Excellent Solid State or Hybrid Monoblocks Recommendations


I am interested in staying under 15k for a pair of high performing monoblocks, sold state or hybrid, to acquire. 

My current system is an Aric Audio Motherlode preamp, a Space-Tech super tube rectifier, Teac NT-505 modded dac, outboard clock, Aerial Acoustic 7T modded speakers, ENIGMAcoustics Sopranino supertweeters, Grover Huffman Pharoah biwire speaker cables, Zavfino Silver Dart interconnects, Melco 6TB server, Melco CD transport, Waversa Reference USB filter between the cd transport and server, Waversa Reference LAN filter, Synergistic Research active grounding block, and Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch UEF.

My modded JC1 monoblocks sound heavenly.  However, I am having issues with no sound coming out of 1 channel.  My modded PassLab X250.5 amps sound really good but lack the top end sparkle, air and litheness of the Parasounds JC1s.   I am gonna fire back up my Canary CA-160 modded tube monoblocks but am not wild about the tube maintenance requirements.

 

So, I seek another pair of monoblocks that excel in clarity, balance across the frequency spectrum but also present upper registers with delicacy, spaciousness, and nice instrument separation.  I am looking at Audio Van Alstine 750 wpc monoblocks and the Thrax black monoblocks up for sale here on Audiogon.  Other suggestions? 

Thanks in advance.

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xjaymark

@jaymark , Looking forward to reading your comments on Ralph’s D amps, as I have been reading this entire thread. Amplifiers are my thing as well. Enjoy ! MrD.

I have been running the Atma-Sphere Class D monoblocks for a little over a week. I really like them. I changed out my speaker cables to Acoustic Zen Absolute and these amps just came alive. I'm running a Lumin U2 to T+A Dac 200 to Class D amps. Very happy with my set up. Ralph is a magician!

Well, the Atma-Sphere 100 wpc class D monoblocks are very fine amplifiers. In listening to them I cannot identify anything in its sonic signature that screams class D. I have been surprised that the class D monoblocks seem to power my Aerial Acoustic 7ts effortlessly. The sonic signature of these amps is clean, pristine, non-fatiguing with very solid imaging. Nevertheless, I could see how it’s sonic signature would not be for everyone. While avoiding the nasties of solid state, is it tubelike? Perhaps it has some sonic traits of a very good hybrid or contemporary non-romantic tube amplifier.

I bought the PSAudio monoblocks and these amps virtually simultaneously. I like them both very much as neither amp will be returned or put up for sale.

Hey Jay, happy to hear you really like Ralphs monos, though Im not at all surprised, and as to the M1200s, prior to them being available Ric Schultz offered a ground up amp (including Italian chassis) using dual mono IcePower AS 1200 modules, plus all his pixie dusty. I also have a Voyager GaN 350 but sadly I managed to take out one channel,  so have  re-enjoying Rics amp for well over a year.

@jaymark Congrats on the new amps. You are likely the GAN expert on this site with all the GAN amps you have owned.

I have the Ric modded PeachTree GAN1 on the sidelines for over a year now. However, I will put it back in my Livingroom system today as I sell all my amps, except the CODA #16. The GAN1 is not powerful enough for the Livingroom but it is all I got until I get something else.