2. best-of
  3. 946442905

Best solid-state amp made anywhere

I'd like to open up this "best of" to include amps from New Zealand, Canada, France, England, Germany and (my personal favorite) Italy, as well as whoever else I've left out (no extraterrestrial amps, please). I have spent some time with the most amazing solid state amp - made by Aloia of Italy and uses an inductive (!) power supply. These amps have a naturalness and ease I haven't previously encountered in solid state, not even Pass or Claytons. Have you noticed that the Italians make superb audio equipment? In this country, audio engineering is to engineering as podiatry is to medicine. It just doesn't typically draw the cream of the crop. In Italy music matters far more, and audio equpiment is designed by people who will make an opera singer sing her part over if they aren't satisfied with her performance. Well enough sociology - what's your vote for best solid state amp?
captain_imho
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
If you are into used components, I have always been impressed with the Motif preamps made by Conrad Johnson in the late 80s. New they were $2250 to $5000 depending on model. Used they are $500 to $1000 and a bargain, because they were made to last forever.
stevej
2 posts
 
I'm a fan of the Rowland amps given my experience with the Model 8 I picked up a few months ago. Since system matching is usually a factor it needs stating that my experience is with the Rowland 8, Avalon speakers, Muse front end/preamp, and Discovery Essential/Essence interconnects/speaker cables providing excellent refinement, musicality, and the rest of what you'd expect in a great system.
lkern
12 posts
 
Exposure DR4 or 16 Monos. They take control of your speakers and lets them do what they were designed to do. They have great musicality, resolution without the edge, and dynamic refinement to make the listener get involved.
mitch
27 posts
 
Lamm m1.1 or lamm m2.1 Let them warm 45min then listen 3d palpability detail and no amusical soldi state edge you simply have trouble leaving your music system ITS THAT GOOD
slawney
242 posts
 
Here are two manufactuers from two different European countries that make excellent solid-state amplifiers: --Germany: Lindemann (check out the website, and affordable!) --France: Lavardin (again, check out their website which has a nice description of their design philosophy. The company started out with research into tube sound, and were committed to achieving the strengths of tubes with transistors. I heard the Lavardin reference equipment with Simon Yorke S7 and S9 turntables, Avalon speakers, and NBS and Fadel Art cables at High End 2000 in Germany and thought the sound was--I will choose my words carefully here--the most "intellectually involving" at the show. The Lavardin's are also affordable, and they team up well with Avalon speakers)
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