cwlondon
Thank You for kicking off this thread! Happy Listening!
Thank You for kicking off this thread! Happy Listening!
Hall of Fame: BIGGEST BADDEST Monster Amps
There have been a lot of posts on:
"tube amps with balls"
"amps to drive my 1 ohm, inefficient speakers"
"amps for rock and roll"
"Levinson, Krell, Bryston, Pass Labs etc"
"sounds more powerful than its rating suggests"
"despite low rating, puts out huge current" etc.
But I somehow find these threads divergent and confusing and still cant seem to short list a new set of monoblocks to biamp (low end) and COMMAND my Magneplanar Tympanis, fill up a large room with EFFORTLESS dynamics and CONTROL the bass with no debates, questions, reservations or tweaky failures.
So let's please hear your thoughts:
What are the all time, hall of fame, MONSTER power amps, where there should be no doubt whatsover about HUGE amounts, of effortlessly dynamic, clean, smooth, audiophile power.
I have to think that for the low end of biamping, this should be a solid state amp, unless someone can really suggest an unusually robust and low maintenance tube amp.
Mark Levinson 20.6?
Pass X-600's?
Bryston 7 B monoblocks?
Parasound monoblocks?
Thank you.
"tube amps with balls"
"amps to drive my 1 ohm, inefficient speakers"
"amps for rock and roll"
"Levinson, Krell, Bryston, Pass Labs etc"
"sounds more powerful than its rating suggests"
"despite low rating, puts out huge current" etc.
But I somehow find these threads divergent and confusing and still cant seem to short list a new set of monoblocks to biamp (low end) and COMMAND my Magneplanar Tympanis, fill up a large room with EFFORTLESS dynamics and CONTROL the bass with no debates, questions, reservations or tweaky failures.
So let's please hear your thoughts:
What are the all time, hall of fame, MONSTER power amps, where there should be no doubt whatsover about HUGE amounts, of effortlessly dynamic, clean, smooth, audiophile power.
I have to think that for the low end of biamping, this should be a solid state amp, unless someone can really suggest an unusually robust and low maintenance tube amp.
Mark Levinson 20.6?
Pass X-600's?
Bryston 7 B monoblocks?
Parasound monoblocks?
Thank you.
81 responses Add your response
Emotiva XPR-1 1,000 watt @8 ohm Monoblocks are a seriously overlooked gem in high fidelity , open the hood and see McIntosh type lay out with an extremely robust parts list , I bought a pair on a whim because for $3,000 why not & they easily compete with my McIntosh Mc-1201 monoblocks ,the McIntosh 1201s are the absolute best bang for the dollar in high end audio ,after trying over 50 amps and 30 preamps the Mc-1201 and McIntosh C-2200 tube preamp combo has been so good it's been nearly a decade since I've had upgrade fever , the Mc-1201s drive Roger Russell's personal hand built XR-290 line arrays in Pearl white effortlessly and at 86db that says alot , meanwhile the Emotiva XPR-1 monoblocks drive the massive 80 speaker line arrays very well & it's not until both models of monoblocks are pushing 800 watts or more does McIntosh best the Emotivas except for the Mc-1201s having the McIntosh house sound from watt 1 due to the auto former design ,if you can find the now discontinued Emotivas you won't beat those $3,000 monoblocks without spending $20 grand & higher . |
Wait ....maybe you should see these amps from Line Magnetic Audio, Line Magnetic LM-1 212 Single Ended mono amplifier with tungar filament supplies. A mono SET amplifer... http://witchdoctor.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/WD-LM1-212.jpg https://witchdoctor.co.nz/index.php/2012/12/line-magnetic-now-available-in-new-zealand/ |
I can't speak to the Sanders Magtech amplifier since I haven't had the opportunity to audition it at home. It does have some unique design features most notably it's power supply well worth reading about. Generally and subjectively, I dislike the presentation of panel speakers especially if they,re curved. I also question my own impressions of demonstrations at audio shows. Life is too short not to mention the very few consistent stand outs that spoke to me. The full Sanders Sound system with and LP source has consistently, show after show, impressed me. I can't say if the system is simply environment friendly, a synergy matched success, or both. Most recently the Ayre amplified 9ft tall Soundlab Ultimates in what had to be the worst room for audio, a perfect cube, made side two of "Kind Of Blue" sound spectacular. In hindsight I was fortunate to have the room at the recent San Francisco (Millbrae) Audio Show very early Saturday morning all to myself. I revisited later in the afternoon and the demonstration was more about the speakers bass and SPL performance which, reportedly annoyed many but never the less proved their abilities. |
Gene Cerwinsky (Cerwin-Vega) produced one of the first commercially available high power (then 180-350 watts) in the early seventies. The amplifier an 18" driver and horn cabinet were the bottom behind the film "Earthquake." Theaters premiering the film were required to bolster their sound systems with the Ceriwn-Vega low frequency equipment and theaters never looked back. The driver found its way into the legendary 200 watt acoustic 360/361 folded horn Bass Amplifier which throws a twenty-five foot low E wavelength. Cerwin-Vega amplifiers were quickly followed by Ampzilla, Phase Linear, and Crown which were quit different in design from one another. For all those who complain about class D, in those days of early solid state the incredibly edgy presentation was easily overlooked for the high power output. Within months the controversy between tube watts vs solid state began and life as we know it was born. Personally, I bypassed the volume pots, replaced the capacitors, a few resistors, and most of the hook up wire in a Cerwin-Vega A1800 and the results were quite dramatic and used the amp well into the 80's to power the ever less efficient speakers being offered. |
The Legendary Krell FPB 700CX, I have a new modded one, 120 db signal to sound noise ratio stock, 6000 watts at 2ohm of pure class A power total power output!, extremly clear and clean sound with the modds, for stereo amps, this one is the most powerfull and none fatigueing Krell has ever made in my opinion. |
I have VTL Wotans and they do a very nice job, I won't sell them. That having been said, the Icepower 1000ASP (there are MANY amps that use this module, or simply build your own...) is the ticket for controlling bass, high power, high dampening factor, low impedences, etc. VERY taut bass, lots of power, sometimes can sound a little cold and dry, but you won't mind a bit. |
Yes, this is much less "divergent and confusing". The Tympany's don't require "monsters" and shouldn't respond well to tight-fisted control. They do like current and watts but not like heavy conventional dynamic bass drivers. Especially with an active XO, they are non-reactive loads. As always, you have to find the balance between brute strength and gentle finesse, even it's just for the bass. Never having owned any Maggies, don't have any specific recommendations. I do have planar magnetic hybrids and found a satisfying balance with Plinius and the older JRDG (models 8/9) amps (which seems contrary to popular misconception and idealism). Then again, I've only heard half a dozen amps with these speakers and my budget is definitely limited. |
I had a HUGE Altec 9440 amp connected on my pretty inefficient spendor BC3. When I would play it full blast, the huge level meter would barely oscilate! Never seen anything like that. It felt like it had no power limitation. And it sounded really well too. But it was a bit heavy to move... 56 pounds! |
Atma-Sphere MA-3 OTL ... 475 watts of pure Class A, Triode, OTL exuberance!  from: http://www.atma-sphere.com/products/ma3.html . |
Denon POA S1 mono amps. These amps were massive and awesome sounding. The Absolute sound rated them as one of the best amps ever. Here's a pic of the Denon. http://my.hifi.nl/userimages/uid396_1ce0efa87c43e26e00f464efac746cf3.jpg The Gamut S300 is a monster amp. Here's a pic. http://www.oznaim.co.il/frank2003/images/P1010260.JPG |
