Does Threshold equal newer amp designs?

Many of the Threshold / Forte' products built and designed by Nelson Pass EASILY surpass much of the "common" gear of today. One can easily pick up used gear from the above brands for $350 - $650 that will literally slap current amplifiers costing up to $3K silly. There are exceptions to this though, so don't think that i find these amps "unbeatable". For the money though, these amps offer some of the sweetest, airiest, most detailed (yet not hard or bright) sounding amps that "reasonable" money can buy. I have owned over 40+ amps in the last couple of years and still keep coming back to some of these as being my favorites. Spending more for the more expensive / bigger models starts to run into the land of "diminishing returns". Having said that, I still hope to one day own a pair of "updated" SA-12 Monoblocks. Sean >

No, i think that you are right Jmc. Some of these companies feel the need to change products just for the sake of change. It is NOT better, it is just newer. MANY older and original designs ARE better than their "latest & greatest" upgraded models. Taking some of these "antiques" and replacing internal components ( caps, resistors, etc...) with the best that technology currently has to offer brings them LIGHT YEARS beyond what is being offered nowadays by the competition.

As to the Threshold amps, i would not pigeon-hole them into the "musical" camp. These amps reveal a LOT of detail that most other amps gloss over. Some of the amps that you call "detailed" are actually beyond being "detailed" and sound hard, etched and sterile. There is NOTHING musical about the recordings as reproduced through these, as it has been broken down and analyzed to the point that it no longer blends together as a whole.

As i've said before, i think that most of us are walking that "fine line" between seeking "musicality" and "accuracy". So far, i think that some of the Threshold's come very close to being the best of both worlds. Then again, i've never heard some of Steve McCormack's amps, and they too are supposed to do this very well. Like anything else though, personal taste enters into the equation, so you'll have to rely on YOUR ears and likes / dislikes. Sean
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