Amps that don’t impersonate space heaters.


There have been some epically hot periods in metropolitan Chicago this summer. I have had a long running affair with a pair of Avantgarde Uno s2’s and don’t really require a great deal of power. I have two dissimilar but equally compelling amps (a Pass 30.5 and a BAT vk-56) both prodigeous producers of heat creating a sauna like environment in my library/listening room the HVAC system not withstanding. What, if anything, have you boys and girls found that might replicate the qualities of my beloved amps minus the potential for 3rd degree burns and heat prostration?
Cheers and good fortune to you all. 

williamjohnston

Showing 9 responses by audphile1

I had Pass XA30.8 and X260.8 monos. Operating temperature was about 104-105!degrees Fahrenheit. I have Coda CSib V1 integrated now with 18w Class A that is smaller than Pass and runs at around 97-98 degrees. Not as much heat and not enough to become a nuisance. Sounds great too. The equivalent stereo amp is Coda no.8 V1. 

Yep it’s not enough to heat even a small room. And it sounds superb! The first 18w in Class A is what the Avant-garde are going to use. And most likely never exceed. It drives my Wilson Audio Sabrina (87db and 4ohm dipping into 2ohm) no problems. 

“Slam” is a very interesting attribute. What does it mean? Do you hear this “slam” when listening to live music? Is this “slam” an accurate representation of what’s on a recording or is it emphasis of particular frequency range that one component features over another? In most cases, “slam” is not real. Accurate reproduction/presentation is what I value in my system. This includes dynamics, tone, focus, layering, separation, soundstage. Coda is balanced pretty well in that regard. Imo

@ghdprentice you nailed it. Realistic and nuanced is exactly what I’m looking for as well. Accuracy of tone, expression, dynamics and articulation win any day over artificial “slam”.

@helomech Coda CSib appeared to have less bass than my Pass monoblocks initially in my system. As I spent more time with it, I realized the bass Coda produces is accurate, fast and tuneful. There’s plenty of it too. It will not shake walls which usually comes at the expense of quality of the bass and you end up with a one note huge bass output that lacks definition, texture and speed. Highly dependent on speakers, associated equipment and personal preferences though…

@helomech interesting. 
My Wilson Sabrinas are 87db and dip into 2ohm. 
I have 2 amps - CSIB and Boulder 866. Different bass but the Coda isn’t lacking. I’m slightly puzzled by your findings but it could be room and speakers. My system is in a pretty small room - 15x13

 

secretguy

1,678 posts

 

My amp puts out 200/400 and is stable at 2 ohms (550)....powers my Maggies without breaking sweat and sounds sublime. Unfortunately, I guess the name doesn't have the cache for some "audiophile" despite glowing reviews since it was introduced a few years ago. I don't even try to talk anyone into it anymore.

 

great recommendation for the OP! Now he can add another amplifier to his list of amps to consider.