepping up or merely fantasizing a little. As I listen to and enjoy most every genre of actual music much depends on the recorded info. Although, an amp IMHO must be able to control and convey the soul of the musical event as organically and naturally as is possible without falsifying timbers, exaggerating staging, bending tonality, etc., .and on this level with an immense amount of ‘AIR’ (achieved illusionary reality). Its my new term for the end result audio nuts want to wind up with in their stereo outfits. ‘acquired’ works in there too. A fella once told me when developing a stereo rig, the main component is always the source device. Unquestionably. He was right then and I’ve found thru the years, he’s right still. Nothing downstream will ever make up for what might be lost from the source, or overcome if the source is not exemplary or a pretty darn strong performer. Following that in theory, one only needs a volume control and straight wires to the speakers. Essentially meaning, complete invisibility should be the aimn for power and distribution or control preamps (when or if employed). Squeakers I’m currently fascinated with in no particular order are, Focal Diablo & Sopra II; Magico S3; Nola Metro Grand Reference; Sonus Faber Amati Futura; Silverline Bolero; maybe an Eggelston or two, and now a couple of the newest Paradigm Personna models 3, 5, or 7. However, this is about refined invisible power producers which enable loudspeakers to perform at their best. Amps once energized, you just don’t want to shut down. No mention yet of T/A, Blue Circle, Pass labs, VTL, AR, Lynn, Llamb, or Nagra yet huh? Hmmm. Well, we’ll see. |
I would add Benchmark AHB2 to your list. It may not cost $10K but it measures better than any power amp I am aware of at any price and it packs a fair punch in terms of power if bridged mono. https://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-media-systems-ahb2-power-amplifier |
Merrill Audio Veritas mono block amps. $12,000 pair.
Musical. powerful, compact. They have an uncanny ability of letting the music pass [very revealing] without calling attention to themselves. Very neutral/natural sounding [top to bottom] with great tonal quality. They can create a soundscape that you can reach out and touch... Superb! Tons of reviews online...Good luck with your search jim... |
