Museatex str55's amps worth exploring?

For what it's worth I met Ed many times (I sold semiconductors to Museatex) and he is not only a great guy but a very talented designer. Forward thinking and has a terrific imagination. A great guy to chat with but for whatever reason his stuff never turned my crank. I was never impressed with his amps but thought his preamps showed promise. With some difficult to drive loads (Apogee and Celestions) the Meitner amps ran out of gas. Nice looking and compact, but make sure your speakers are efficient before you make the investment in Meitner amps.

The Meitner products are really very good. They have a very full, rich tonal quality that many solid state amps lack, and terrific dynamics and ability to drive virtually all speakers. The only thing I'd point out is that the Meitner amps seem a little rolled off at the top frequencies compared to other designs--they probably are flat up there, but they seem to lack some of the high-frequency "air" or transparency of other designs. Once you get used to it, you realize that all the detail is still there, but the tonal balance may still seem a little dark. This actually may be a lack of glare in the 1-5khz range, although I really can't explain what it is, but you'll notice it if you listen to a Meitner amp.

You said it right, Perfectimage, the STR-55 is a fine amplifier and for what it typically sell for now on the used market (circa US$400), it's a positive steal. I had to get the grounding fixed and a loose captive power cord replaced on mine, but these are trivial issues. Smooth yet detailed, excellent bass, plus unbelievable power for the 50 wpc rating. Beautiful hardwood case, but yes, your audio friends won't be impressed because it's not as big as a TV and only weighs 10 kgs.

I also have the Meitner MTR-101 monoblocs and, if you can afford the circa US$1K used price, they're more of the same, plus massive (35 amps) current delivery.

In general, Ed Meitner components offer superb sound. It seems, though, Meitner, who now designs SACD recording gear, was not as good a salesman as he is an audio designer. But that means you and I get great sound for the money.

I'm sure you can get better amplifier sound than these late 1980s, early 1990s Meitner components, but at 3 to 5 times the price. I prefer to spend those extra dollars on improving my sources and speakers.

P.S.: if you do get an Meitner amp, John Wright, who still services and upgrades them, recommends to replace the 3-prong with a 2-prong power cord. I did on both mine and even with my crummy AC supply, they've the lowest noise floor in an amp I've ever heard.

Highly, highly recommended. See also my review of the MTR-101s on AudioReview.com. Except for the higher current delivery, everything I say there also applies to the STR-55, which I happily use in my second system.

Good luck and happy listening.

Joel

I had one of these amplifiers. I picked it up for a steal in the used room of my local hifi store. One bad things about it is that it was very small and didnt match the standard size of other equipment.

I have owned a bit of equipment and I can easily say that this amp was one of the biggest bangs for the buck in hifi. It was leagues above my old 200 watt per channel Forte amp, which costs a lot more, and although it had a low power rating it drove my power hungry speakers with ease (Sonus Faber Extremas).

It is unbeleavable smooth and a fantastic sounding amplifier. I have always regretted giving it up and not keeping it for a second system.