Whatever you do get the very best you can possibly afford stretch if you have to. Great old gear is great stuff. Mediocre becomes. ....,This is a golden rule of buying used and older things. Think in terms of the best gear you can, go from there.
I cannot make a direct recommendation because I use tube amps, with less juice than you need want etc. I once, owned a big MF integrated and didn't like all that much. |
erik,
I'm not a fan of class a amps, that's why I question the extended class a of the Stratos. I'm sure it sounds great but I'd like to know how it's implemented.
In the case of each amp suggested above I've scanned google images and articles to get a handle the structure and construction along with the reviews and attributes.
One of the downsides (for me) of a lot of these amps is the lack of available schematics and service manuals. I like to see how the basic electronic foundation is laid out and know I could repair it myself if necessary.
Along the same lines, the upside is that most of the discrete components they contain are still available.
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Meadowman,
Glad to hear very positive comments from another ML fan.
I believe they are some of the best bargains on the used market today.
I currently have 5 pairs(!), Swifts, Ospreys, Kestrel HRs, Kestrel IIs, and Swallows.
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Had one of those as well as an odyssey stratos plus, both are solid recomendations.
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Well... all of those are great... but... why not get a "giant killer" that's new, which will rival any of these, which won't require cap maintenance any time soon, and which will drive most anything...
I've got the ClassDAudio (brand) SDS-470C, which has incredible, "world-class" sound, and which costs less than your budget - but, very hard to better at any price. You might want to check them out - very little risk. |
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There are a lot of great choices mentioned, but I would add a McCormack DNA-1 to the list.
Michael |
As a 10+ year dealer for Meadowlark and a 20 + year owner of Heron i speakers, Ospreys, and Kestrel Hotrods I feel somwhat qualified to chime in. your speakers are exceptional. Amplification is a personal choice almosy as much as speakers. An Ayre v3 is a killer match. A power.modules aria amp might be even better. A Rogue Audio stereo 100 will make you smile every note you play.
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yea add muse model 6, McCormack DNA 125. |
Lots of amps do this. They sound great.
Focusing too much on the alleged negatives of each technology leaves you buying nothing but massive Class A amps. Listen instead.
Best,
E
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There is a Bryston 3B-ST listed here for under a grand. The dealer has a 30 day return policy! |
I do have a Odyssey Khartago extreme, if you are interested, Very nice amp. |
I don't know the years on any of these, but they are all old and great sounding... Most are probably older than your list, but most will still compete today at their full retail price. I do agree with a couple of recommendations above, but wanted to offer more suggestions.
Tim
Audio Research D100.2
Muse One Hundred Sixty
Sumo Andromeda II or III
Hafler 9505
Parasound HCA2200II
Adcom GFA 5802 |
Don't know about year of manufacture but a good solid 2-channel amp in your price range would be a Cambridge Audio 840W.
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Everyone,
I'm pleased with all the responses and got a lot of good suggestions to keep an eye out for.
The one that's got me the most interested is the Odyssey Stratos. It has the longevity to fit my time and (hopefully) discount parameters, but I do have a question about it.
The Odyssey is supposed to operate in class a for the first 10 watts and switch to class b above that. How is that transition handled without inducing the dreaded GM doubling issue?
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I had an sv237 and it did sound very nice.
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I just found that Vincents are designed in Germany and built in China.
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I like my Sunfire - the caps don't last forever, so you may need to replace after 20+ years.
BTW, Nominal Z: 8 ohms is fine, but be sure the entire impedance vs. freq. graph has no dips into low ohms (for most amps). I expect a Sunfire will not care.
I've heard Vincent pre-amps and they sound nice, but I'd worry about the co. going belly up, as many small co.s do... |
I only make reference to this ad because I own one, no affiliation with the seller. There is a Musical Fidelity A308 integrated for sale here on Audiogon. They don’t come up for sale too often and for good reason. I have had mine since new and still have no desire to replace it. At that time I was working in the A/V industry, and happen to meet and talk with US distributor for MF. I was surprised that he also used the A308. Thinking he would have the flagship model above costing twice as much, I asked why. He said it was more power but the A308 was a little sweeter sounding. The Soundstage review listed in the ad is spot on describing the sound. It will stretch your budget, but you would be happy for a long time.
It was made in England and the last of the products, other than flagship models to be made in England.
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To all those recommending Sunfires, Bob Carver designs have been on my list for a while. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Kalali,
The Vincent is gorgeous but I don't think it's been around long enough such that used models are in my budget range. If I'm wrong on this please advise. Also, where is it made? I did a quick search but didn't find an answer to that.
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Though older than the '90's, an old Adcom GFA 555 would be my rec. Besides being cheap on the used market, they can be upgraded by Music Fidelity. I still have mine and it works as good as it did 25 years ago.
Mr. Pass made a heck of an amp. |
My personal favorite integrated is Vincent SV237 hybrid integrated. It gives you 150 wpc @ 8 ohm and 250 wpc @ 4 ohm. I have their SP331 hybrid amp and I think their products are underrated. A very overall neutral sound with nice punchy bass. Brand new $2500.
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I can echo all the recommendations for the Sunfire as well. Just took possession of one yesterday and it is very musical indeed.
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Another vote for the Sunfire . It is musical , Powerful , Refined . It just sounds like music . |
yogiboy,
Good question!
I've had good experiences buying nearly top shelf items of that era paying between 1/10 and 1/4 of the MSRP (back then) and it's still recent enough not to need a complete overhaul.
For years I've used vintage components that I rehabbed myself but I'm looking to get more recent.
I'll be 60 next summer and getting into the home stretch till retirement so I'm trying to be frugal. I don't mind taking a risk on older components if I can get them at a good price because I've already done a good deal of electrical repair.
I definitely want components made either in US, Canada, or Japan. That leaves a lot of the newer items out.
However, I just checked and see Van Alstine is made in the US, so thanks for the tip.
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For a used power amp, another vote for Sunfire.
Sunfire 300 Load Invariant... circa 1998, $700 to 1000.
Sunfire 300-Two amp ... 2004, upgraded design. $900 to $1100
Often found on Ebay. Will drive any speaker. |
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Here are the specs for Mike's Meadowlark Audio Osprey:
Bandwidth: 30Hz - 24KHz
Sensitivity: 88dB 2.83V 1M room.
Nominal Z: 8 ohms
It seems that his request for 120-150 wpc should be plenty of power, depending on room size and listening levels. Assuming he has a moderate to large size room, and listens at moderate to loud levels, he should be fine.
He would only need more power if in a VERY large room, and/or listening levels are concert hall levels. IMHO. |
Paraneer,
Either integrated or power amp would be acceptable. I do have a couple of preamps, one is an AGI 511.
But I wouldn't let what I have as a preamp affect what I select as a power amp. I could upgrade that later as well.
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The Parasound A23's are really great, run around that.
Arcam also makes very nice receivers/integrateds I'm a huge fan of.
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My main speakers are Meadowlark Audio Ospreys.
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I would be looking for an amp within my budget that could properly drive my speakers. So what speakers do you have?
Also, are you looking for an integrated amp or power amp? |
Sunfire amps are true champs! |
Mike, check out Odyssey Audio Stratos. You could even get a brand new one for $1395, or if buying used, you could get a Plus or Extreme version. |
You'll get a wide range of suggestions on this question but the suggestions can be more helpful if you share what other components, particularly speakers you will be driving with this amplifier. |
