Hi-Fi amp recommendation


Hi And thanks for reading this thread.
I am looking for a hi-fi transistor amp with good sound quality. There is stuff coming out of china, some with a bad reputation some with good.Have you heard anything about the good ones, can you give me any pointers in the right direction, have you maybe purchased an amp, are there any bargains to be had.Sorry for such a broad ranging question, any advice is appreciated. I already have a decent denon amp which cost me £1000, am wanting to get something better than that, something really top end.
I saw some good feedback on dartzeel boards and dartzeel full constructed amps, can you tell me if you tried any of these, if so what are the results. Any sound quality opinons or long term reliability issues.

Many thanks.
johnny121
Hi Johnny, I have Naim Nap 200 Clone amps. They look good and really have good sound. I had an original Naim 5is, and the clone was better especially in bass, but also high voices were softer/cleaner! 

If you enter on aliexpress.com Naim Nap 200 you should find it. I have the black one with the blue light button in the front. They also have Naim Preamps, i would espect they are also great. I saw weeks ago that they have now also a Nap250 or evel Nap300. I expect they are all great.  

If somebody asks if the quality is the same like with a real 2000-3000 EUR amp, I would say no. I have now also a Primare A32 wirh 2x400 Watts and its better especially with my speaker which ask for 250 Wats minimum. But the Nap is really good as well, and perfect for the price of i guess 400 USD delivered. 



With the depreciation rate on high end audio gear (McIntosh being one exception) your best bargain will be buying used gear with a proven track record or loyal following. If buying used makes you nervous, focus on brands that still have techs in the field working on them. It’s less risky than taking a shot on unknown Chinese gear. (NOT meant a a DIG on China...I own a Chinese made DAC)

You don’t mention budget or power requirement, but for your 1000 pounds, I’d be looking at:
McCormick DNA 0.5 or 1.0Threshold (Depending on power needs)
Conrad Johnson older MF series

If you have more to spend this time around, some of the lower wattage Pass Labs or First Watt amps are worth researching.Also older Jeff Rowland amps like the model 2, 3 or 5.
I found a nice pair of Hafler gear from someone nearby. A 101 preamp and a DH200 amp. The cost was $300 - a real good deal! Dave Hafler was producing SS gear in the late '70s/'80s that was competitive with then-current four-figure gear! And still sonically very good today!
I personally wouldn't buy any of those Ch*nese p*rate clones! Though I did buy a nice SET amp with transmitter tubes! The price was certainly affordable ($450)!

+1 for McCormack
A solid performer, and you can get it upgraded by SMcAudio in California.
Heck, you don't need to buy a working unit, as they essentially gut the amp. 
Google them for the phone #, Either Steve or Pat will answer.
They have done many upgrades over the years.
Bob
Is this the naim 200:  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32835794156.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.20bb22b3ATwvxb&algo_p...
The 5i you mentioned retails for about £800 over here in britain, if the nap 200 is better then do you think it will compete well at about the £1000 price point?
Thanks

No info on what amp and sound characteristics are most important to you, what you're looking to improve upon, or your budget.  You won't get very helpful or meaningful recommendations without sharing this critical info. 
To follow up on @soix 's comments, you need to tell us the speakers you are using and the size of your room. An amp needs to be matched to the speakers.
Also, are you using a preamp?


i payed 1200€ for the Naim 5si.

this is the clone Nap 200 and i see its about 200€ + shipment + tax, so might be 300 at the end. sound characteristic is really similar to the 5si, classical Naim sound. this one just has more power, better control in bass, deeper, and better clarity and cleaner highs. 
http://s.aliexpress.com/6vYnQrQJ

I was only driving small B&W PM1 speaker, but i felt an improvement! If you have a floor standing speaker, bass will be out of control with an 5si, and then you feel the improvement much more with the Nap 200. did the test on some B&W 683. 

But to be honest, once we switched to a Rotel 1552, bass became better then the Nap 200. A funny successful trial was to skip the preamp and control the rotel with a simple sonos connect. works absolutely perfect and reliable! really a simple soluion if you like streaming spotify. you can even limit the max output in the app.