Bedini 25/25 1 meg

I love my Bedini 25/25 (original owner for 1981) driving Shahenian Obelisks. But I need to have it restored. Can anyone here recommend someone with the knowledge and capability (and maybe actually knew John and John's build philosophy) who can restore my 25/25 to its original sound? I have had it serviced twice by a local McIntosh repair specialist and though all specs read fine, the sound is less than the legendary 25/25 musical transparency and power. Please. if anyone here knows who can restore a Bedini 25/25 to sound like a Bedini 25/25 - please tell me. I am collecting names.

I have 3 Bedini amps. Amazing if used correctly. The 1 Meg designation refers to 1 megahertz in frequency response if I remember correctly. It was applied to the souped up version of several models. The price asked was correct for a 1 meg due to the rarity of them. Go find another one and you will see. They come up once every few years. The regular models can be had for less. 

I believe “audiospec” aka Will Vincent has worked with the Bedini brothers and services Bedini amps. I have no affiliation,but I believe I have seen posts by him on this forum. 

I have a 100/100 in a system in my office, and it does not run all that hot, more warm to the touch. Drives my Arc's with authority with no strain at all. I run it with a Quicksilver Tube pre and stream from various sources during my work day.

@atl4love There is a bedini 100/100 for sale from a seller close by. I will try to see if I can audition it. Will the 100/100 run super hot though? It is really hot here where I live. Also do I have to use special speaker cables for the bedinis? Thanks.

You better get yourself a bedini 100/100 for 1/3 prices of that 25/25 just making sure they are dual transformers like 25/25 then I bet you are not far behind the 25/25 plus you get more head room and that amp can drives any speakers better than 25/25 for sure !

@br3098  Makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the great advice.

Have you ever heard a Bedini amplifier? I ask because Bedini amps have a unique sound (IMO) that is not for everyone. When I purchased my first pair of Shahinian Obelisks some years ago I was advised to drive them with a Bedini 45/45 or 100/100. I tried a pair of the latter - not my cup of tea. But lots of other folks love them. I will agree with jjss49 that these are older Class A amps, which means by default that they were rode hard and put away wet.

My advise: try before you buy and make sure that you factor the cost of a rebuild into your purchase price.

I am not trying to talk you out of buying a Bedini amp. Just make sure that you understand what you are getting into. I think it's essential that you listen to any amp with your speakers and other gear before committing. Unless you can flip this piece of gear without a substantial loss if you don't like it.

@roberjerman thanks for the suggestions, will do! 

That's a high price to pay! I bought a Bedini 150/150 for less than 1/3 of that! I recommend waiting until a Bedini amp becomes available for under a grand! One with more power than the 25/25 would be more suitable for your speakers.

@jjss49  Thanks for the info, just read that thread you linked, very helpful. Also seems that the listing price at $1800 for a bedini 25/25 is a bit higher than normal. I would probably hold on to my curiosity and wait to see if a bel 1001 or forte model 4a pops up in the future. Thanks!

iirc correct the 1 meg designation was given to john’s highest tier of quality amps... they had more power supply filtration and best transistor selection, and was rated at slightly lower distortion than the non 1 meg versions

25/25 will not drive 86 db speakers to comfortable levels in a good size room, may be ok for nearfield

you realize with a bedini, you are buying a 40+ year old amp (will need recap if nothing else), john bedini is deceased, and current owners are rather challenged to get the amps serviced these days.... yes?

eyes open before you leap ...

ps - further info, in case you have not seen:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/classic-cult-affordable-class-a-solid-state-amplifiers-bedini-fort?highlight=bedini