Handling Heavy Amps

I am pretty strong, and I recently carried my CODA #16 up the stairs to the office. That thing weighs about 110 lbs and I was thinking this is way too dangerous. It is not just the weight but how you need to carry the gear.

BTW - if the CODA 5.5 (or is it 6.5) is similar to the #16 as described in the other CODA thread then it would be a good match for the Harbeth. However, for my ears that match may not be perfect. I like the brighter AHB2 more with warm speakers like Harbeths.

I paired my Yamaha NS5000 with CODA #16 and got amazing results, say 95/100. That 5% was a little bit too much warmth with the slightly warmish NS5000 and the same warmish #16.

I now have the #16 in the office with my $1000 Magnepan LRS+. The LRS+ is a tiny bit bright. The LRS+ and the #16 pairing is incredible, 100/100. A better match for my ears than the much better NS5000 speaker and the CODA #16.

Another amp that you may like (built by CODA) is the Sanders Magtech. I got mine from Sanders for $4k used with 1-year warranty. The Sanders weighs about 45 lls and is sonically in-between the AHB2 and the CODA #16. It is very powerful amp, and I would bet great with Harbeth.

Another amp I am considering for my NS5000 is the SimAudio North Collection 761 or 861. The older Sim 860A that I heard was closer to the AHB2 than the #16 so that maybe a good match for me. The 761 is not too heavy.

I was looking at the Westminster Labs Class A amps, but the price was too rich for me. At that time, I ended up with the KRELL Duo 175XD. It was about 70 lbs I think, but it is big and ugly. It is similar to the implementation of the Westminster. I believe the Westminster designer, or the USA distributor said the same words to me on the WBF thread. 

The KRELL Duo 175XD sounded great. Buttery smooth, powerful, with detail. It is all Class A (up to 175 watts if needed) and runs cool. It has fans but I never heard them come one, even when it was beside me as a headphone amp. I normally used it to drive the hard to drive Thiel CS3.7 speaker.

Duo 125 XD Stereo Amplifier Technical Specifications – Krell (krellhifi.com)

The lower watt, Duo 125XD is even lighter than the amp I had (60 lbs). The looks are not pretty but the sound is gorgeous.

The AHB2 will sound different than both of the Bryston 4B3 and Accuphase. I am not a huge Bryston fan anymore, but I would take a 4B3 over a single AHB2 on the Harbeth. I would take 2 AHB2 over the 4B3.

The Accuphase and Harbeth would not work from me long term. Too warm when both are combined.

The second AHB2 will give you more volume on your speakers.  On my NS5000 speaker my stereo AHB2 is about 90% of max volume for about 70-80 dB. I like to use the lowest gain setting on the amp. The middle gain setting does get you a bit more granularity on the volume, but it is not as much as I want. It also varies by sources, SACD, tuner, and DAC. Having monos eliminates this important issue for me (I had monos before).

I am debating whether to trade my silver AHB2 for a HPA4 that someone is looking to trade on USAM. I am not going to use the AHB2 anymore and will stick with the CODA amps for my LRS+ and the NS5000. I expected the AHB2 to be great with the NS5000 but it was not as good as the CODA. Though I bet one day I will say that I wish I had an AHB2 around to try something.

If I had my shipping box for my Holo Serene preamp I would jump on the HPA4. Debating now. I use the LA4 on my Livingroom.

@jfrmusic My friend and I both came to the same conclusion as you on the AHB2 when we compared it to the CODA #16. " I think the AHB2’s base has more definition and texture.". However, this was only on 1 very busy song. The others were a tie. My friend does not like the AHB2 overall. I think he wanted to find something nice to say.😀