M400’s have an 1800 VA Ultralinear power transformer! 400 800 1600 W/Ch @ 8 4 2 Ohms respectively....uh, that sounds pretty damn beefy to me son 🥩
D'agostino amplifiers: where's the beef?
So I've owned two of the classic monster Krell amplifiers from the distant past, the KSA 50 and later the KSA 250. Both great amplifiers in their time and both collectible for those interested in that kind of stuff. I'm generally a fan of D'agostino as a consequence.
I'm currently shopping for a new solid state amplifier to pair with potentially new speakers (Wilson or YG or Von Schweikert or Magico or Joseph - long story for another day).
So recently while auditioning at my local dealer the system was powered by the current D'agostino M400 mono amplifiers. While the sound was good I couldn't help but notice how TINY the $65K amplifiers were sitting on stands near the speakers. OK they had nice metal work and were shiny but I couldn't help wonder WHY are these things so expensive?! Later at home photo's of the insides of these amps on Google led me to wonder even more!! The power supplies and interior construction in these things are nothing like the monster supplies and parts in the classic Krell's
Plus while the Krell's were expensive in their day (with great sound) the current D'agostino's have absurd pricing, far exceeding inflation.
Are people spending this kind of money for fancy heat sinks? Really?
I'd rather have an old Krell and a new Porsche Boxster or C8 Corvette for the same money.
Any one else have similar impressions?
I'm currently shopping for a new solid state amplifier to pair with potentially new speakers (Wilson or YG or Von Schweikert or Magico or Joseph - long story for another day).
So recently while auditioning at my local dealer the system was powered by the current D'agostino M400 mono amplifiers. While the sound was good I couldn't help but notice how TINY the $65K amplifiers were sitting on stands near the speakers. OK they had nice metal work and were shiny but I couldn't help wonder WHY are these things so expensive?! Later at home photo's of the insides of these amps on Google led me to wonder even more!! The power supplies and interior construction in these things are nothing like the monster supplies and parts in the classic Krell's
Plus while the Krell's were expensive in their day (with great sound) the current D'agostino's have absurd pricing, far exceeding inflation.
Are people spending this kind of money for fancy heat sinks? Really?
I'd rather have an old Krell and a new Porsche Boxster or C8 Corvette for the same money.
Any one else have similar impressions?
77 responses Add your response
I like the steam-punk style of his amps. Never heard one and probably never will. Often we get caught up in the marketing of parts inside the boxes and parts can make a difference, and several brands make a big deal about this and push it in their marketing. But are those parts put together to produce the sound you like? If not...do the parts matter? I like to get the best sound for money spent...that said, buy what you want and enjoy it! We will all leave this planet one day and you sure can’t take it with you!😀 |
I heard a couple of the D'Agostino's running a giant pair of Magico speakers at Axpona in 2019. They were set up at the end of a deadend hallway surround on 2 sides by glass, and they made it sound like a live concert. It was one of the best sounding setups at the show, and the most amazing part was that it was in the back of a hallway, not even a room. Yea, crazy expensive, but sound amazing. -Geoff |
ebm Lets not bad rap Dan his stuff looks and sounds wonderful.If you can not afford it don't give it a negative rap.HELLO!!! It looks like an invite from the OP for others to share their thoughts and opinions. Should they not be free to do this? I don't believe he asked for positive thoughts only. |
The OP never said anything in the initial post about the sound quality. So what it's expensive? So is a lot of other stuff out there. Cars, clothes, airplanes, yachts, cameras, Art, and don't get me started on watches. Oh man! How does it stack up (sound) in an A/B comparison with other similar quality and costs amps? That is the test. Don't change anything but the particular equipment to be tested. I've heard these and other D'agostino products many times. I can tell you that they are top quality sound. He wasn't held back by the issues he encountered at Krell. Yeah, they are expensive. So is Boulder, and a lot of other audio equipment out there. Everything here is relative. I don't even discuss the price of my equipment with people that don't know about or appreciate sound quality. They think I am crazy probably. But they have no problem distinguishing between a Subaru (nice, by the way) and a Mercedes S-class or Bentley. But go buy a Patek Phillippe watch and you are on the far side of nuts to them. Even an Omega watch may be too much. So, it's all relative. enjoy |
As I said I'm a fan of Dan's stuff - when it was obvious why it was expensive. And I agree his new amps sound good as well. Just where's the beef? The parts inside these new amps are modest for what they cost. That's all. And I'm wondering if others have taken note as well. Is calling a spade a spade such a bad thing? |
While I don't disagree with anything you're saying, I also know that yg acoustics uses D’Agostino amplifiers in their in-factory listening room. Given that they could afford to have anything in there, I do believe those amplifiers can be a preferred option under some use cases and there is more to the brand than bling. Unfortunately I've never gotten to hear any A/B's vs competition. |
D’Agostino is a brand that I believe appeals to an a’phile who primarily is concerned with the look of the case...and not so much the total SQ. While his amps and preamps don’t seem to fall down in the SQ department anywhere, I think they can be bettered by a number of competing products at equal and lower price points. You will not get the ’bling’ factor that his products are known for ( fancy casing, large dials and gauges etc) but you will get superior sound in some instances. IME, High end is solidly in the camp of price high/ high looks. This is a marketing decision based on an obvious knowledge of who the current high end/high price consumer is...and more importantly what he expects to spend for the ’look’. Your older KSA50 and KSA 250 were from a period when function was more important than form, now it is swinging the other way, IMO. |
state of the art/excellent/good/high quality are all notions that exist in the eye of the beholder as is expensive/high value/smart money spent as is new/modern/interesting/sexy but the thing about money and time is... money is important, till you run out of time, then all the money in the world can’t buy you more time d’agostino is audio jewelry, good sounding, great looking, if you are into the looks and have fat wallet but given the above, who are we to criticize who makes and buys stuff that seems ridiculous to some of us |
