Bryston and NAD -- ha, never fails. The two brands WC always lists when he talks about the crappy amps he started with ..... (Go back through the thread or channel - not less than 20 times - "Bryston's and NAD's of the world")
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!
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!
20,890 responses
Dude! We need the outtake version of the video where you went on to list other crappy American brands that can't measure up to SOTA after saying McIntosh way at back of line! I know you did but then you thought better of it and dubbed it out. Dang it! Come on, D'Ag? Pass? I bet you said them, maybe others too, but we'll never know ......... |
i can’t include every single brand as the best. If people are content with other brands that i personally dont include as the very best then more power to them - it is their dough and that is all that matters. This should go without saying and i hope this is understood which is that my statements are valid through TODAY so don’t hold a grudge if in the next 12 months i try a different top end brand that i have not owned yet and my perception of such product is that it beats what i have owned up until this point. Evolution is a thing and time is not meant to stand still. Boulder is the best American brand through today, but we don’t know about tomorrow. PS: I find it interesting when people bark orders at me. The only person who gave me orders which i followed is long gone (Grandfather). |
Well you are certainly correct that this video will ruffle feathers I’m sure. You were pretty direct in what the top 2-3 are. No ambiguity for solid state according to you. What I wanna know is do you always say Bryston is a low-fi brand because of Viber and how he keeps saying his amp is better than your stuff? Or some other reason LOL! |
No i dont say it because of Viber. I just never had a good perception of the line itself. Viber has his own criteria of sound quality and so do i. i want to simply be open (as i have been on this last video) and it feels like this is EXACTLY what folks want to hear from me - RAW, TELL IT LIKE IT IS ATTITUDE. |
Jay's video is an honest appraisal of nonsonic qualities of amps such as build quality, reliability. It is only loosely based on which amp's sound quality is best, since everyone has different preferences. Jay says that all his statements are his opinion, which is true. Ignoring price levels, which still seem to be his main criterion of what he considers ultra high end or midfi, recently he said that he wondered how anyone could like the Nagra Classic amp/preamp. Logydoghan commented that the Nagra is more transparent/accurate than the Gryphon Essence which he likes and owns. Assuming that the Nagra behaved the same way in Jay's system, this means that Jay prefers the warmer sound of G Essence. Nothing wrong with preferring the G Essence, but to say that it is the best amp under $25K is only true if it has the sound someone prefers. Someone who goes for maximum accuracy/detail would seek a different amp. Believe me, cheap amps with accuracy exist, such as the Benchmark AHB2, although they can't drive certain speakers for certain music. That also doesn't mean that they are midfi because they are cheap. The best takeaway for someone who is considering spending under $25K who wants maximum clarity, is to audition the Boulder 1161, 150W/ch. Yet Mike Bovaird of Suncoast Audio said that Boulder is tubelike compared to Soulution. Too bad the Soulution 700 series doesn't come cheap, and reports imply that the cheaper 500 or other series don't have the clarity and neutrality of the 700. My top recommendation for this listener is to try the AHB2 first, with suitable speakers and music. |
Good video! Being familiar with the amps talked about i have to agree with Jays take. His thoughts on mid hifi gear i think is spot on also. I attend audio shows on a regular basis and it's always the same players with the same ho hum SQ yet i witness waves of people gushing about the sound. I'm left unimpressed while others think they are hearing a revelation. I always leave certain rooms scratching my head. It's much the same here, some posters keep mentioning the same brands and models which might be the best for them within their budget but comparisons cannot be made with the amps Jay has reviewed it's wishful thinking. If these hi end manufactures enter the mid fi the current mid fi crop need to pick up their game or suffer. Jay keep doing what your doing, it's a nice diversion from the same old same old stuff that's regurgitated over and over. |
I hope the big brands see an opportunity here to build more affordable products that sound very close to their best components. This will wipe out the demand for mid Fi. That 22k 1161 boulder amp is supposed to be amazing for the money. Some say it even bests the essence? Well maybe I’ll buy it and report back. Boulder has completely turned around and they have their act together. Before they couldn’t pay me to take a boulder amp home but now they are just incredible. This is A PRIME example of what the hell I’ve been saying to you all: EVOLUTION is key and I’m happy to see boulder steal customers from the cheaper brands. Who in their right mind would buy a Luxman 900u instead of just saving a little more to buy the boulder 1161? This is EXACTLY WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING. I hope other top brands follow what boulder is doing. I’d love to see a mini Mephisto or maybe for the distributor to not be so hungry and mark these amps up so high? Save your money folks and instead of buying that next MIDFI amp, sell a few things or work a little more overtime and grab yourself either an essence or the 1161 boulder. It’s stupid to pay 15k for a MIDFI amp when the next tier group in sound quality is 7k more. Just save your dough and go all out. Trust me you won't regret it. You will feel it's the best move you've done in a long time. |
Jay, I hope you get the Boulder 1161 and review it--I will be interested in your evaluation and will know how to interpret your remarks. For example, if you prefer the G Essence and say that the 1161 is a little too dry/cold for you by comparison, in the manner of the Nagra Classic, then I will know that I should consider the 1161. For someone who likes warmer sound, they will prefer the G Essence, if those are your findings. Both types of listeners will appreciate your findings, as long as they are presented objectively and honestly. An added bonus of the 1161 is that anyone can lift it, and it uses the conventional AC inlet. The 1160 is very heavy and requires that special AC inlet. |
Also wants to hear about 1161. @viber6 Nagra is not looking for the absolute transparency. I think you have mentioned AHB6 may already possess that signature. Nagra is more like transparent and detailed tubey sound, less magical than the Essence. When you are at this price level you are looking for a sound signature, not necessarily the most detailed/warmth... but a very good combination of the two. Warm, musical yet detailed. |
Fun video wc. That may be the best time for you to record. I was scoffed haha at the last time I posted this by WC but I think it would be helpful to understand how WC characterizes a few amps so we can adjust our reference points to his. For example, is the Essence warm, neutral or cool as our reference point? I have heard it described as all 3 at this point. Similarly i have heard dealers of the same amp describe it as dark and neutral. depends on dealer’s reference pt.... prior post... Because everyone’s reference points may be different, it seems like adjectives can be used that mean different things to different folks. Especially tricky to characterize an individual component as everything up and downstream can influence the sound. A friend sent me a link to some useful definitions that could help serve as a basis. I imagine there are other good ones out there. Was informative me for me to read and think about and apply them to my own system. Jay/others: which amps would you put into the following camps with the above caveats? DARK: A warm, mellow, excessively rich quality in reproduced sound. The audible effect of a frequency response which is clockwise-tilted across the entire range, so that output diminishes with increasing frequency. (Compare "light" - Lean and tipped-up. The audible effect of a frequency response which is tilted counterclockwise) WARM: The same as dark, but less tilted. A certain amount of warmth is a normal part of musical sound. NEUTRAL: Free from coloration. COOL: Moderately deficient in body and warmth, due to progressive attenuation of frequencies below about 150Hz. COLD: Same as "cool," only more so. Having somewhat excessive upper-range output and weak lower-range output. Definitions from: http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/bbs/stereophile_audio-glossary.html |
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@keithr I disagree with you need $23k amp for $50k amp speaker purchase. My old Wilson Sabrina ($16k) can clearly tell the differences between an Mcintosh and a Gryphon. I think even B&W 805D3 ($7000) can do it as well... You can argue it may not tell the differences between an Essence and a Mephisto since the sound signature is similar but the power is different. The entry level of a Gryphon is like an entry level Aston Martin... it is just a different animal... I don't think Hi-End is dying. There are more and more great brands coming out and the competition is more fierce than before. It is more burgeoning than dying. If the Hi-End brand stays as-is and don't improve their products, they are dying... |
Ok guys, You have asked for it and i am now working on it. i am currently looking on creating a 3 part video series which will consist of:
That said, i am quite busy with family and my time is limited, but i wanted to see if there is anyone here who has bandwidth to perhaps compile all the amplifier brands (not models, just brands) that i have owned since the beginning of this thread? this will make it easier for me to make sure i don’t skip the most important/iconic brands i have owned. If anyone can help me with this, i would appreciate it. Please PM if you would like to help me out. |
troidelover1499, Follow my posts and those of tweak1 on the LSA Voyager GaN thread, and his own comparison of the Voyager and his EVS1200. In short, these are giant killers, not just good for the money. My stock Rouge Audio Studio N10-DM (an Ice Edge 1200 AS1) at 400 hours break in time is also a giant killer with its neutrality/clarity. I will most likely send my Rouge to ricevs for his mods. All these are dirt cheap--under $3K. I have no experience with the Audion. |
Just list some names you have reviewed: Dan Dagostino, PassLabs, Gryphon, Merrill, Boulder, Constellation, Luxman, Soulution Things not on Youtube but you have mentioned that you had tried: Bryston, Mcintosh, Mark Levinson, Nagra, SimAudio, Parasound, NAD, Krell, Rotel, Classe, Cary, PS Audio, Plinius, Theta, Emotiva, ATI, Bel Canto, Bricasti, Audio Research Things I am not sure if you have tried: Conrad Johnson, VTL, Mola Mola, Ayre, Dartzeel?, FM acoustics?, CH Precision?, MBL? Verity? Jadis? Shindo I may miss something there but here you goes. |
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Alright, any takers? pass this video around on all the forums you typically visit and share with those who make these claims. Again, i will do what NOBODY ELSE DOES on Youtube. A fair and square shootout against the "giants" of high end. If the giant killer component bests mine, I'm buying it and using it on my channel going forward but if it disappoints, I'll disclose why it did. That said, i don't want to receive speakers for this challenge. This would be primarily focused on items that don't involve a ton of logistics. Jay’s challenge is standing through the end of September. |