You have one I really like, one I really dislike, and also listen to Ayre. :)
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SPEC Corp. RSA-M99 Integrated |
I spoke with Alon Wolf a while back and he told me he really likes Hegel amps and uses them in developing his speakers, so I’d definitely add Hegel to your list if it’s inline with your own tastes. |
yep
ayre and hegel for sure... truly excellent sounding ss amplification
if tubes, consider audio research |
it depends on the preference for sound . if you want want punchy then naim, the pass int 60 has a lush relaxed detailed sound, musical. i will say the luxman is between the naim and pass. consider the luxman 590 axII
check out www.audiodrom.net |
Being a MAGICO owner i would recommend PASS great sound and great company.If you ever needed service i do not know about Hegel.Good luck whatever you choose you have a great speaker. |
I would suggest you look at AVM. I heard the A3s at NY Audio Show driven by AVM gear in 2018 and it was spectacular. The Evoluton A5.2 would be an excellent choice. 185w and price point is $5995 without the optional DAC and Phonostage.
Full disclosure, I am an AVM dealer.
I would also think Naim, Pass, Accuphas and Luxman would all be good options. I am not sure I would try and drive those A3s with either 30 or 60w. Bass response will be mediocre with those power levels. |
Add Ayre and Simaudio to your list.
Strangely Alan Shaw of Harbeth also likes Hegel, but I've never been a fan. |
Thank you all for these suggestions. The vibe I get is 100W + to do these speakers justice. Even Class A under 100W need not apply.
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@twoleftears I am using a Hegel H160 to power my Harbeth 30.1, and find it to be excellent. I did not buy the Hegel because of Alan Shaw's high opinion of the manufacturer, but it is interesting to note what he likes so much about their amps. From the Harbeth forum in May: My position on Hegel is abundantly clear. It is the only hifi amp I have ever measured in my lab that has what I consider to be a proper gain structure throughout.
In layman's language that means that with a 'hot' source pumping audio volts into the input channel it is practically impossible to clip or overload the input. That indicates to me a mature, pragmatic real-world approach to the circuit design in a market where far too many amps have input stage clipping evidenced by the ridiculously low setting of the volume control (typically 10 o'clock or lower) at which the output clips. Hence a hard, hard, grainy sound. Indeed, I'd suspect that the extreme sensitivity of the volume control (hardly on, really loud) is prima facie evidence of clipping.
I have been playing P3XD over the last days via one of my H390s and with the volume at about 60/99, I have lots of power reserve and a clean, loud, unclipped sound. |
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op
one point to mention here -- naim’s are much more powerful than their super conservative published ratings suggest... and the quality of their design and sound are really excellent - don’t be fooled by the supernait rated at 80 wpc
@whipsaw
separately, good to know alan shaw, designer / owner of harbeth, who is publicly ’amplifier-agnostic’ -- and yet the main amp used in his testing and listening is a hegel h360 -- draw from that any conclusions you like hahahaha |
Question -- what's the 2 meter room dimension? That sounds awfully small given the other two figures.
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Sorry, that was my floor to ceiling height. But it’s more than that, about 2.5m high. |
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I bought the Hegel h360 before I decided on my speakers after comparing the Hegel to other brands with the old speakers. The Hegel actually made such an improvement in the sound of the old speakers I would’ve been happy keeping them, but that system was over 25 Years old And I was replacing everything. Hegel integrateds have a built in dac and the x90 are the latest. Mine is currently driving the persona 7f. If a speaker manufacturer recommends something they’re not financially affiliated with its probably worth a listen. Have fun with it though, try as many brands as you can. |
