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Is anything better than Aleph 3?

I do not know if I would consider myself TRUE audiophile but I have been in this hobby for a long time although for the last few years I had no time for it but getting in the game again :)

I have heard a lot of solid state amps but I only heard Rogue Audio as tube amp. I always felt like it would be a pain to deal with the tubes but frankly I just have this conception from what I read/heard from people here and there. Right now I am considering tube amps so that I can have a sound like my good old Aleph 3. I used to have this amp and did not hear anything like it so far. I do not have fancy words to explain it but that thing was so sweet. The midrange was so smooth/soft, I could almost see the airy sound that was coming from the speakers with that amp. Yes, it did not have the best bass but that was not my concern too much. However, that thing was getting TOO hot and it was adding extra cost to the electric bill.

I have been trying to find someone who had an experience with the Aleph 3 and had a chance to compare it to the other amps. I have read some people telling Golden Tube SE-40 (yes I heard about the reliability issues) is the same or better. This other guy saying Onkyo A-9555 is better sounding amp than the Aleph 3. Could this be true?

You can tell that I do not want to spend a fortune but I could go up to $1500 for an amp that I can get the sound of an Aleph 3. Sure, I can get the Aleph 3 again but the heat and power consumption is a lot. Also, I am trying to see if I can like any other amp better than the Aleph 3.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
celo

Showing 4 responses by pubul57

pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I owned the Aleph 3s and then the 2s - I think you will find the First Watt Aleph J to be just as good, I prefered it the the Alephs but you reall can't go wrong with the First Watt if they are still making it. I also owend the XA30.5 which I think is better yet, but you can go chasing the holy grail forever, the Aleph J is one heck of a good amp if 30 watts is enough for you.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I preferred the Aleph J to the Alephs, mostly in what appeared to be better bass performance. They are all good though and I think the J is a real "bargain" these days, though it doesn't have the cool cuboid shape of the original, which some love and some hated. Another good think about the J is that is has a very high input impedance making it much easier to drive with a tube preamp than the Pass Aleph series.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Celo, I don't think you can go wrong with the Alephs or the Aleph J if you are looking for that midrange you liked, and hard to get from some SS. If you are really consider tubes as an alternative in the 30 watt range, I would consider the Music Reference RM10 which is one of the finest amps I have heard when 35 watts is enough. They are highly reliable and get 10,000 hours or so from their output tubes (EL84). I do love the Class A Pass gear, but you know, they are still not tubes, and if you like what tubes can do even the Pass gear doesn't quite do that. But for SS, I've not heard better than Pass gear, especially the Class A stuff like the Aleph.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Audiofeil points out one of the most important things to know about amps and speakers, and no question he is right. That being said, I still think that when properly matched, the First Watt Aleph J was a step forward from the original Aleph series (thought limited to 30 watts), it simply does bass better, and is easier to match with tube preamps. Still, I stick to what I said, if you want tube sound, you need tubes. And since he mentioned Atma-sphere, I don't think there is anything better than an OTL with properly matched speakers (highish and flatish impedance)
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