My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
Hi guys, some of you have reached out to me asking for advice as far as equipment selection and set up based on your preference in terms of sound quality. Some of you love tons of detail, good vocals and don’t really need tremendous low end punch. Some others need more of a flat frequency range where no particular frequency gets boosted. I’ve also had questions about preamplifiers since I’ve owned quite a few as well throughout my journey. That said, I can almost pin point to brand names and equipment selection with my eyes closed because of the vast exposure I’ve had to massive amounts of high end gear which in turn allows me to get great deals on many high end brands. I have a great relationship with dealers from just about every single state due to My constant purchases from many of them. As a matter of fact I have a McIntosh MX160 procesos and the matching mc207 seven Channel amp that I received a few days ago and have not had a chance to set up plus a monster ati signature 6007 amp. I hope to share my thoughts on these sometime in the future with you all. In short, sometimes I don’t really write anything on certain pieces due to my lack of time. I have helped AND continue to help many of you who are either just getting started in this journey and want to make a proper purchase or also help those of you looking to just add more flavor to the sound that you currently have in your system. Either way, I can pretty much help just about anyone interested in making the right purchase. It’s my pleasure to help but as long as you are willing to listen to my recommendations. That said, I have bought the vast majority of my pieces of equipment completely blindfolded without ever even seeing the gear in person. You all need to realize that some of the gear I’ve owned you probably won’t find a dealer near you to demo it. Sometimes All you can do is read about it and inform yourself and hear my thoughts on it. I won’t ever recommend something I don’t have personal experience with. My recommendations will be based on what I’ve owned and if I feel it meets your requirements. If you want, You May continue to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or concerns about amps, preamps, etc, but be specific about what you are asking so I can be clear. I will continue to update this thread with my personal reviews and sharing more new things as I continue this journey. Who knows, maybe I end up doing a YouTube channel with my experiences and actually being to get paid by YouTube ! :) Thanks ! |
1250am and I can’t get off the couch... Alright, it is officially going to be a huge race now. I am going to buy the very best cables (xlr, pc, sp, etc) and bring the luxman combo to heights that have never EVER been done. I will go ALL OUT the way I never did in the past. You all are about to be shocked at what what I’m going to accomplish with it. If you are a luxman 900u doubter, I’m about to erase those doubts soon and if you are a luxman 900u die hard fan, sit back and enjoy what’s about to come. Good night. PS. One single 900u drives the hell out of my Sasha DAW with tremendous bottom end control . |
Hi guys, i love pass Labs amplifiers. That said, my set up will change drastically next week when I kiss goodbye my sonus fabers cremonese. These are indeed the best speakers I’ve owned hands down. Impressive is an understatement but unfortunately I have a 15 month old Babygirl that is starting to get curious and crawl and play close to these speakers and rather than having a bad thing happen, I decided to part ways with them. i will be going back to my second passion in terms of sound quality which are electrostatics. These are more durable and pose less risk of being damaged since the panels are so durable. Anyhow, I’m also parting ways with my pass labs xa200.5 Monos which are possibly the best amps I’ve owned in a long time. In short, I’ll be having new speakers, new amp, new preamp in about a week. I’m looking forward to this entire new set up which will be disclosed very soon. :) |
I am not looking forward to packing my 200.5s, but i will have to do so this weekend. Anyhow, i guess i will go ahead and share with you the new set up that i have carefully selected after doing major research and obviously not allowing myself to lose a lot of the "greatness" of the Cremonese speaker. Speakers: Martin Logan CLX ART (black gloss finish which is a $7,000 option) PS Audio BHK 300 monoblocks PS Audio BHK Signature Preamplifier Martin Logan BalancedForce 212 subwoofers (2 of these) Having owned the Martin Logan Renaissance and truthfully loving them very much, i did not want to go back to them, but rather venture with the CLX art. I have called many trusted ears, asked many questions about the differences between the renaissance and CLX's and the answer keeps being the same: The CLX is just a better animal with bigger images, instrument separation, soundstage, space, width, etc and adding the dual subs to the mix will present an even larger soundstage with all the fullness needed in order to make a huge impact on the presentation. I also had 2 people tell me they preferred the CLX over the Neolith which is very surprising. I am not sure what to expect, but if the word is that the CLX is indeed better than the renaissance then it all points out to me having yet another impressive speaker pretty soon. I decided to revisit the BHK 300 monos because back when i had them, the matching preamp was not out yet. I now want to use the matching preamp in order to create even more synergy. I will have yet another review of the BHK monos. It appears that the amplifier journey will start all over again, but now i will venture into other brands such as Dan Agostino, Jeff Rowland, Belcanto Black System, maybe pass labs 200.8s? Stay tuned... |
thanks Dave. I had to compromise a bit in order to get everything into place. I am having a good feeling about my new set up though and we will see what happens when it is all said and done. My speakers, subwoofers and preamplifier have shipped today so i should be receiving those next Tuesday- Wednesday. The BHK monos are all built to order so there is a 2 week waiting period for those. I look forward to setting it all up. I gotta be honest, i really wanted to keep my xa200s, but my connection needed them for a customer of his and in return he gave me a great deal on my gear so i guess the old saying "one hand washes the other" applied this time. Sometimes a few of my sources actually contact me because they may have a customer who is looking for something i might own and i am about helping those who help me. Done it many times for many of them which is why i am very thankful for all the relationships i have built throughout the past years. With that said, i will have the bhk mono 300s, audio research gs150 and krell 403e to power my CLX speakers so i am very curious to see what will sound best. I will be using the pass labs xp30 and the ps audio bhk preamp and i will try to do all sorts of changes and see what happens. |
Alright guys.. the xa200.5s depart tomorrow along with cremonese unless a pending sale happens before they leave. That said, I will be bringing the ps audio bhk300s with matching preamp and will compare against the luxman 900u amp 900U preamp (unless deal falls through). i will be doing a shootout between both companies. Who do you think will win ? The Japanese combo or the American ? This battle will be very interesting to say the least. The Clx speakers will certainly tell the story of which possesses the most detail, depth, detail, soundstage etc. Will 150 Japanese watts best the 300 American watts ? Will watts matter ? Here we go again... things are about to get started and I know some of you will stay put to see if tubes can Best excellent solid state engineering. |
Guys, i just unpacked the CLX, threw them in room, connected the ati6007 amp with some cheap speaker cables that i had because my wire world silver 7 don't reach and cranked on my Pass labs xp30. Wow, my jaw hit the ground within the first 10 seconds of listening. I have never heard a speaker sound so good in my room. These speakers have me with my jaw open and i am not even using the world class amps i have owned in the past. I wanted to just post this real quick at how impressed i am about these CLX. I will come back with more feedback and give you my true opinion on these speakers. So far, holy sh@t is all i can say.. |
I would say you need to look into the bhk 300s... very amazing amps... jc1s do not have the highs of the bhk 300s but They have better bottom end. It all depends on what you want your speakers to do. I think with your speakers the bhk300s would sound amazing. You don’t need an amp with massive bottom end because you have powered woofers. You just need an amp with smooth highs and great mids and that’s what the bHks do best. The jc1s are excellent amps even thought they are 14 years old. They are the best amps from parasound. |
Home Depot 12 gauge cable... lol. Gotta keep being honest here. I am using it because my wireworld doesn’t reach so once I go back to monoblocks then I’ll use it again. Right now I’m using the 6007 amp to drive my clx. I just want to get really acquainted with the clx sound by using what I am using. The goal is to later on bring the Luxman set up, another pass labs amp to mate with my xp30 preamp, belcanto black system seems to be also a possibility as well and maybe the Mark Levinson 585 integrated. I want to bring serious fire power to my clx speakers. I really love these speakers. They have grown on me in the 24 hrs I’ve owned them. I have zero regrets about letting go the Cremonese. They were excellent speakers but I will say in only 24 hours the clx have made me forget about the Cremonese. That said, these could be the set ups I’ll be using in the next 2 weeks: 1. Mark Levinson 585 2. Belcanto black system 3. Pass labs xp30 and 250.8 combo 4. Luxman 900u pre and 900 amp 5. Audio research gs150 amp and pass xp30 preamp my connection told me that my gs150 amp will probably sound the best because it’s tubes and my panels will love the high voltage. |
Perfect. I will be shuffling a lot of pieces and certainly list them for sale as they each enter and leave my living room. I am also about to lock down a deal on the Hegel H30 power amp. My goal is to see if this puppy can best the krell 403e, and levinson in terms of resolution, detail, smoothness, etc. |
Luxman 900u combo and hegel h30 will be shipping to me tomorrow. It’s going to be one hell of a shoot out. Source will be the PS Audio directstram with tidal masters Mqa. what I plan is this: Mark Levinson 585 vs Hegel H30/pass xp30 luxman 900u combo vs Hegel H30/xp30 mark Levinson 585 preamp section/Hegel h30 vs Luxman combo |
I will keep listening to the 585 throughout the week so i can get really acquainted with its sound signature and then this Friday i will receive the Luxman pieces along with the Hegel h30. That is when the party will really start. I suspect the hegel h30 will make these panels sing due to its massive current, but i am not 100% that pure raw power can best the finesse and resolution of the Luxman 900u. The more i keep digging deep into amplifiers the more i realize that it isn't about the huge wattage, but rather the quality of such watts. For instance, i said it above that THE BEST 150 CLASS AB WATTS i have ever heard were from the luxman 900u amplifier. The best class a watts have always been from the pass labs 200.5 for me. The best bottom end was probably from the parasound jc1s, krell evolutions and bel canto ref600s. The smoothest highs would be from simaudio 860a, luxman 900u and mark levinson in general. As far as the "omg holy sh(t" seat of the pants feeling amplifier sound, i gotta give that to the pass xa200.5s. I can't take that away from those monsters. |
Ok guys, i have been seating down for the past 2 hours just listening to all sorts of music with my Mark Levinson Integrated 585 and here are my initial impressions: - Excellent midrange with good full body. If you have anemic speakers with regards to midrange, this integrated will fix that. - Excellent highs with plenty of sparkle and zero fatigue - outstanding smooth sounding dac. I actually played a cd through my oppo 205 and connected it to the integrated via optical input and i was impressed at the drastic improvement i heard. - Very good power and i drove the CLX panels to pretty loud levels and yet the 585 DID NOT shut down or act up. Solid amplification in this unit. - I LOVE how detailed it sounds at low volumes too. It reminds me ALOT of pass labs class A amps at low volumes. Overall, this is one solid integrated and i can 100% vouch the review on sterephile magazine and why it was given a Class "a" component rating. As a matter of fact, if i wanted to downsize, keep a nice 2.1 set up that allows me to stream and play anything then this would be my top pick . This is EXCELLENT and will make you feel as if you don’t really need to be using an amp, preamp, dac, monos, etc because it really closes the gap. THE BEST ALL IN ONE BOX solution in my book. If you are looking to match an amp with a preamp and are afraid of the end result, i highly suggest you just get this unit. Everything plays AMAZINGLY through this puppy and again, the power is far more than you will need because this is the type of unit that you don't need to crank up in order to hear it. TRUST ME, you will hear your music at any volume level. |
I really REALLY like this 585. It sounds so detailed and smooth with zero fatigue. I haven’t even used it’s Dac because I’m impressed with just the amp and preamp section. Very holographic, detailed, enough power to love my Clxs and with amazing midrange. It makes me wonder WHY the hell am I spending more money to purchase separates ? |
Guys, the massive change I’m hearing with my Clx panels have me just floored. I can’t begin to tell you how I’m feeling. I have never heard something anywhere near it. As good as the Cremonese were, these Clx panels certainly top it. They contain so much width, depth and just zero harshness. I’m not even done with my set up. I’m still using cheap speaker cables, power cords etc and yet I could easily live with this as is. Yes the Clx are just spectacular in every way. Far better than the Martin Logan renaissance. The only tning is that they need space to breathe. You need about 4 feet behind them. If you have a small room, then you can forget about these. That said, I’m still playing with the 585 integrated and I’m impressed. Can’t find ONE SINGLE fault with it. Drives things excellent with great smoothness. Again, this is far better than the Hegel h360 i had. No comparison here. Tomorrow i will be receiving the hegel h30 and Luxman 900u combo. I’m not sure I’ll connect things until next week. Again guys, its surreal what I’m hearing with my speakers right now. I expect things to be elevated even further with the Luxman combo. |
Ok people, Help me diagnose the problem: When using Gryphon with cardas clear audio beyond speaker cables and nothing else connected to the amp, I get bad humming on the left speaker with the amp just on... (Right speaker is fine). However, if I use my merill Audio speaker cables, i have zero issues of any kind. When I repeat the same exercise above but with my Dynaudio speaker, I get zero hum of any kind regardless of what speaker cable I issue. Zero issues. Thoughts? Again, ive tried the gryphon with the Dynaudio and the cardas and I have zero issues and with Wilson I can use the Merrill speaker cables with no issues but as soon as I use the cardas, humming begins. That said, I have used my luxman amp , cardas clear and Wilson and no humming occurs...it seems to only happen when Wilson, cardas and gryphon are used together... |
i have always said, the c1100 is a great preamp and possesses a bunch of sound layers with great depth and width. It is also gorgeous looking. That said, there is something about audio research reference pieces that catch you off guard. I would go the audio research reference 6 route. I just feel it is an amazing preamp. |
quick update: i unpacked the luxman 900u combo last night and i was not impressed at all.. I don't know if it was because these pieces were not being used for the past 3 months and it needs major warm up sessions or what, but the Mark Levinson 585 has the edge right now. I am in shock at how amazing this 585 sounds. I am not done with the luxman and need to keep it on for a day or so to see if it wakes up. Right now, my initial impressions are that it sounds way too laid back with my clx panels. I still need to use the wire world speakers cables with it and do another few tweaks before i come to my final assessment. The Hegel h30 is still in the box and will most likely be taken out tonight to see if the massive current it has will change things drastically or not. Quite a shock, but the no585 is SUPERB and does not get affected by crappy speaker cables. It just turns on and GETS THE JOB DONE RIGHT. |
I agree with rob. The audio research reference 6 or 10 are outstanding. I feel like McIntosh knows this and they are ok with it. They don’t want to top what audio research is doing. Anyhow, unpacked the Hegel H30 and I can already hear the extra horsepower. So far it sounds ver my controlled and work great depth. I left my house about 5 hours ago and left music playing. I hope kings have changed a little when I get home. |
Tonight’s shootout: Hegel h30/C900u Preamp: great slam and dynamics. Really good full sound with plenty of body. Mids are satisfying and highs are smooth. Luxman C900u/M900u: More bass than hegel h30/c900u combo which is surprising since this amp is half the power of the Hegel. The mids of this combo outshine the hegel’s h30. The highs are very very close but the extra ounce of silkiness goes to the luxman. Overall i really like the Hegel h30. i will say that this amp has really surprised me. I really like what this amp is all about and the great horsepower and overhead makes it an excellent amp for those of you with monster speakers such as rockports, magicos, etc. I can honestly say that the HEGEL H30 is the top contender to the pass labs x350.8. I wished i still had my x350.8 amp so i can compare. What a battle that would be. I have to say that the hegel h30 and pass 350.8 are neck to neck. If i am going to go on the performance per dollar route, the hegel is the clear winner hands down. |
HiI unplugged everything from my room, turned off the ac, even turned off the led lights in my room and went ahead and used a cheater plug too and the humming is still there. I suspect that I'm having compatibility issues when using Gryphon, cardas and Wilson together. I'm not sure why this is happening and haven't ever experienced this before. I suspect these cables just don't do well with my rig but this is strange that i keep hearing buzzing even with everything unplugged and nothing connected. |
Just picked up the audio research reference 6 again and I’m blown by it once again. As bad as I want to keep my luxman pieces, I just don’t think the outcome will change for the better once my panel is replaced. I am starting to feel slowly wrapped around by the sound of this ref6 preamp. I’m using the Hegel 30 and krell 403e as my amps and I’m switching between both for now using the reference 6 to see what I feel happens in terms of sound. Panels love juice without a doubt. They need high voltage. Luxman 900u amp And preamp are beyond gorgeous. Far better construction than anything else I’ve owned including pass labs. The sound is ridiculously engaging and smooth throughout. It’s possibly the best preamp an amp combo I’ve ever heard. That said, with panels, I simply would need another 900u to run both in mono mode. My panels need more voltage than what the single 900u amp can give. Right now, I will probably part ways with my luxman pieces. I hope I don’t regret down the road because they are beyond hard to come by. |
HEGEL H30/ ARC REF 6 COMBO: I loved everything about this combination. Insane dynamics, smoothness, detail, clarity & resolution, big soundstage. I can now understand why the hegel h30 went up in retail value from 15k to 17k this year. I am really loving the synergy between these 2. What an immense wall of sound. What i find interesting is that the hegel h30 runs cooler than the arc ref 6 preamp. Yes, it runs amazingly cool and does not break a sweat. Luxman 900u amp/ arc ref 6 combo: the best midrange i have EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE has been presented by these 2 components regardless of any amp i have ever owned before. The luxman 900u with its spectacular midrange and the tubes from the preamp present a midrange that sounds better than if you heard a person speak in front of you. It almost feel like you can hear the saliva in the mouth of the performer. The highs are world class by all accounts and lack absolutely NOTHING. If you are a person who enjoys music purity, finesse, detail, high resolution and the last ounce of silkiness without any fatigue, this combo will make your jaw drop to the ground. This IS YOUR TICKET. It won't come cheap though because the amplifier does not show up often and when it does, it is gone in hours for over $10k. Far superior amplifier than simaudio 860a, plinius 103, pass labs 250.8 and possibly besting the 350.8 in resolution, clarity, but not attack since the 350.8 has more power. Getting a luxman 900u is like getting a ferrari without trying a mercedes amg, bmw m series, audio r8 etc. You completely leap over a ton of amplifiers. |
Luxman pre and pass pre: hard comparison. The pass xp30 is outstanding. It comes down to what amplifiers you are using and what do you listen to. Luxman c900u preamp has a larger soundstage, tube like highs, excellent mids. It’s truly a musical preamp. The pass labs has lots of detail, slam, dynamics but it can get edgy at times if not using the proper electronics. |
Mcintosh 2301 are indeed at the bottom. That’s the least appealing amp for me after hearing the audio research gs150, it killed my 2301s. Not even close and the 2301s have sloppy bass which the gs150 does not. Rowland 925s are great but it’s a chore to break them in. Some say 1,000 to 2,000 hours to break them in and well for me that’s a lifetime. I heard those with the Rowland preamp and it sounded good but not worth all the money they are asking for. I think their preamps are decent but nothing like your audio research 10. The best preamps I’ve heard are the audio research reference 6, Luxman 900u and then pass labs xp30. To me, these are the best preamps without having to spend crazy money. |
And with the above review, you’ll see another review below that pretty much tells you in different verbage what I had sad constantly about plinius: it is killer for the money. How many times have I recommended the plinius sa103? I can’t keep count but below you see his references to how good these plinius amps are in case you can’t afford a Gryphon. :-) https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/971-plinius-reference-a-150-stereo-mono-amp... |
The no585 sounds amazing when you consider the money you are spending. Is it better than the luxman combo or hegel/arc 6 combo? no it is not, but you can't expect it to be when you consider the prices of each. That said, it is the best all in one box i have ever owned. I feel like it gives me about 80-85% of what the luxman or hegel combo gives me. That is A HELL OF A LOT of return on your money. The only reason why i can hear that it is 80%-85% is because of my MASSIVE ELECTROSTATIC PANELS that allow me to clearly hear the differences. That said, if you had more "normal" speakers then it makes no sense to spend the kind of money that separate components are when the you probably won't hear a big difference if your speakers are not of this caliber. Yes, i totally feel like the 585 would the the integrated that someone can own for the next 5 years and be perfectly happy with it. |
My wife and i did some listening between the 900u amp and hegel h30 a few nights ago. On one night, she had the luxman as the better amp and i had the hegel h30 so then we decided to try again another night and she chose the hegel the next night and said something very interesting to me which was that she felt like the luxman sounded amazing with certain songs and the hegel with others. I find this comment very true and i can really understand where she is coming from. The one thing i love about the hegel is that it runs cool as cucumber and it is very powerful. The luxman runs warm after extended listening sessions and it sounds best when left on all the time. |
