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!


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Showing 19 responses by astewart8944

@charles1dad FWIW I second Guido's observations regarding a very long burn in for Rowland gear. I PM'd him like crazy when I got my gear telling him the sound quality was moving around so much it was scaring me. Guido calmly told me to hang in there and let it cook longer. His burn in numbers are basically spot on for M925s and the Aeris DAC. These particular products are not for the impatient. Other gear I own has not had these extreme burn in requirements. 
It is not nuts...some may say you imagined it because you needed to justify the money spent on the router and cable...I'm not one of those people. You changed something that turned out to be important for your system; it is what makes this hobby really fun!
FWIW that Rowland amp isn't going to really sing unless you leave it going all the time for a long time...then it will soar.
+1 tomcy6 @whitecamaross I commend you on creating a very cool thread. But, I wouldn't pay money for the privilege to read it. I'm not meaning to offend; I'm simply stating my view on whether this thread could have an economic future. I doubt it, but it would be interesting to see you test the concept.
Peace
Al      
Actually adults highly value free--kids don't and never have--it doesn't take a wrecked Ferrari analogy to prove that point. It simply takes raising kids. But "free" is the internet's foundation. Free shipping? Amazon Prime has 100 million subscribers built largely on free shipping. Nevertheless, you might have something that is highly economically valuable...we won't know unless you take a run at it. I know what it means to take risks; I admire those that do so.
Peace
Al   
So...the M925s...I love these amps; I own these amps. If you don't give them a long burn in you will miss the magic they produce. Great patience here will yield a plentiful reward.
I have owned the JR Continuum S2 integrated. It provides the Rowland house sound and pushes considerable power. IMO It is a great way to obtain the Rowland sound without breaking the bank. BTW I'm not saying $9.5K isn't a lot of money. It is, period. @whitecamaross I run a full Cardas loom of PCs and balanced ICs with my Rowland set up. I highly recommend this path. Importantly, there is a discernible difference between the Clear line and the Clear Beyond line. If you can lay your hands on CB cable you will be rewarded. I also changed out CCB PCs for CCB XL PCs on my 925s. There was a positive improvement in resolution, but IMO didn't justify the price differential between CCB and CCB XL enough for me to consider changing out the whole loom. I have communicated with another Cardas CB owner who changed out his whole PC loom from CBs to CB XLs. He heard an uptick in resolution too, but not a dramatic difference between CCB PCs and CCB XL PCs.  
Guido: the Rowland’s sound incredible and I was using the Rowland Capri preamp! I cranked it up very loud and to my surprise they never felt compressed, or shouty. The sound just grew more and more and you almost don’t realize that it’s louder.
____________________________
Re: M925s--Capri S2 and Corus: @whitecamaross From reading this thread it is clear that you like to crank it up loud. Because of this fact, IMO you would notice a vast difference between the Corus and Capri S2 in your system. I know a dealer told you that you get 90% of the Corus in the Capri S2. Respectfully, at the volumes you listen at, the 90% estimate is probably a bad guess. What you describe above is on steroids with the Corus. The M925s with the Corus will play very very loud and always be smooth and sound like there is still plenty of headroom left IME. 
@ricred1 Hi Richard, Did you hear the YG/Gryphon combo at Lone Star in Dallas? And if so, do you recall the dealer who had that room? I didn't make it over to the show.
Regards
Al
@whitecamaross FWIW I run each of my Jeff Rowland M925s through their own dedicated Denali 6000S, each on their own separate dedicated circuit. IMO it makes a noticeable positive difference over plugging the monos straight into the wall. I run Cardas Clear Beyond XL PCs from the M925s into the Denalis and Shunyata Sigma NRs from the Denalis to the wall. In this configuration the music seems to rise out of a quieter background with a deeper soundstage. I have become a proponent of Shunyata Denali power conditioners.  
Hmm...I would be interested in knowing what dealers did you wrong so that I could avoid the experience. Consumers have great power when they honestly communicate what occurred in their transaction with a seller. I read consumer reviews closely. IMO your transaction experiences are more valuable than your equipment evaluations because you may value different sound attributes more or less than others, but everyone can agree that no one should pay for something and not get what they paid for. That's theft. And I try not to do business with thieves. 
I understand. But, there are fee shifting statutes in many states for deceptive trade practices like you describe. This means that the thief would be on the hook for your legal fees if they didn't make the deal right. There are lawyers in your state, whatever state you live in, that represent consumers who have been deceived into a purchase and charge a contingent fee. If they don't collect for you, then you don't pay them. It allows people to hire a lawyer to represent them without having to directly pay more money out of their pocket. The lawyer only takes the case if they believe it has merit and they can recover for their client. If this has happened to you a lot, I highly recommend you find this kind of lawyer in your state.  
@axememan @grey9hound @mrdecibel @pokey77 
I just watched Johnny A on youtube playing Jimi Jam. I have seen EJ in concert twice in the past 6 months. Johnny A looks to be a very good guitar player. EJ is a guitar player that other guitar players lineup to watch. He did five legit encores when I saw him at the House of Blues because the crowd kept cheering for him to play more. He is a fantastically well-rounded guitar player.   
Sorry, I didn't mean to break a thread rule. I don't read this thread religiously. I simply saw a string of posts last night on the "recent thread summary" that interested me. I responded to them. Please accept my apology.
Regards
Al
+1 Guido. Give the M925s time and healthy bass should arrive. It is not a weak suit for the M925s IME. I use Cardas Clear Beyond XL PCs with mine--the M925s also had bass aplenty with Cardas Clear Beyond PCs. I'm not suggesting the AQ PCs are the issue only letting you know the PCs driving my experience. As Guido points out M925s take a large amount of time to settle in. Patience pays a big dividend with these amps.
Last I knew, Guido runs his Aeris DAC as his preamp. I run JR Corus with the PSU as my preamp to the M925s. It is a synergistic combo IMO. This I know with certainty, the PSU makes a large difference with the Corus and with JR's Aeris DAC. 
I own Alexx speakers. Do they need subwoofers? No, they sound great without them. Do I run them with subwoofers? Yes, in my room IMO they sound "greater" with them. I'm running a 4 REL distributed bass array. This is a preference hobby. Whomever owns the gear should set it up how they want.

Jay, I like what you do; please keep doing it.
Dr. Pepper is the official soft drink of Texas. Born in Waco. And I like the analogy. Texans can't understand why Dr. Pepper isn't everywhere. It is a natural part of their world.
Jay, I generally like your car analogies for audio equipment/performance and budget. I love a nice fast ride and I'd guess that I follow auto racing more than the average person.

In F1 auto racing there is a driver, of course, who makes a significant difference in the race outcome. And every F1 driver has a race engineer.
While the audio hobby doesn't have "drivers", I think your thread demonstrates that over the past 5 years you have begun to operate like an F1 Race Engineer--trying different combinations of materials to understand their end result--using either what you have on hand or acquiring other materials to use within a particular budget.

The F1 analogy works here, I think, because the amounts spent on F1 racing are very, very high--but if you don't spend a minimum (significant) amount of money--then you mostly lose. There are rare exceptions, but Mercedes paid Lewis Hamilton $55 million to be their #1 driver because they like to win. And behind six of Lewis Hamilton's seven driving titles has been his race engineer--Peter "Bono" Bonnington.

I readily admit sound isn't speed. But how you are currently approaching your project seems to fit the analogy above.