My Final Amplifier Purchase - What Would You Buy?


I'm a lifelong audiophile/music lover and earlier this week, I had a life changing event. As a result, I am now in the position of purchasing what is almost certainly my last power amplifier.

To quickly explain, I was just notified that my entire department will be outsourced, effective September, following the completion of a transition. The buyout is not great, but they do extend my service time for an additional period, allowing me to begin receiving my full pension in September. So essentially I'll be okay financially, but certainly not enough to buy this level of audio gear down the road.

So, what this leads up to is that I was in the market to buy a quality used power amplifier (up to $4000.00 budget)to upgrade my system. I can still manage to do that, but clearly need to do it soon while the paychecks are still coming in. In the future, I simply won't have the financial means for a purchase like this.

Thankfully, the rest of my system is solid, and this should essentially complete things for the future. I'm very happy with the preamp, but I suppose that could "possibly" change one day, maybe to tubes,in a break even trade, but beyond that,if it even happens, the system should remain what it is.

Current system:

Meridian G02 Preamp
Meridian G08 cd player
Olive D4 Music Server
Silveline 17.5 speakers
Marantz SA8004 SACD player
Bryston BDA-1 DAC

and the power amplifier that I will be replacing:

Atma-Sphere S30 MK III.1

I truly love the S30, but a friend recently upset my satisfied audio world when he brought over his new Plinius SA-103 amp and that changed everything. Even more than the sound of that amplifier, which was superb, it became readily apparent that the Silverline 17.5's really only open up and fly when given that kind of power (100 wpc or more.) I also tested it further with a second amplifier and verified that the power is key to really getting the most out of the speakers.

I have long been an avowed tube lover, but there simply are not many options with the kind of power I am in need of, that fall within my budget. I've included a few as options below that put out 75wpc, because in my experience, thats roughly the equivalent of 100 wpc in solid state.

In a perfect world, I would just move up to the Atma-Sphere MA Series, but my budget is far insufficient. Also, a key factor is that I have a small room, even the M60's which (might) have enough power, would create a literally sweltering environment. Trust me on this, I've even talked to Ralph Karsten about it previously, and he agreed.

Based on that, some earlier suggestions here in the forum, and a massive amount of research, I have narrowed things down to a number of choices, which are, from my perspective, likely the best options. What I am truly in need of are any thoughts, expertise and experience you might have had, especially with multiple amplifiers on the list. I have not actually heard any of these. Also, if there are better options that I've missed, please mention them.

Lastly, remember that I would be buying used to maximize my options and value. Thanks in advance for any assistance in helping me choose my best path here. The help is greatly appreciated.

What I have identified as good possible options:

Parasound JC-1's

Pass X250.5

Pass XA 30.5

Jeff Rowland Model 6 Mono's -(I fear these only appear extremely rarely though, and given their age, may need servicing and new caps,etc. possibly putting them out of reach)

BAT VK-75

Modwright KWA 100SE

Primaluna Dialogue 7 Monoblocks

An old Threshold S series thats been refurbished? - These have always fascinated me, but would it last another 20 years?

nightfall
"Hello Nightfall, I don't think I recommended a particular speaker, but if I did I would expect that Audiokinesis would have been on the short list. Duke is an outstanding designer and also easy to deal with."

Ralph, I've had dealing with Duke previously, and he is a great guy. Last I knew though, he did not have any speakers remotely close to bookshelf size though.
Hi Nightfall,

Just a quick response to your query...why not call Alan at Silverline and ask him what he would do? He's cool and will give you a straight answer. Also if I recall correctly the editor at BFS REALLY liked the monarchy 250's with the SIlverline 17.5's. Hey it's a great hobby and take some time and experiment. There really is NOT that much difference amoung most of the good amps today! It just takes some patience and DON'T listen to anyone except your own ears!

Best

charlie
Sorry Toddnkaya Get a used Rowland or Pass. SORRY.Ill start reading more careful.DUDE!!
Nightfall, I don't know what your age is but this is a ridiculous question. You will buy other amps later. I would suggest you buy the one that will have easiest resale value.
Charlie, thanks for your thoughts. I did communicate, via e-mail, with Alan previously, and his advice was that he voices the Silverlines with Pass amplification. As I noted earlier, I am a big fan of Nelson, and would be happy to go in that direction. The difficulty is that the logical, and affordable choice respective of sonic character would be the XA 30.5, and I'm afraid that simply won't produce the power the speakers need. Unfortunately, the XA 60.5 likely would but that's simply out of reach financially. An X 250, even an X 250.5 should be within the budget, but every comparison I've seen stated that these simply do not have the magic of the XA series, of which only the 30.5 is affordable within my constraints.

Hi Nightfall,

Just a quick response to your query...why not call Alan at Silverline and ask him what he would do? He's cool and will give you a straight answer. Also if I recall correctly the editor at BFS REALLY liked the monarchy 250's with the SIlverline 17.5's. Hey it's a great hobby and take some time and experiment. There really is NOT that much difference amoung most of the good amps today! It just takes some patience and DON'T listen to anyone except your own ears!

Best

charlie
I'm definitely not intending to go backwards, in terms of sound quality, from my present Atma-Sphere with this purchase. I certainly would be happy spending much less than my $4k limit, but it would have to be for an amplifier that did not represent any compromise on sound. And I'm certainly open to suggestions on anything.

02-10-12: Ddd1
If you are worried about a fixed income someday, start reducing your expenses now, starting with this amp. Consider Class D for cheap operation in the future. You can leave it on all the time. Go cheap and if you want to make changes in the future, sell it and try again. $4000 can cover a lot of experimentation and that's what this hobby is, lol! Also get something stable into almost any load, unless you promise never to buy another pair of speakers again. There are a few pro amps under $600 that run quiet that might work. Also you have a lot of boxes...you might consider reducing and assembling a simpler system...recommend balanced.
Hi again, Nightfall.

At first I was frustrated with the "it's your speakers" crew, since you are very explicit about wanting advice on amps.

But then I got to thinking: 4k used (or demoed) buys a *lot* of speaker: 8-10k new, with patience. I don't know the Silverlines, but examples are the Gallo 3.5s, the lovely Northcreeks (partial assembly required), and the fairly efficient (92/4) Montana EPS2s (which I currently) use and enjoy), or something from Selah or Zu. This is just a list of things I like, not a list tailored to your system and room, but the point is that speakers will likely buy you more audible improvement for your bucks than an amp at your pricepoint.

If you remain committed to an amp, I'd try an in home demo on a Pass 150.5, 250.5, or even (in the interests of downsizing) the INT-150, since Silverline voices with Pass. The Xs may come closer to the XAs for your purposes than you think; in any event, a demo can be arranged with Reno with low risk.

If that experiment fails, I'd think about the speaker route; one thing about being retired, you'll have time for shopping, and to wait for just the right deal. :)

My2c, again,

John
Nightfall, The S-30 will drive the HEA Bella Twin just fine- we do it all the time as we have a set here. Into that speaker the S-30 makes 45 watts. Since it is 93 db, in most situations that does very well. The Bella Twin has the super high speed tweeter that HEA uses in all their speakers. Its a 2-way design, quite seamless and very transparent. I do not know of a speaker of that size at any price than can do better.

Sorry for my memory lapse...
I would look for something newer, reliable, and that can be repaired in the USA since you will be on a fixed income. Coming from Atma's you will probably be happier if the amp has a tube in it. Maybe Quicksilver or the hybrid Monarchy SE-250 monos, where their "factory direct pricing" will put them in your range.