2. amps-preamps
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For classical music lovers best amp for large orchestral forces?

I recently upgraded my pre to an arc ref 6se. Currently using pas xa25. It's a very good amp but I'm noticing a fair amount of compression when playing large symphonic works. My speakers are Dalis and they are excellent as is the arc.

For smaller forces, chamber, piano and voices the system works beautifully. But if I'm looking for more transparency and a deeper sound stage for symphonies I find sometimes a boxy cramped sound. Looking to spend around 8k or less either tube or solid state. There have been discussions about the xa25 and what's better but they fill up immediately with tangents of philosophical and technical discussions of how one hears. I'm looking for as many possibilities of actual units that I can read about and possibly hear.

Thanks for your ideas.

roxy1927

Showing 1 response by mglik

mglik
888 posts
 

I am a proud and delighted owner of AGD Audions.

In 50 years at this, I have never heard anything like them.

A clear window into the music. Classical is amazing. So much air and separation between instruments. So sweet violins. 
And now there is the $5500 Tempo stereo AGD. Said to be very, very much like the Audions.

And then we now have the Atma-Sphere Class D monos. I don’t know for sure but believe them at the level of the AGD or beyond. 
Ralph, a designer of great tube amps for 50 years, has actually said that tube amps are now on “life support”. That we now have solid state Amos that are as organic and lovely as the best tube amps with greater detail and bass.

Both AGD and Atma are 100 watts  into 8 ohms and 200 into 4.

ARC amps have been developing their designs for many decades and their current amps are also superb. But much more pricey and, perhaps, more “traditional”.

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