This has given me a lot to think about. Auditioned a Rogue Stereo 100 today and thought it was a nice little amp, but not quite what I’m looking for. A lot of this has me questioning my approach to power amplification generally. It would help if I could listen to a pure Class A amp.
After 20 years, in the market for a power amp
Hello:
Longtime lurker/reader of this forum. Recently my long time and beloved Odyssey Khartago shed its left channel and I had been long past ready to move on from it anyway. I am a typically slow upgrader as I am much more a listener than a tweaker. It is therefore time to invest in a new power amp. My system specs:
GoldenEar Triton Ones
Rega P8 TT w/Apheta 3
Aria phono amp
Primaluna Dialogue Premium p/a
Rotel 1570 CD spinning into a Schiit Yggdrasil
Odyssey Khartago Power amp
AntiCable interconnects
AudioQuest speaker cable
The Khartago, while wholly competent, has long since since been bypassed by the rest of my gear. Looking for something with some synergy with the Primaluna.
Budget $5-7k. Been researching feverishly but it is difficult to get an audition. Suggestions?
Showing 5 responses by pvnasby
Thank you for all the responses! Part of what is making this difficult is that I am actually buying not so much for the GE’s, but rather what comes down the road (which could in fact be more GE’s). So the real exercise is what pairs well the Primaluna but also with a future pair of speakers in the $10k range or higher. I am looking to add some power for that reason. Maggies are off the table due to my room layout, but just about anything else is possible. A Pass 250.8 is probably my dream amp and within striking distance used. But I’m not married to that idea. I know there are a lot of folks on here with more knowledge than I do.
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Fair question. But after 20 years, I’m ready for something else. I’m a huge Klaus Bunge fan, and I’m going to be sending the Khartago in for repair and to serve as a backup amp. (I gave my old backup away) But I’m not specifically opposed to going back to Odyssey, (and have considered going to Stratos monoblocks, but I lack adequate space for them) |
@mclinnguy , Ordinarily, I would doing exactly like you suggested and building my system around a pair of speakers. But in this case, I literally do not have a functioning power amp. So that’s the call at the moment. I agree it’s less than ideal in terms of system building. I’m very fond of the Primaluna. When I bought it, I listened for five straight hours—the difference was that striking (and GOOD) My next step with it will be new tubes, but I need to get this problem addressed first. |