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My Four Favorite SS Amps

The best SS amplifier I've ever heard was a Vandersteen driven by a CAT preamp.  Amazing.  I almost never bring it up because it is so far out of my price range.

The next three are about the same IMHO for sound quality, though the Ayre stands out a little.

D'Agostino, Luxman and Ayre. 

Honestly the D'Agostion and Luxman sound very close.  Tremendous bass and treble extension without hardness or accentuation.  They just make speakers sound much more capable.  Very smooth, dead quiet.

Now Ayre... Ayre is also very good but also IMHO kind of different sounding.  It makes the room seem quieter and darker.  I do NOT mean dark as in it lacks treble, not at all.  I mean, it's as if you are listening into a pitch black room from which notes just magically come out of.   It is my favorite?  Should you get one?  I don't know.... I really like the sound.... but it's ... just different?

erik_squires

Showing 1 response by tomic601

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tomic601
12,839 posts
 

Vandersteen actually make ( for years now ) 2 different amplifiers and soon a preamp… 

The M5 monoblocks are all SS and have a host of very unique features you can learn about on the Vandy website. The  larger M7 which i’ve been blessed to live with in my reference system since inception are a hybrid w tube front end and liquid cooled SS drive. Both amp models incorporate HRS isolation. The control and protection circuits are all analog. Both incorporate hi-pass filters and 128 v DBS.

I use a tweaked REF 5se to drive the M7. @erik_squires stop by any time….

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