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Economy amps from Channel, Nixon, etc?

Can anyone comment on the sound of some economy amps that impressed them with the sound quality? Companies like Channel Island, Scott Nixon, and Clarity amp (from 6moons) as compared to the more common amps like NAD and Rotel?
Would these small companies offer better value?
cdc

Showing 2 responses by reubent

reubent
7,093 posts
 
I have the Channel Islands VMB-1 mono-blocks and they are really good sounding amps. I have owned amps that cost twice as much but didn't sound nearly as good to my ears.

I was tempted last week by a pair of Scott Nixon mono-blocks that showed up here on AudiogoN. I would love to try them as I've fallen squarely into the "less is more" camp when it comes to audio.

Enjoy,

TIC
reubent
7,093 posts
 
Cdc,

The CIaudio VMB-1's are a lot more expensive than the Samson at $999 direct from Dusty. The SN amps are a bit less expensive, but a far cry more than $189.

I'm not a betting man, but I would guess that the Samson sounds more like the Adcom than the Channel Islands.

Lastly, the CIaudio and SN amps have a lot less power than the Samson. If you can get by with lower power, like 30-50 watts of solid state, there are a lot of inexpensive choices. In addition to CI, SN and Clari-T, you could likely get by with a single Monarchy Audio SM-70 or SM-70Pro for about $300-400 used or a Quad 99 for $400 used.

The Quad 99 might be a good choice as it has more power and it has gotten some great reivews.

Enjoy,

TIC
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