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ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 OR CLASSE CT 5300??

Good afternoon all,
i am currently in the market for a 5 channel power amplifier. i just recently sold my classe audio ca 5200 and i truthfully LOVED IT. It has been THE BEST multichannel power amplifier i have owned PERIOD. I loved the smoothness and soundstage. i felt it had a taste of 'tube like sound' if you will. That being said, my plan was simply to move up to the ct 5300 which has more power and some say it has better bass control than the ca5200 which was one of the things it was criticized for. however, i started to read reviews on the new ATI SIGNATURE 6005 and its amazing noise floor etc and of course every magazine is raving about it. Having owned outlaw audio amplifiers before which are built by ATI as well, i am wondering if the signature series is just a little better than the regular at series ? they seem to be a little on the forward side, but i have spoken to several dealers who claim the signature series is neutral, not forward and that it is a spectacular upgrade over their regular series. However, i don't really see anyone else who has given it their own review and comparing against their former amplifier. yes, there is a reviewer who said it was just as good if not better than his parasound a51.
My current set up is martin logan montis, motif x, and i will eventually get the martin logan EFX surrounds. AS far as a processor, i am only using the ps audio dac as a preamplifier because i am waiting on the marantz 8802 to release in february. i would say i am about 60% music, 40% movies.
Given my situation, what would you guys get? i would love to know anyone's input.
128x128jays_audio_lab

Showing 5 responses by scvan

scvan
99 posts
 
Whitecamaross.

Look at it the amps. Lexicon amp ATI amp

Don't they look identical except for color? Both have the same specs too. Shocking isn't it.

I'm not sure about the RX-7, but I'm pretty sure it was the previous Lexicon amps that were made by Crown, but not identical designs to any Crown, it was just their manufacturing plant.
scvan
99 posts
 
I agree with what Clpetersen.

ATI makes some of the best SS amps out there. The slew rate is fast/ sq wave input is nearly perfect. It is an incredibly fast amp. I don't think ATI makes most of their money from selling ATI amps, but instead is a supplier of amps for many big name companies. They are well known in the industry as a go to place for amps.

450W on a 91dB rated speaker (montis rating) is a ton of power. I'm not sure of the size of your room, but I know I wouldn't want to be near it at anywhere near is at full volume. The bass module in those speakers only has a 200W amp and the bass requires more energy to produce to same SPL, so I wouldn't worry about the power rating of the ATI.
Also, if you even consider putting out 600W/ch into just a few of your speakers you will easily blow a 20A circuit. That is really a TON of power.

I've owned both classe and ATI amps. Both are great amps. Both are very neutral and you really couldn't go wrong with either of them. The ATI is made in the US, the Classe in China.

I don't think your concern of bass is accurate because your mains have a built in woofer which means the amp won't be getting much draw for anything below 340Hz.
scvan
99 posts
 
Your new amp is the same as the Lexicon ZX-7. I'm not sure which sold more, but they are out there.

Please let us know your thoughts.
scvan
99 posts
 
Whitecamaross,

As clpetersen stated,
I think well designed SS amps have reached a high level of maturity
Most good SS amps are more alike than different. I can almost promise you that ZX7 and ATI are identical, I think they even came out the same year. I don't think that is anything to worry about. I know of only a few amps able to put out this level of clean power. The first that comes to mind is the Boulder mono that requires a 240V line. This amp requires 2 separate 120V lines because the power supplies are so goof that they can pull that much power.
Easily one of the most important parts of any amp is the PS unit because if you don't have good clean power there it doesn't matter what is after that.

If you don't like the ATI, contact me because I'll buy it from you. I guarantee it can go up against mono or stereo amps at multiples its cost.
scvan
99 posts
 
Whitecamaross,

Your source may be mistaken. There is no 7 channel ML amp. The 7 channel amp from Harman is the Lexicon amp. It is probably true that most ML amps are also made by ATI, but this is not one of them. I assume they all use the same technology.
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