2. amps-preamps
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Levinson 27 Vs. Aleph 5 for PSB Goldi

After building a BOSOZ (a Nelson Pass designed balanced line stage) I've become a fan of Nelsons work. I'm wondering if it would be a wise move going from the Levinson 27 to Aleph 5 since I can get the Aleph 5 for about the selling price of the Levinson. Since I'm forced by my money situation to stay with the PSB Goldi's for awhile (not that that's a bad thing, I do like them) I'm wondering if the Aleph 5 would drive them sufficiently. I plan on replacing the PSB's down the line with a high quality monitor or smaller speaker. But who knows...

I don't crank it up very often and listen mostly to female vocalists, a little jazz, and lots and lots of Shostakovich symphonies and string quartets. Oh, I can't forget Schnittke either. My fiancee likes to crank up Pearl Jam every now and then however.

So, is the Aleph 5 up to driving the Goldi's?

The rest of my system consists of:
SFT-1 Transport
Levinson 36 DAC
DIY BOSOZ Pre
Levinson 27
PSB Goldi and DIY Scanspeak monitors

(Yes, I considered building some Aleph 5 monos but the cost of heatsinks, caps, and transformers combined with my lack of a workshop really put a damper on that.)
superfund
2 responses Add your response
jvogt
212 posts
 
I've owned both (actually, the 27.5 and Aleph 5). Both
were excellent amps though my preference was the 27.5
as it provides better bass control than the Aleph. The
27.5 was reputedly an improvement over the 27 so it may
not be a completly fair comparison. Also, the Aleph puts
out a moderate amount of heat when driven so you need
to consider if your room can accomodate a space heater,
particularly during summertime.
superfund OP
13 posts
 
Jvogt, I had considered the heat and think I can manage that end of it. Since I'll be moving to speakers with relatively low bass output I'm not sure that the low end control is going to be as much of a deciding factor for me as the rest of the audio band. What were your opinions on the other differences between the aleph 5 and Lev. 27.5? I'd appreciate your comments. Thank you.
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