Legendary used amp, or economical new one?


This past week a couple of my 30-yr-old vintage amps went awry. One, a VSP Labs TransMOS 150 developed a loud hum and got smokin' hot before I shut it off. The other, a Heathkit AA-1600, lost the left channel.

I may get them fixed, possibly to keep as backup or to sell, but I've come across yet another, a 100 wpc ultra-wide bandwidth Perreaux amp, also from the mid-'80s. The Perreaux has some features I've always been curious about in an amp but couldn't afford in a new one--distortion at .009%, bandwidth out to 3Mhz, and the accompanying rise time below 1 microsecond. I'd love to see how all that speed and resolution translates into sound quality, spatial cues, low level detail, and pinpoint timing--key elements in musically involving.

But I don't know how rugged Perreaux gear is, and maybe for the same money I should settle for a new Emotiva XPA 200 or a much less used Odyssey Khartago or Stratos.

Thoughts? Feelings? Opinions? Condemnations? :)
johnnyb53

Showing 1 response by srwilsonmiami

I'm using a 3150 in my current system. Like another poster mentioned, the spring behind the power switch failed so I keep it in the on position permanently and control on and off from a power strip. I in face purchased an Odyssey Khartago ++ (basically a Stratos in a Khartago case) and although excellent, I prefer the Perreaux. It drove my Magnepan 1.6 speakers beautifully. It's a steal at what it's going for used. I'd love to have it refurbished if anyone knows a good resource.