Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode. Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc. My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.
I have sampled so far in order of preference:
-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new -Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-
-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new -Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?
What else would you think might be worth a listen? I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution. Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.
I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db. Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic feet. Treated as needed.
I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run. Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.
Price range $5k max. Used preferred. Willing to wait.
Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about: Ayre, Naim, Linn
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts. Please do not feel compelled to respond if you have not been here in the last few years.
@chorus, I recommend trying to get a listen to the Bakoon 13R class A SS amplifier. It works extremely well with Cube Audio Nenuphar’s. Suggest reading Srajan’s review on Six Moons. It’s extremely compact, a work of art. It has its own volume control and two sets of rca inputs. It also has a BNC input reserved for use with a Bakoon dac. If you were in the U.K. we could lend you one to try.
@chorus, What did you not like about the 120S you sold? Can you describe what was missing for you? Much has to do with speakers too, of course.
I have to ask, and know a few who bounced back and forth between that 120 amp and SS and back to tube later, not having bought the right SS amp. You’ve already demo’d the Pass XA-25, and with "94db" sensitivity speakers, that should be a really good benchmark reference, pending a good preamp and good speaker matching.
Don’t know if I’m too late to chime in, but I’m a huge fan of Balanced Audio Technology (BAT). I’ve got an older VK-600 with bat pack and love it paired with a tube vk-5i with my planar Apogee speakers. Granted I’m on the other end of efficiency from what you are looking for, but I love their purist, keep the design as straight forward as possible and built like a tank philosophy.
As the owner of Ayre gear, be advised their products are very neutral, typically double at 4 ohms and are stable down to 2 ohms. Excellent customer support from Ayre. Pass Labs amps sound more like your tube gear and are of great quality. Another brand to consider pre-owned is Mark Levinson. More power than you are seeking (as are Ayre amps), built like a tank, stable to 2 ohms, tremendous power reserves. (I also own a 20 yr old Levinson amp that still sounds great.) I’ve listened to a current $10k Luxman integrated amp and liked the sound, but it clipped badly at moderately high volumes with my 84 dB sensitivity speakers. Haven’t listened to your speakers so I cannot say any more. Happy listening.
First Watt amps to my ears are nothing special. Built a class A amp following the First Watt design but point-to-point wired and used a few better parts and that easily beats the First Watt.
Ah. So here’s another idea — there’s a McCormack DNA 0.5 available on eBay for $575. If you buy it and send it to SMcAudio for full mods you’ll basically have a new SOTA amp for well under $5k with great musicality. And your energy bill will thank you. Just another option since Class A not a necessity.
A new Clayton Audio S40 is $4500 new. I’d also look at a Valvet E2, and although it only does 20wpc @ 4Ohms it’s said to be capable of driving speakers like yours and may be fine as you don’t tend to listen too loudly. Last, there’s a used Plinius SA103 available on US Audio Mart for about $5k, which conveniently has a low-bias switch for non-critical listening or if you just want to leave the amp powered on to stay warmed up and ready to play. I think the Valvet May be the best sounding overall, but if you’re looking for a little more warmth/bloom I’d get the S40. Anyway, just three more options FWIW, and best of luck.
some of the First Watt amps do double down into 4 ohms. Even if they don't, that doesn't mean they aren't a good match for your speakers. Depends on if you drive them into clipping and how much headroom you need.
I have a Pass XA30.8 that I believe is going to be here for the long haul. Stays in Class A up to 30W at 8 ohms and does easily double down. Puts out much more if you drive it past class A but doubt if you ever would.
If class A is a requirement then I suppose you know Ayre, Naim, and Linn are all out. I have had the Naim 250DR for extended periods and it is a wonderful amp, worth a listen. Should be able to pick one up in the $3000 range.
If people are in this price range, my three suggestions, for you to sample different takes are the following:
Pass Ayre Luxman
and since you are coming from tubes, might even want to try out the ARC integrated.
I think between the Pass, Ayre, Luxman triad you’ll definitely find your happy place, but if you are coming from FirstWatt, and already know you like the Pass I doubt you'll go any other way, still, worth you to listen to them and come back and tell me what you think of the other two.
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