Hidden Gems in Pre-Owned Solid State Power Amplifiers?


Browse the listings for power amplifiers (e.g. under $5K) and you notice a myriad of Classe, Parasound, Bryston, older McIntosh and Mark Levinson and lots of Pass Labs.
So many in fact that you wonder why.
What are the true audiophile gems in the pre-owned solid state market? Thanks in advance.
avanti1960

Showing 1 response by redmosessc

I bought a used Classe CAP-151 integrated to power my B&W CM9 S2 floor standers and i i love it! Plenty of power, a Balanced input, built like a tank and sounds fantastic. I paid about ~$800 for it and it worked well for a couple years but then an issue with the left side cutting out started. Turns out it needed a recap which set me back around ~$400 (14 in various sizes) but now it sounds better than ever.

I use it with a Mytek Brooklyn DAC upstream, anti-cables balanced, the rig sounds clean and punchy, the components have great synergy too.

I couldn't be happier considering the price of admission! You may want to factor the cost of a recap into your budget, an amp that is ~15 yo will likely need some maintenance.