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Counterpoint Hybrid Amps: How do they sound?

I've been curious about the Counterpoint SA-100 and NPS amps. They had a tube driver stage and MOSFET outputs. How do they sound compared to other things out there? Are they reliable? Counterpoint was famous for having equipment that was unstable and blew up. I had been told that the designer was not as technically adept an engineer, and that was why the circuit designs were not the most stable, and certain components were stressed in the circuit.

Anyway, the concept of hybrid amps has always been interesting, and very controversial. The different thoughts:

Hybrid amps have the best of tubes and solid state.

Hybrid amps have the worst of tubes and solid state combined.

Hybrid amps should use tube input stages and solid state output stages.

Hybrid amps should use solid state input stages and tube output stages.

YOUR EXPERIENCE & OPINIONS?
kevziek

Showing 1 response by quercus

quercus
4 posts
 
I see I am a bit late posting about a Counterpoint SA-220 and what is now a NP-220.  I have been busy listening and not reading audio blogs.  It has been a rock solid amp providing organic, emotional content through the loudspeakers.  I could never overdrive the amp and it has provided 22+ years of service.  
 
When it changed from mosfet to bi-polar outputs (my fault) the bass tightened up and the overall sound sobered up some, but as has been spoken before, it always sounded best when it was well warmed up.

To sum up, my wife (a non performance audio type) plays her music with friends in the room louder then polite company would approve because the music is so involving and all the women appreciate that.  That spells it out for me. 

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