AGD Audion GaN Class D In The House

Mike is excellent to work with.

I think I will be calling Mike to try a pair-=- Anymore new owners??

Warm would not describe the AGD amps in my opinion.

Older class D amps would sound cut off with a rounded fuzziness at the edges. The AGD's are void of this what i hear from the Audion amps is sound that is realistic, there is no heaviness to the image that is projected to the listener.

Craig, I’m still using the stock cables as well.

RH67, et al
It seems many/most of the GaN amps (including the very expensive ones) are voiced too far on the warm side, as though the intent of the designer was a tube-like sound.

Thoughts?

I use the stock cables and they are very nice.

Gfi      seems to be a good point:

Not only that but all that power supply current has to run through those pins/sockets, which should by any tech standard, be a solid soldered contact.

Time will tell

For those who have the Audions, are you using the "stock" cables that came with the amps or have you found it necessary to "upgrade" the power cables?

Thanks

The pairing is excellent. I really like DHT pre amps but i'm enjoying the 6SN7 stage so much that i have not even tried the 300B stage yet. What i'm hearing is so real and life like i have had no desire to change a thing.

Once i get totally familiar with what i hear from these amps i will try the DHT stage of the Supratek.

Right now music is once again an experience thanks to the AGD Audion's.

@rh67

how is the pairing of your Supratek DHT/6SN7 linestage with the AGDs?

Re: AUDION amps • here is what was conveyed to Alberto after some listening to his monoblocks in my system...

“Everything is performing as it should...

The clarity is phenomenal. One aspect which I greatly appreciate is the ability to effortlessly hear the enunciation of words sung on tracks with other competing instruments present.

And the noise floor/distortion is so low that when listening to orchestral tracks, the Audions make interpretation of subtle fluctuations of instrument dynamics/articulation very clearly perceived.

Another one for me is how the dynamic attack of the instruments especially drums/percussion is just more “REAL”...

As a lifelong musician I’m very familiar with how true acoustic instruments hit the listener/performer. These amps have gotten me closer to that realism than any other to date.

I could go on further but these are a few of the qualities that I haven’t heard to this degree with any other amps in my system.”

:)

In my decade search for a great class D amp i have heard two other amps with with GaN outputs and while they sounded good they were not great. I just came across this video with Alberto of AGD that explains that the GaNs in his amps were designed for audio, this explains for me a big part of the reason that his amps sound not good but great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3eqQUs5HPc

I have 83 hrs. I believe that i read it takes about 165 hrs. to fully break in. What i have noticed from day one to now is that the soundstage is real in dimension, performers are real in size. Sometimes with even the best and most expensive equipment while the performance can be fine the mental image is that the performers are 3-4 feet tall. Without being forward the Audion is projecting a real life image. I have heard this very few times, that the Audion is capable of doing this at it's price point to me is impressive.

In that last article you linked, to the mk II iteration, there was a reference to a fairly extensive run-in period.  How many hours do you have on yours now?

A week with these amps and all i can say is that listening to music is enjoyable and fun, this hobby is about fun and emotional enjoyment of what we are listening to otherwise whats the point. When we attend a live musical performance at the end we hope to walk away satisfied and entertained what the experience becomes is an event. When listening to the Audion amps i feel as if an event is happening, listening to music and not equipment.

I find the use of glass a gimmicky turn off.

I had the same reaction. There are simple, practical ways to make a plug-in solid state module. Making it look like a vacuum tube and adding glow lighting is too much false bling for me.

Not only that but all that power supply current has to run through those pins/sockets, which should by any tech standard, be a solid soldered contact.
And which may oxidize with two dissimilar metals having heavy current run through them, time will tell.
Just like it did I remember on all AMC 3030 tube hybrid amps similar contacts ended up charred and high resistance over time on every amp made.   

Cheers George   

I find the use of glass a gimmicky turn off.

I had the same reaction. There are simple, practical ways to make a plug-in solid state module. Making it look like a vacuum tube and adding glow lighting is too much false bling for me.

Thanks for posting! I never heard the original tube but what i hear now with these new amps is pretty amazing and gets better everyday.

This reviewer seems to like it.

http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0421/AGD_The_Audion_MkII_Review.htm

Just posted in the April issue.

Yes, i have had the Hydra and Dragon. The AGD amps are on a much higher level. The Rogue amps sound good most amps sound good but if your a critical listener and looking for truth you really cannot compare the two. Just my opinion.

Has anyone compared the AGD Audion with Rogue Audio amps?

Sure have some “need to be right” posters here today.  

I did purchase mine from Mike, great to deal with. You can also purchase direct from Alberto both offer an in home trial.

To all who are capable of buying AGD, I suggest you contact Mike Powell: YTC: OCD HiFiGuy

Make an appointment and fly to Atlanta for a day or 2

Also, I have read 3 very positive reviews of PS Audio M1200s (tube input); 2 reviewers kept them. I have owned a EVS1200 (no tubes) from Tweakaudio for over a year and have zero qualms with it. I am still in anticipation of receiving a LSA Voyager (GaN amp), which has its' work cut out to significantly better the EVS1200

hth

rdoc
I agree with everything you have said.

Myself i was on the quest to find the best class D amps, i instead found one of the best amps i have heard in my home.

I purchased a pair of AGD Audions several months ago.  I could not be more pleased with them.  I have been an audiophile for nearly 50 years. Having had financial interests in 2 high end audio stores, I have been able hear dozens of high end amps in multiple systems.  I have owned probably at least 2 -3 dozen amps over the decades from many high end companies.  I think that all of these companies are still in business today.  Many of the amps that I have owned were class A amps, but most were class AB with most costing 2-3 times the cost of the Audions.  Other than the amps in my REL subs, I have never owned a class D amp before the Audions.  I purchased these on a 15 day trial after reading a very positive review.  In my system driving Magnepan 3.7i's, the Audions are by a considerable margin the best amps that I have ever heard regardless of class or price.  I will be surprised if they are not the last amps which I ever purchase.  They are that good.  Even after these months of use, I continue to be amazed at the sonic picture which they portray in my music room.  "The bloom has never come off of the rose". They are extremely detailed and yet not the least bit fatiguing.  The just present the most realistic sonic picture of musicians in my room of any amp that I have ever heard. Putting them in the system was like getting a whole new set of speakers and source equipment which performed at a much higher level. 
I am not saying that there are not better amps out there, but only that they are the best that I have ever heard.  I am not saying that they will be the best in your system.  Every system is different.  Remember that 2 of the biggest variables in systems are your ears and your room.  I wish you the best in finding the amps that work best for you.  I consider myself very lucky to have stumbled upon the AGD Audions.

There's good different and bad different. That's bad different.

Nope, just different.

Oh, OK. thanks. I guess the OP is just in the habit of choosing the wrong one.

@roxy54... hold down the apostrophe button on an IPad or IPhone. gives you 4 options ‘....'....’.... `...

OP,
Where do you get the funny apostrophe on your contractions? I've never seen that before.

chorus
So true never say never.

The Merrill`s i did not audition although they were offered.

The reason was price.

Hope you enjoy them when it`s your turn.

Currently several SFAS members are auditioning  Merrill's bigger Mono blocks in their own homes.

One member bought the smaller set prior to the Audition. The sample of the larger set has so impressed others that it seems a couple more will also be purchased. Throw in a Christine Preamp sale too.

Hardest thing has been waiting my turn!
I have not heard them yet.

I believe the Borreson amps are Class D, correct?
If so his amps and speakers produced the best sound
I've experienced.

Never say Never, right?

kingrolo
Good amps for the price but they do not have the SET like presentation of sound that i like or the soul of class A. AGD amps have those two virtues which sets them apart from the rest for me.

I have Starkrimson Monoblock Amps here and I love them! Some would say they are very revealing, for me they work. I would like to eventually add a PreAmp like Schiit Freya or similar to switch in and out Vacuum tubes. I will be happy for a long time with this setup. 

speakermaster

I was surprised, actually more than surprised i thought i was going to hear the same old thing.

assetmgrsc

The M33 is way better than the M32 but sound wise the class D heritage is still evident, for ME it`s an amp i would not consider buying.

Also there is way too much going on, i like DHT pre amps, i also like USB which the M33 does not have. I have found that i can taylor the sound using a great pre, the M33 does not allow this.

It sounds fine but that`s not good enough for me.

I am glad you found one you could listen to that really surprises me because i consider a class d amp an inferior product but i have heard one good one myself and it was a spectron from years ago.

I was going to ask if anyone had AGD`s contact info. Several members sent it to me via PM. I got the contact info. and ordered the amps.

I have had interest in class D for the last 15 years and i would ask manufactures or dealers to send me product to use in my home and that is what i was doing with AGD but this time the amps delivered what was promised and these are not going back.

rh67:

What is this (your first post here) about?...

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/agd-contact

DeKay

@rh67   Have you heard the new NAD M33 that Stereophile rates so highly and if so, in your opinion how does it stack up against what your AGD sounds like.  I realize that the M33 is an integrated amp, but still I'm interested in what you might think on it.

bigkidz

Once again this thread is not about you.

It`s a tread about the AGD Audion and MY experience with them nothing more and nothing less. 

The more i listen the more i`m impressed. Put class D aside these are just great sounding amps and these are the entry level amps, it makes me curious about their upper level amps???

@arcticdeth Looking forward to hearing your listening impressions.  Hopefully they'll let you audition at home if the first experience is positive...

bigkidz says:  "I am a Class A design tube amplifier guy so the Class D amps I have heard don't float my boat at all but if someone else likes the way they sound in their system then I am all for that!"

Evidently, like some other posters, bigkidz has never heard the Audions, yet is more than happy to group ALL Class D amplifiers together, or at least to assume that the Audions sound more or less exactly like the Class D amps that he has heard.

How is that constructive?  The OP's main point in his original post was precisely that the Audions were significantly DIFFERENT to all other Class D amps that he'd heard (which was a lot).

@johnnieshouse

I loved/hated my time with my 2+2s: the hate part because ~20 years ago, while the servo amps sounded much better than the SS interfaces, they were unstable. Long after I sold them, someone figured out how to stabilize them

Would love to hear them with the AGDs

bigkidz

The manner in which i post is not the message here, your reading but you really are not. Your really not interested in the amps but feel the need to comment so you post ridiculous rantings that has nothing to do with said product. I post when i know something about a product otherwise i keep my mouth shut. I have no desire or the need to post, i post when i have something that is beneficial to others or possibly could be.

You mention that you build class A amps how is that relevant to this tread? Many here know my background, is it relevant to this tread? No, it is not.

This tread is about the AGD Audion it`s not about me.

I've had the Audions for two years now. They drive my Acoustats 2+2 with ease. Very quick transients. Very clean sounding. Love them. Just had the "tubes" upgraded. I recommend them. 

@bigkidz Yes, it would be better to say "I've heard many class D amps".  I liked class D from the beginning and in 2008 posted a list of class D makers (today likely much longer).  There are over 50 companies on this list and most of them make more than one model:

Acoustic Reality http://www.acoustic-reality.com/
eAR202, etc (ICEPower)

Aivin http://www.aivin.com.cn/
DT300 (http://www.aivin.com.cn/files/english/products/proweb/DT300.htm) (Tripath)

Analog Research Technology http://www.analogresearch-technology.com/

AudioArt (NL) http://www.audioart.nl/
Van Medevoort MA240 (Hypex UcD)

Audiodigit http://www.audiodigit.com/
MC 8x100 (Tripath)

AudioResearch http://www.audioresearch.com/
150.2, 300.2, 150M (Tripath)

AV123 http://www.av123.com/
X-Empower, xAmp (prelaunch (http://av123forum.com/showthread.php?threadid=10683))
(Philips class-D?)

B&O http://www.icepower.bang-olufsen.com/sw1067.asp
(ICEPower)

BelCanto http://www.belcantodesign.com/products.html
Evo (Tripath) eOne (ICEPower)

Bertram http://www.audiokabel.dk/eng-main.htm
(ICEPower)

Carver http://www.carverusa.com/
300.2, 700.2, 1200.2

Cary Audio http://www.caryaudio.com/
A 306 power amplifier (http://www.caryaudio.com/products/designer/a306.html)

Channel Islands Audio http://www.ciaudio.com/
D100, D200 (Hypex UcD)

Chapter Audio http://www.chapteraudio.co.uk/
Couplet Power Amp (proprietary WMP class-D)

D-Sonic http://www.d-sonic.net/
Magnum (http://www.d-sonic.net/) (ICEPower)

DIYCable http://www.diycable.com/
Exodus (http://www.diycable.com/main/default.php?cPath=140) (Hypex UcD)

Egosys http://www.egosys.co.jp/
Audiotrak DrAMP (http://www.audiotrak.net/drAMP.htm) (Tripath)

Elan http://www.elanhomesystems.com/
D1200, D1600 (12 and 16 channel power amps, Tripath)

Electronic Visionary Systems http://www.tweakaudio.com/
EVS-2 (http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Amp_page.html) (ICEPower)

Flying Mole http://www.flyingmoleelectronics.com/
(proprietary class-D)

Gilmore Audio http://www.glacieraudio.com/
Raven, Raptor, Dragonfly (http://www.glacieraudio.com/new%20Glacier%20Audio%20Site/Products%20folder/Gilmore/Gilmore-amps.htm) m/ch (looks like ICE)

Halcro http://www.halcro.com/logic/home.asp
Lyrus

H2O Audio http://www.iceh2oaudio.com/
M250, M500 (ICEpower)

Integra /Onkyo http://www.integrahometheater.com/
DTA 9.4 (http://www.integrahometheater.com/model.cfm?class=Separates&m=DTA-9.4&p=i) 7x120W 8Ω

Jeff Rowland http://www.jeffrowland.com/
(ICEPower)

Jjaz Audio http://www.jjaz.dk/
(ICEPower)

Kharma http://www.kharma.com/
MP150 (http://www.kharma.com/frame.htm?products/matrix/mp150.htm)

LC Audio http://www.lcaudio.com/
Predator SE (http://www.lcaudio.com/index.php?page=37) (ZapPulse)

Marantz http://www.marantz.jp
Opsodis ES-150 (http://www.marantz.jp/ce/products/hometheater/opsodis/es150/index.html) (D2Audio) 2ch virtual surround

Medius [DK] http://www.medius.cc/
A II, A III (http://www.medius.cc/index2.asp?target=products&subtarget=amplifiers&view=amplifiers)

MG Audiolabs http://www.mglaudiolabs.com/
Symphony (http://www.mglaudiolabs.com/products/symphony.htm) (Hypex UcD)

Midgard Audio http://www.midgardaudio.no/www/
(ICEPower)

MindCraft (NL) http://www.mindcraft.nl/
Media Amp One (http://www.mindcraft.nl/mediaampone.htm) (Hypex UcD)

Murano-Audio (TW) http://www.murano-audio.com/
P500, P1000 (ICEPower)

NHT http://nhthifi.com/
Power2 (http://nhthifi.com/2006/products/s/power2.html), Power5 (http://nhthifi.com/2006/products/s/power5.html) (ICEpower)

Nuforce http://www.nuforce.com/
Ref 8, Ref 8b, Ref 9 (nPhysics proprietary class-D)

NuVo Technologies http://www.nuvotechnologies.com/
NV-P2100 (http://www.nuvotechnologies.com/prozone/nv_p2100.htm)

Onkyo http://www.onkyo.com/
A-1VL, A-9755, A-9555 (http://www.eu.onkyo.com/indices/index_com_en_53538.html) (?)

PSAudio http://www.psaudio.com/
GCA, GCMC (ICEPower)

Red Dragon Audio http://www.reddragonaudio.com/
(ICEpower)

RedWineAudio http://www.redwineaudio.com/
Clari-T, Lotus (Tripath)

Rotel http://www.rotel.com/
1077 (7x100), 1092 (2x500) (ICEPower)

Sharp http://www.sharpusa.com/
SM-SX1, SM-SX100

Sonneteer http://freespace.virgin.net/sonneteer.audio/bronte.html
Brontë (Tripath)

Sony http://www.sony.com/
TA-DA9000ES, TA-FA1200ES (http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/stoneaudio/products/details.asp?product=2439) (S-Master)

Spectron http://www.spectronav.com/
Musician, Troubador (int amp w digital inputs)

TactAudio/Lyngford http://www.tactaudio.dk/ http://www.lyngford.com/
Millennium & others (Equibit)

TEAC Esoteric http://teac.co.jp/av/esoteric/
AZ-1 pre-main (translated (http://babel.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.teac.co.j...)

ThetaDigital http://www.thetadigital.com/
Virtu PowerDAC (http://www.thetadigital.com/press-release/virtu-09-06.htm) (Zetex class-Z)

UniwaveTek http://www.uniwavetek.com/
Anaco II

Yamaha http://www.yamaha.com/
MX-D1