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Interim SS Amp - Likely Candidates?

Due to an upcoming move and renovation in our new home I am looking for a short term replacement amp fhat could be a suitable stand in for my beloved First Watt F8 amp. The rest of my system consists of a Modwright LS99 tube preamp, Volti Razz speakers, Aurender N200 streamer, Schitt Yggy LIM DAC plus a Modwright PH 9.0. tube phono stage and a ClearAudio Concept turntable with an AT- ART9XI cartridge.  Most of my listening is on the digital side. 

Short term based on the limited space my system will reside in ,the First Watt can’t play a part due to size of the space and the heat issue with this Class A.  Good news is that my Volti speakers are highly efficient and I will not need a big power amp.  Also as we renovate I am looking at the ideal space and layout for my system that will include the First Watt F8.  

I want to go with a solid-state amp as the combination of this with my Modwright LS99 is magic.  Looking to spend $2,500- $3,000 and will be open to used or new.  So far I have been thinking of Class AB or D offerings.  I am totally open to suggestions at this point.  Below are a few of the candidates that might fill my need and work well with my other components.  I do realize that each amp will bring a different "flavor" from my First Watt F8. 

  • Orchard Starkrimson 25 Mono premiums (new)
  • Parassound A21+ Halo (used)
  • Primare A35.2 (used)
  • Bell Canto 501 Monoblocks 

Help me out with thoughts on the above and other potential amps!  Many thanks in advance........ 

norust
norust OP
82 posts
 

@kennyc ​​@blackbag20  Great suggestion.  I had not heard of Odyssey audio prior to your post.  Just checked them out and certainly they check a number of boxes.  Appreciate you steering me in their direction.  @allenf1963 I know you were joking and appreciated your thoughtful comments

dickieboy's avatar
dickieboy
71 posts
 

PSAudio S300. Light and surprisingly good for the money. I got a 1 yr old one from The Music Room to be a backup to my ARC Classic 60. Different strengths but really nice change of pace. PS Audio often has factory reconditioned ones as they take trade ins.

dickieboy's avatar
dickieboy
71 posts
 

PSAudio S300. Light and surprisingly good for the money. I got a 1 yr old one from The Music Room to be a backup to my ARC Classic 60. Different strengths but really nice change of pace. PS Audio often has factory reconditioned ones as they take trade ins.

signaforce's avatar
signaforce
331 posts
 

+1 on Moon. The 330A is right in your price range (used), is very space conscious, runs cool & sounds great. 

helomech
1,829 posts
 

I had a really bad experience with Odyssey Audio honoring their satisfaction guarantee, When the guy learned I wanted to return the item he became belligerent and it turned out to be the worst experience I’ve had in my 20 years of purchasing many dozens of components. Actually, it ranked up there with the worst customer service experiences of my life. Despite getting a refund eventually, I still lost a good chunk of money when all was said and done. 

The aforementioned Benchmark is a good amp, but I prefer the original Parasound A21. The Parasound is warmer sounding but significantly more effortless in its delivery. Perhaps I would prefer monoblock AHB2s to the single Parasound, but that would cost about 3X the money. FWIW, the original A21 sounds better than the 21+ and cost about half as much on the used market. Both amps run barely warm to the touch because of their large heat sinks. 

As for Bel Canto, I recency had their e1X amp in house for demo. It was very disappointing, even for class D. I much preferred the Axxess Forté1 integrated in an A/B comparison. 

The NuForce STA is a great recommendation. It’s essentially a Goldmund amp for a bargain price. 
 


 

 

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