My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!


So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.

Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.

Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?

Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.

 It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.

Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.

Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.

Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.

Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.

Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.

My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


128x128jays_audio_lab

Showing 50 responses by jays_audio_lab

Official announcement for you guys here:

 

Gryphon Audio will provide me with not only the APEX stereo amplifier, but also the matching Gryphon Commander Preamp!

I’m super excited for this one!! I can’t wait until it’s all here!

Gryphon APEX is set to make an appearance on my channel. Two of the best stereo amplifiers manufactured today will face each other ONLY on my channel. You can’t get this anywhere else folks !

Please subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss when this showdown of the best stereo amp built in America goes against Denmark’s finest stereo amplifier.

Does the Apex have no natural predators as its name suggests? Is the Boulder 3060 worth the extra $43,000 dollars ?

Those questions will be answered soon !

 

 

 

 

@rsf507 

Thanks for stating the obvious....

 

@bulldogger 

You can private message @viber6  about EQ. I don't use EQ per say although cables are almost acting like an EQ. 

I have zero desire to use an EQ. I don't criticize those who do use EQ, but in my systems there will never be an EQ (personal preference - nothing else )

@zprr 

Thank you. I plan to do the tour this Friday and hopefully the first video releases on Saturday. Then the interview with Mr. Wolf will come out towards the middle of next week. Lots of content will be released starting this weekend so make sure you have your notifications turned on 🙂

 

 

I don’t know where this narrative is coming from about me having electrical issues... That said, if i have electrical issues after having 5 dedicated outlets installed then i can say with certainty that over 90% of the folks who read this thread have miserable power because most don’t have a stromtank and some don’t even have dedicated outlets....they are slinging 5 dollar power strips, panamax power surge protector or a monster unit and some are even plugging in their system in the same outlet where they plug in their TV...

So as far as i am concerned folks, most of us have absolutely no business in this hobby due to our terrible electrical system. 

Pretty cool how @clearthink ​​​​​​ is doing his thing on here huh?

 

@rbach ​​​​​​

I appreciate your comment above. Thank you for the support you and others who believe in what i do display on here (I know there are many of you who stand behind my work)

The factory tour was more than what I expected . Alon and his staff were absolutely phenomenal and very welcoming to me and my wife who was there to work the cameras. By the way, Alon makes an amazing cappuccino too!

Anyhow, I managed to record about 3 hours of total footage so I will break it up into several videos. All footage was done in 4k @ 60fps and I used a great wireless lavalier on him and me so the sound of our conversations was clear even through the station where the CNC machines were building new cabinets.

Stay tuned guys - I thank you for your patience.

 

The first video will probably drop tomorrow. It will be about the history of the company and the different models they have released.

The second part will be about R&D and QC and finally the 3rd video is my interview with Alon.

I wish I could defend myself on here, but as I continue to grow I have to unfortunately let the "narrators" create their stories for the masses since that is really the only thing they can do.

I said it before, I won’t embark on duking it out with anyone. I never win either way and have more to lose.

That said, I have to let the moderators do their job when false statements like the one above "promoting magico speakers and getting paid" are being spread throughout. This is FALSE, with ZERO PROOF and will be addressed by the moderators. I am done having to explain myself as if my life depended on it.

If you are going to disclose something about me, make sure you have FACTS and PROOF of what is coming out of your mouth or else people can see that you are simply fabricating things to bring attention to yourself. 

 

 

 

@kren0006 ​​​​​​

Thanks for the comment above. Unfortunately don’t be surprised if it gets deleted because you are speaking the truth

@fastfreight 

Thank you for your words above. I want to thank everyone here who supports my efforts day in day out. It means a lot to me!

 

Part 1 drops tomorrow September 7 at noon. 40 min long video folks!

Here's a quick trailer 

 

 

Hey everyone,

Just saw all of this. Thanks for the comments above and the support from everyone. It certainly feels great to have people in my corner and this doesn’t go unnoticed.

Anyhow, the next video will hopefully drop on Sunday but I’ll know for sure on Saturday so be patient. 

The next part focuses on research and development as well as quality control. Stay tuned, it will be amazing and crystal clear in terms of audio and video so i encourage you all to watch it on your TV if possible.

 

The Q series is the only model that remains unheard by me. I might end up buying one at some point. That said, I’m getting exceptional results with the s7 right now. It’s nerve wracking to disassemble this system because my ears have heard so much and this time they are telling me to be careful.

The s7 has the most amazing low registers in my room. It’s full, deep, fast and with zero overhang but I’m sure my 3060 has a lot to do with it.

The trick with Magico is POWER (watts) and your grid. If you work on both of these, you’ll have a hard time thinking about another speaker.

I’ve owned my fare share of speakers and ported speakers need far more attention to placement IN MY ROOM than sealed cabinets. I always had to move my ported speakers all over the room to try to get the most articulate bass and yet all of these hours spent on this NEVER gave me the same results than the s7 did when i threw them in the room - just thrown in the room - not kidding.

 

Lastly , my stromtank has also been a key component. It helps to smooth - not smoother over the highs and the overall character of the speaker while still retaining the leading edges intact. The sheer clarity at any volume level and the level of satisfaction is enhanced ten fold.

When i think of what speaker to replace my s7 with, i don’t find many answers. However, I do still have a thing for Sonus Faber Aida 2 but I’m now second guessing myself because that’s a ported speaker. It leads to a ton of hours dialing in the bass.

The dealer who i filmed in here a week or two ago will articulate things for you guys. It will be another interesting commentary about my system. 

 

 

 

@keithr

Where did you hear that Alon doesn’t build his speakers? Based on what i saw in the factory, i find your comment QUITE DIFFICULT to believe. If your comment is a "he/she said" or what you "heard" then it would be more of an opinion rather than actual fact.

Facts are quite important when making a statement like that or else you can make anyone look like the milli vanilli story. 

I don't think any reputable company is a one man show. Impossible for one man to do it all. 

Hi everyone,

Part 2 - " Research and Development " drops tomorrow at 12 pm ET. Please subscribe and turn on your notifications so you are informed once the video drops. 

This video has outstanding video quality and it is 52 minutes long!!

I urge you to watch the whole thing because if you skip through it, you'll miss a ton of things. It is jammed packed with quality content so take your time watching it. 

 

 

I believe the M6 is undoubtedly the superior speaker. It has more finesse, it's more beautiful and more polite while still giving you the full scoop of resolution but served on a different plate. 

The S7 is more brute, I'd say probably more bass too and the type of speaker you can throw parties with and jam out. You have all the bass you could ever want but the tweeter is more forward than the M6's. 

I don't doubt that the M6 would sound significantly better in here with my electronics. I feel i can make just about any speaker sound phenomenal because my electronics are that incredible. 

If we think about the best value, well yes the S7 is the winner. I think it has the sweet spot and the best price performance than any other magico. Does this make it better than the rest? Nope... It just gives you A LOT for your hard earned dollars. 

No cartridge yet. The distributor said it won’t be here until end of the month which means it probably won’t be here until next year and I’m not about to embark on buying another cartridge that takes months too or a subpart cheaper one that is readily available because the narrative will be that i bought a garbage cartridge so the comparison of the turntable vs my MSB will be unfair. So in short folks, i don’t know when the turntable will be ready because the cartridge seems to be taking long. It’s as if it is traveling on a camel’s back.Maybe Santa Claus will deliver it Christmas day?

For now, just disconnect your minds from the turntable and focus on Gryphon apex and commander which will for sure be here before the stupid cartridge. 

All good. Just for the record, I’ve received amazing feedback from these videos. I’d say at least 90% has been nothing but excellent feedback. The other 10% is always the typical negative feedback that comes with doing this. I’m absolutely beyond HAPPY with the work I’ve done so far and I know a lot more is coming my way. My work in the Magico Factory will not be easy to top by any other YouTuber. I’ve hired an editor and bought two other cameras plus my wife helped filming. Im going to beat my last best video production and right now this is my best work to date.

Be on the lookout for part 3 which is my interview with Alon. I did ask a lot of interesting questions that he’s never answered publicly. I’ve saved some footage for my members only section of my website once it launches which by the way, it already has about 40 exclusive videos in the members area. I am in the middle of testing right now so once that’s done, I will announce it.

 

 

 

 

I plan to do a four way amplifier shootout. This will be ONLY amps under $30,000 msrp..

You're worried about a comment that I made over 4 years ago.... You got a lot of reading to do... Hundredths of pages 

Some people were complaining about the background music  on this part of the video so here is the video without the music

 

 

Well folks, this final part concludes the Magico Factory Tour. I want to thank Alon and his team for being great hosts. This video is 43 min long so sit back and enjoy. 

Alon will answer many questions that he has never answered before on camera. I think this will be quite interesting for many of you. As always, thank you for the support which is much needed in order for me to keep pushing forward harder than ever!

Jay

 

 

Thanks for the wishes.  We didn't get the full impact of the storm but did get tons of rain and tornadoes. 

Ok guys , the shootout will commence soon and this video will present the competitors and their specifications plus how this shootout will take place. 

 

 

Shootout has been done and recorded. Amps will be plugged into regular outlet and on stock powercords. I don’t want to start adding more variables because who else has a stromtank? ( Not many) so why add the stromtank to the amps ? Why add 10k POWERCORDS on the amps ? I simply inserted each amp into my system and then report back. 

The more "raw" we insert the amp into the system, the more we know of what it really adds or subtracts. 

Ok folks, It is YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

Please select your favorite amplifier under $30k and DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE by clicking on the link here:

 

 

Here is the video:

 

 

 

@mglik 

Still waiting on the cartridge. 

 

@rbach 

Thanks. It's not easy to continue to make progress once you are at the top. Everything is significantly more expensive and the law of diminishing returns is massive. More fun is had with more affordable gear - no doubt. There are simply far more options and more flavors. 

@carey1110

so now that you admitted to hearing "the best you’ve heard to just ok" i want for you to articulate here what you heard between this round of amps and my #1 all time best stereo amp - the Boulder 3060.

I have a sleeping giant in my room that hasn’t been introduced yet. Unfortunately, the pricetag is astronomical. This was supposed to be a trial for me and unfortunately I made the mistake of hearing it in my room and all it took was 30 seconds, zero warm up, and i was reaching for my checkbook.

My Boulder 3060 will be up for sale in the coming weeks since it’s time for me to find it a new home.

My back is sore and in pain after uncrating 1,000 lbs but 30 seconds later i had divorced my 3060.

Folks, please enjoy this 30k dollar amplifier comparison. I did this to shift gears and let you all hear affordable amps. I’m accused of only displaying crazy expensive stuff so this is why I bought those 3 amps. That said, after this comparison wraps up, I’m taking you to the Pinnacle, the Boss, the amp that has schooled me. There is no going back.

 

Jay

FINAL ROUND:

PLEASE VOTE and let me know which power amplifier is the king under $30,000!

 

 

Here is the poll to vote: