I must be the only one here that likes Parasound. I have had a few with the HCA-1500A the best one so far. I have two I run in mono to drive Vandersteen 3A’s, which sound really nice. At $350 each, I think it’s not only reliable, but a great value! I’m pretty sure that most of the gear listed so far costs more. So I think it’s important to differentiate price point. I think John Curl is a top circuit designer. It’s too bad the amps don’t have a more distinctive "cool" look like some of the amps mentioned here.
Amps from the 1980's -- What gear holds up sonically? Reliably?
Hi Everyone,
For me, the 1980s were a real "golden age" of amplifiers. Dr. Leach’s paper on building a low TIM amplifier had been widely distributed and relied on by budding designers, and lots of boutique brands came. It was also the era of the biggest of the Conrad Johsnon tube amps as well and the invention of the MOSFET.
For me, brands I cared about:
I’m curious who is still listening to these vintage pieces, and which brands you think have stood up both in terms of reliability and / or sonics ?
For me, the 1980s were a real "golden age" of amplifiers. Dr. Leach’s paper on building a low TIM amplifier had been widely distributed and relied on by budding designers, and lots of boutique brands came. It was also the era of the biggest of the Conrad Johsnon tube amps as well and the invention of the MOSFET.
For me, brands I cared about:
- Threshold
- Sumo
- Perreaux (New Zealand, very pretty)
- Tandberg
- Hitachi
- Kyocera
- Nikko
- Krell (of course)
- CJ
- ARC
- Yamaha (professional)
- Carver
- Mark Levinson
- Amber
- Tandberg
I’m curious who is still listening to these vintage pieces, and which brands you think have stood up both in terms of reliability and / or sonics ?
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- 165 posts total
- 165 posts total