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

If you get a Dartzeel NHB-18NS that REF 6 will be on Audiogon the next day. GUARANTEED...wont be a fair fight!!

Thanks for the recommendation of the ODEON.  I contacted Plinius and they hooked me up with their tech here in the USA who had a spare. He's gonna do the "ultimate" upgrade on it for me so I will be all set for my 4.0 and 5.1 1970's stuff. Much appreciated!

KW6,

Reference 6 was definitely less dynamic, less detailed, less transparent, less fully extended or resolving in the upper octaves than the darTZeel—which costs more than twice as much

TJ,

   Those monoblocks are ANCIENT being sold by the old importer of Luxman. He's stuck with all this old stock and listing them for absurd prices.

JAFANT,

Call up Vince Galbo at 716-688-3527  He is in NY and he is the guy who repairs all Plinius amps here in the USA. He IS the Plinius guy to talk to. He can probably get you the best deal.  He also deals with MSB products as well. He's a pleasure to work with and talk to.

#4425,

  Glad your thrilled with the Dag Int. I cant get past the looks unfortunately on that one. Your one of the few posters on Audiogon I actually have confidence/trust in what your saying since you've experienced so much gear...and mostly the brands Im interested in or have. Now don't get a swelled head OK...already too many egos around here to contend with as it is!! :)  Happy Easter/Passover everybody

Smart, Sexy, Sweet and Stacked.

Oh wait your talking about amps....I prefer them to have the same qualities as yours truly...Sweet, Bright, Euphonic and Sparkling. I have no idea if anything I own meets that description. I just like looking at the pretty boxes stacked to the ceiling in rows.

If you have read the OP's posts he has clearly stated his view of AYRE products. He has also mentioned several times about re-sale value of the components he tries.  He will get his butt kicked if he buys MXR, VXR, KXR Twenties brand new and then doesnt like them. Plus you have to wait MONTHS for Ayre to build them...they arent ready made like Arc/Luxman etc

Not sure what your not understanding given these variables. You can easily sell Used Luxman/Arc pieces and not lose 2K per piece. Try doing that with AYRE.   I suggest you go to HIFISHARK.COM to see how much money you will lose on AYRE products should you try to resell them.  A KXR-Twenty just sold on Audiogon for 14K....how much of a Bath was that??

#4425. The ARC160M is the latest ARC amp. Unfortunately the OP used them with the Neolith speakers which is hardly the appropriate/optimal pairing. Had he used them with Wilson/Joseph Audio or something else compatible his opinion Im sure would have been more favorable. Im sure that goes for a LOT of the gear in this thread.

As far as the MAC 2301’s...Are you kidding me? Its like a 15 year old design that they havent been able to improve upon. No MAC Gear can compete with the Big Boys. Strictly for Mac Fan Boys. He’s already tried those in case you haven’t bothered reading the thread. He also has a Bad Back so the ARC 750’s are out of the question health wise AND they are impossible to sell...which is why there are ALWAYS multiple pairs on Audiogon.

The OP thanked me for a reason....read between the lines Grandpa.

No I have never heard the 2301's set up correctly...only incorrectly. I need to find some expert who uses an antiquated Accuphase amp paired with a rusty old ARC 3 Pre-amp. Now thats somebody to take advice from!! LOL

PS AUDIO doesnt make the best of anything. Get a Niagara or Denali which is what most of the guys with High end/sophisticated systems use. Go to the AUDIOSHARK Forums and do some research. Plenty of high end dealers including the owner of the site that will steer you in the right direction....and he's in Florida. No Snake Oil.  

PS AUDIO (Paul) has said repeatedly that his Transport and Dac is the best CD reproduction he has ever heard.  Obviously he never leaves his own room at the Audio Show Conventions he attends to hear other Disc Spinners like Esoteric/T+A/Burmeister/Luxman/Meridian/Audio Note/EMM Labs etc    You know who PS Audio equipment is made for?  The same guys that keep asking you to review low end amps/pre-amps. WHY would you ever do that given your "taste"?  Common sense is not in abundance around here.

Hey Techno_Dude

Thanks for proving my point about common sense. Earlier you told the OP to check out AYRE gear of which I have 2 pieces myself (VXR and KXR Twenties).  I told you he SHOULDNT get AYRE gear cause the resale value is horrid. Perfect example....a 4 Month Old Pair of MXR Mono blocks just sold here on Audiogon yesterday for $15,500....List Price is more than DOUBLE that. Even if the OP got a great deal...lets say 1/3 off list price...he would still lose $7000!!!  Makes no sense.  If I was a DEALER like you imply why would I tell him NOT to buy the products I have??? DUH!!!

I wish he would try T+A, D'agostino 400 or 250, Gryphon Diablo, ARC Tube Amps, Audio Note etc but he would probably run into the same problem to a degree. He has already told YOU (and the other viewers) that he cant risk huge losses on the gear he auditions. The Bel Canto he's trying must be loaners cause he would definitely lose 5 Figures trying to ditch a Black System...maybe even 15K+.

If you want reviews of cheaper products why dont you A) Start your own thread with products that YOU purchase  B) Go to websites where those types of products are more prominently featured....like the STEVE HOFFMAN FORUM where there is seldom any talk about Higher End Products...Its Minor League Heaven.  You will get your fill of PS Audio, Bryston, Primaluna, Line Magnetic, Parasound etc   Tons of Reviews and comparisons if you use the SEARCH option.

The Op is not getting paid for what he is doing. Im sure he isn't making a freakin dime when he dumps what he has. Probably a godsend if he just breaks even. He's sharing his comparisons of stuff HE WANTS to own. He would get NOTHING except potential monetary losses for trying stuff out that other people suggest that he has no interest in having in his personal collection. I cant think of ANYBODY that would do that.  To his credit he seems to ignore those suggestions (which I applaud)....his tongue is probably bleeding thou from biting on it so much.

Keep up the good work OP.....Just do it for yourself as always. Stay out of the "Kiddie Pool"!! :)

MikePaul,

You know i did the same thing this morning with a VPI Turntable because somebody said the "Close and Play" I had when I was 5 Years old in 1968 blows away anything made today. Thanks to the internet I will never need to audition anything for myself....YIPPEE!!

Found this in MY posts.  Jetter asked about why I didn't use it (XA-25). Here is my response and I even offered to sell it to him. I can certainly see his problem with my generosity. Apologies to Jay for sidetracking his thread....but I know he is enjoying every minute of it!!! :)

Jetter, Here is my current lineup of Amps. Please let me know which ones you would favor the XA-25 over.

Dag 400 Monos, Arc 160M, Luxman M900U, Audio Note Jinro.

I also recently purchased the Valvet E2 and I have the First Watt SIT-3 coming tomorrow. I have a friend who had the XA-25 (He sold it to me in a bulk deal) and he also has the Valvet and Sit-3 in his lineup...he prefers both of those considerably over the XA-25 and I know and trust his ears/taste etc.

So the XA-25 is at the bottom of my 7 amp pile. Why on earth would I feel compelled to use it? Im sure its great bang for the buck for people that are financially challenged. You are more than welcome to it. It was used for 4 months by the prior owner.

Wow...thats a pretty big word for a guy who plays with Granite Mono Blocks. Oh wait...your add on Audiogon said the only reason you were selling them is because you needed the money. High times indeed in the Brady Bunch basement.

Grandpa...my gear has been listed on this thread. Its also posted on Audio Aficionado, Audio Shark, Steve Hoffman sites. Seems you keep forgetting what everybody has tried or has in their collection. Dementia setting in?? Maybe some adult reading comprehension classes are in order.  To be fair I get new gear in almost every week or two it seems so who could keep up. 

There are 3400 photos of my "collection" on my Facebook page. :)

Amps: Accuphase E-800, Audio Research 160M, Line Magnetic 845 Premium, Valvet E2 SE, Pass Labs XA-25, First Watt Sit-3, First Watt Sit-1 Monoblocks, Audio Research 150M Multichannel.  Recently departed: Dagostino M400 Monoblocks, Audio Note Jinro. Incoming/On Order: DECWARE EL84 25th Anniversary Mono Blocks, DECWARE Zen TorII MarkIV

Pre: ARC Ref 10, Ayre KXR-Twenty, Luxman C900U, ARC MP-1 Multichannel, Conrad Johnson MET-1 Multichannel

Disc Spinners:  Esoteric K-01X 30th Anniversary, Luxman D-08U, AYRE DX-5 Universal

Speakers: Joseph Audio Pearl 3, Klipsch Cornwall IV, Audio Solutions Figaro M, Harbeth SHL5+, Tekton Encore, Dynaudio Special 40, Dynaudio Contour 30 (Just traded), Triangle Comete EZ, Omega Compact 8, Monitor Audio Gold 200, JBL 590, Multiple pairs of other JBL Monitors 4425 etc

That’s odd Jetter. I have no recollection of that. There are NO PM’s from you in my inbox from the past. Went back 2 years in YOUR posts and there is nothing there either. HMMM.... I did find this thou:

May 2019

RIAA, I am sorry if I upset you, I did not know about your hearing problem. The only reason I was asking you is because I have enjoyed reading your posts, had I known I wouldn’t have, it was all just meant to be fun.

So Jetter...Please locate whatever you are talking about and feel free to re-post it and I will reply (If it isn't a figment of your imagination). If somebody asked me about a piece of gear I have or havent used...well how "bad" could the reply possibly be? If your going to accuse or slander somebody in public make sure you have proof.

My good friend Joe that runs the Audio Shark Forums prefers this amp (akitika GT 102) over the XA-25 (He has owned 2 XA25's in the past for extended periods)  Somebody listed one on Audio Mart for a little over $300 yesterday I believe. Might be right up your alley.

www akitika com/GT102.html

Jetter,

I did not say YOU were financially challenged/limited. Read the post again for the 3rd or 4rth time. I made a general statement...not a personal one. Ive had that Amp for about 2 years now...still haven’t taken it out of the box. It came in a multi-piece deal...I HAD to take it to get what I wanted.

When I say North East im referring to NY/NJ attitude. Not talking about VT, NH, ME...Not even remotely similar in disposition in my experience. Don't get me started with Bostonians and surrounding areas.

Glad that worked out for you. If you ever go to separates you might prefer the 800 series over the 900. More musical...less refined/resolving. Jay needs to try these out since he prefers the 590 over 509.

    I haven't taken delivery yet of the ACCU...just ordered it about 10 days ago. Probably wont get to use it till 2021...still haven't used the XA-25 and that's about 2 years now since I acquired it. Im the Antithesis of Jay in that regard. My stuff gets stockpiled and collects dust...Jay's gear doesn't last long enough to collect any  :)    Good luck on your journey.

I never procrastinate. Im very consistent......I just buy and throw in storage!! Its my M.O.

   Actually the Accu was VERY reasonable. Didnt cost much more than what the Grey Market model is going for in New York. That's a good deal. But yea your still paying 1.5X what it sells for in Japan. I don't think there would be any problem flipping it for that amount after your done messing with it...but since none have become available on the used market yet who knows.  You could be the 1st to find out!!!  :)

Grey9hound,

You think Gryphon is expensive? Compared to what? The OP is playing with Rowland 925's at the moment and the Retail on those is 60K....you can buy almost 4 Gryphon Diablo 300's for that amount!!!  You might want to check out the Steve Hoffman Forum to get opinions on gear for people on a limited budget. Hardly anybody on that page has reference gear.    

OP...Surprised you started using the LUX Pre instead of the REF 10. Im sure you will swap at some point. Dont forget to try out the DAG 400's and compare to the 925's.  At least those 2 would be a fair fight in the 60K Range.  Cant bash Hegel, Luxman etc who are in the $10K-15K range going up against a 60K monster. The Rowland should blow them away at that price point. 

#GHASLEY,

Not sure why the OP didn't tell you but he has already had the Dagostino Momentum Integrated before and you can find his impressions if you take the time to read the thread. You can pretty much skip the first half of the thread cause he wasn't trying serious gear back then. It would be great if he tried the Progression INT from Dag but it wouldn't make much sense after having Both the M400 and Mom Integrated already....its going in the wrong direction.  If #4425 feels the Progression INT is on par or better than the separates he has had before I would LOVE to hear about it...could save me some dough (And others). I value his opinion and experience.