Advice on Class A Amp or Integrated please


I have had several amps, and I am pretty much convinced I like Class AA SS the best.
I'd like any comparative feedback people can offer on the relative sounds of Aleph J, Pass XA-30, Accuphase A-30 or E-530/E-550, Clayton M40, Sugden.
I am in New Zealand and do not have access to audition much in the way of different gear. I live remotely in the mountains.
I currently have Jean-Marie Reynaud speakers. They were easily the closest to my tastes available in N.Z. when I bought them.
I may upgrade my speakers but along the same lines: warm, sweet, balanced. My wee Cairn 30 watt (first 10 in class A) drives them OK though I know they will respond to an amp with stronger current (tighter bass).
I listen only to acoustic music, 90% female vocal, folk, world, small groups, Jordi Savall and co. - no rock, no orchestras.
My room is somehat bright, though I am gradually attending to that.
I listen for accuracy of timbre/tone and rhythm, coherent/live sound, the beauty and emotion in the music rather than detail or anything too explicit.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks
Eril
eril

Showing 1 response by gregm

Look at it this way: all other things being equal (which they aren't exactly):
1) You should choose an amp that correlates best to yr spkr design (BTW, which Reynaud?). Any other solution is a compromise.
Buying an amp "for the future" means that you will choose the "future" spkrs according to the amp -- any other success story is purely fortuitous.
2) Being situated were you are (what a magical place to live in!) experiments are counter-indicated, as you note.

3) CHeck yr spkrs' impedance plot (it MUST be available s/where), and note where the impedance drops and where it rises. Any SS amp (esp. class A) will increase its amperage provision as the impedance goes down (hence the supplied energy/Watts, of course) and decrease as impedance goes up. This means that the freq band corresponding will be slightly louder or less so, accordingly.

4) A tube amp (class A) will TYPICALLY perform in symmetrically opposite fashion.

5) In order to surpass yr present amp 40W would be indicated to achieve +20dB spl levels over yr spkrs' reference sensitivity, and that's a reasonable target.

Class A is also a good option as it requires a sizeable PS in SS designs, at least 4x the spec'd energy output -- which means enough current to drive most speakers well. Mind you, this will also show up in yr electricity bill!

Very general comments:
Pass is on the warm side of neutral, Accuphase is neutral with very good rendition of detail in mid-high and high frequencies. Pass' Aleph series was quite good and should adequately power yr spkrs -- albeit not any louder than yr present amp.

Ultimately: are there no manufacturers in NZ you might contact? IMO proximity and the possibility of showing them yr spkrs' specs, are very useful alternatives to buying blind -- whatever we tell you. Unless of course s/one has yr spkrs and has experimented extensively with amps... Cheers