I like this amp and think it falls in the class-D category. Still, it offers high power and high current well enough to drive my reference Thiel loudspeakers. Sounds excellent on cd/sacd. I did not hear it w/ a TT set-up. Happy Listening!
Anthem 225 - using an external phono amp
Hey guys. Long time lurker first time poster.
I previously had a Moon 220i (for sale if anyone interested btw) with a Moon110LP preamp running my B&W 683s. This was a switch from my Anthem MRX when I was running my vinyl on the same system as my home theatre. From day 1 I was underwhelmed by the sound of the Moon as it was just too underpowered for the 683s. I had thought a low power/high quality setup would work well for me in my dedicated music room. It didn’t.
I ended up switching to an Anthem 225 - I wanted power but didn’t want to spend north of 3 or 4000 on an amp. It actually was a lower price point than the Moon amp/phono amp combined. The sound is much better for my tastes - mostly classic rock, new rock and blues. I still found the mids a bit thin, but overall very good when you really have it warm and play it loud.
Story is getting a bit long, but I decided to try my old Moon 110LP phono amp on a different input to compare it to the 225’s built in phono stage. I had read mixed but generally positive reviews on it so wasn’t expecting too much difference. Boy was I wrong. It sounds absolutely amazing now. I can’t really find any holes in the sound, and across all volume ranges the music is far more full and pleasurable to listen to.
Has anyone else used a different phono amp with the 225? Am I crazy? It seems a bit redundant to use an external phonoamp - especially a fairly pricey one - when my integrated has a "built in" phono stage already, but it just seems to really make a difference. Especially when it was just lying around waiting to get sold. It also begs the question - is the 225's phono stage actually "good?"
I previously had a Moon 220i (for sale if anyone interested btw) with a Moon110LP preamp running my B&W 683s. This was a switch from my Anthem MRX when I was running my vinyl on the same system as my home theatre. From day 1 I was underwhelmed by the sound of the Moon as it was just too underpowered for the 683s. I had thought a low power/high quality setup would work well for me in my dedicated music room. It didn’t.
I ended up switching to an Anthem 225 - I wanted power but didn’t want to spend north of 3 or 4000 on an amp. It actually was a lower price point than the Moon amp/phono amp combined. The sound is much better for my tastes - mostly classic rock, new rock and blues. I still found the mids a bit thin, but overall very good when you really have it warm and play it loud.
Story is getting a bit long, but I decided to try my old Moon 110LP phono amp on a different input to compare it to the 225’s built in phono stage. I had read mixed but generally positive reviews on it so wasn’t expecting too much difference. Boy was I wrong. It sounds absolutely amazing now. I can’t really find any holes in the sound, and across all volume ranges the music is far more full and pleasurable to listen to.
Has anyone else used a different phono amp with the 225? Am I crazy? It seems a bit redundant to use an external phonoamp - especially a fairly pricey one - when my integrated has a "built in" phono stage already, but it just seems to really make a difference. Especially when it was just lying around waiting to get sold. It also begs the question - is the 225's phono stage actually "good?"