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!
I tried the ref10 with the momentum integrated by using the home theater pass through input on the mometum and it was a little better than its own preamp but it was nowhere near the Plinius/ref10. Not even close.
Although I have not heard the AR REF 10 ( I have listened to the Plinius 103, when it was introduced to the market ( unfortunately not in my system, but still sounded nice ) the Rane will likely sound " dirtier " than the REF 10, in flat mode. Why for heavens sake would you want this piece of equipment in the chain preceding 80 K Neos. The Rane is dirtier than my Luminous. Tone for detail ? You do not buy Neos for tone. You buy them for detail. A completely " open window " experience. The tone will come from the recordings. Viper, remember, you are a different type of listener than most, and that is what you are not understanding. You are listening to older recordings, recordings you say " need eq ". WC does not. Let him " hear " and experience what the Plinius is like, not to change it into something it is not. He is already familiar with the REF 10, but somehow hears things, differently, with each amp change ( in other words, it is a clear window ). I value you and appreciate you, but I totally disagree with you, and this is how it will be. Enjoy ! MrD.
RIAA, my best friend lives in Jersey. What would you want $ wise, to allow my friend come pick them up for me off the curb ? Believe me, they will get great use. Enjoy ! MrD.
There was a great jazz supper club in Sayreville NJ..back in the late 90's .
I wish I could remember the name. aaagghh. Oh well. Dirt cheap. Decent food.Great seats. Great contemporary jazz musicians: Richard Elliot,The Rippingtons,Peter White ,Acoustic Alchemy..to name few.
Do you mean the Club Bene off of Route 35? It changed names over the years. Use to see bands like Poco, America, The Outlaws there...I might have left before it turned into a Jazz club.
mrdecibel, My friend, you are making a few mistakes. Since you have not personally heard the Ref 10 in your own system, you cannot make a judgment that the Rane as a line stage is dirtier than the Ref 10. The word, "dirtier," is misleading and ambiguous. Any tube line stage will be smoother than the Rane to the extent that it rolls off the HF. To the uneducated listener, the tube stage will also be smoother than the Luminous since it rounds off the "edges" compared to the more transparent and clearer Luminous. This type of listener may think that the Luminous is "dirtier," but is missing out on the fact that "warts and all" clarity is the ideal, and the true characteristic of live music. Live music is both nasty and beautiful at different times.
Second, you make an artificial distinction between tone and detail. Live music, by definition, has both tone and detail at the highest level of quality. You acknowledge that electrostatics have the lowest distortion, and the most accuracy in tone/detail at modest volume levels. But large scale dynamics are very important to you, making stats unacceptable for your purposes. That's OK--you are entitled to your preferences and value system. Someone can enjoy the Neo for its open window AND accurate tone quality, at times raucous and at other times smooth and sweet.
Third, I find it odd that you say someone is nuts to drive the expensive Neo with cheap electronics (at least the Plinius, but also the Rane). Apart from your Luminous, you are on record saying that the Rane (especially your modified one) as a line stage is better than most semi-expensive line stages. For some time you have extolled the greatness of your system, all components of which are inexpensive. I believe you on those assertions. It is a credit to your long experience in the audio business where you have seen the expensive mediocrities foisted upon the naive audiophile, and you truly enjoy the superiority of your modestly priced components. You also are justifiably proud of your ability to assemble this system, being independently resourceful and not having to put yourself in the gullible position of being swallowed by the jaws of the audio sharks in the business. I am glad that WC has reached the milestone of seeking reasonably priced superb components.
mikepaul, Instead of your sarcasm about the Rane, why don't you open your mind and try it the way I have described. I could come to your place and show you myself. Better yet, since you are in Central NJ, meet me on Dec 16 at 3 PM rehearsal and 4 PM concert at Princeton Universalist Church at 50 Cherry Hill Road off 206. I'll give you a demo that tops any audio show. The piece is Handel's Messiah.
WC disproved your claim that the Ref 10 could have made the difference. It was the Plinius. If the Plinius sound doesn't change, then the Dag is dead. It is NOT about the power, as bigddesign3 would like to believe. The Dag just has a warmer, less sparkling personality at any volume level, period.
viber, reading your response, it is all in defense of the fact that I stated the Rane ( remember I have one, is dirtier ). Yes, ime, it is the equivalent of the line stage of a Classe 6, based on my memory, but with a little less warmth of the 6. You just feel " what viber wants, everybody should want ". Difference between you and me. You want people to duplicate you and your ideas, because let’s face, you have a god complex. Shall we take a poll ? You are forgetting the individuality of this hobby. You are still wrong, completely. Can we be done with this. BTW, I never used the words " cheap electronics ". I specifically pointed to the Rane eq. We both know how bad the input gain controls are on the Rane. Do you think WC would not hear that, and that is a reason the Rane is dirty, as we have discussed ?. If you want to continue your argument, come on over to the fuse thread. Enjoy ! MrD.
Cmon MikePaul...Lets go meet GOD in Princeton. We’ll just look for somebody resembling David Ogden Stiers playing a fiddle. (Hopefully not in the Mens Room where the private auditions are being conducted!!)
WC, Now that you have seen the light about the merits of a few cheap items, I could recommend other cheap amps to compete with the Plinius. For your needs, the best would be the top amp from Emotiva. I heard last year's top XPA2 gen 3. It was powerful, fast, sparkling, with even a little sweetness. You can try it for 30 days risk free direct from Emotiva. The new Reference is more powerful, and about $1500. Look for a holiday special. The next choice would be my Mytek Brooklyn Amp, which is 300 watts into 8.4,2 ohms. It is possibly the most neutral of the group of Plinius, Emotiva, Mytek, but not sterile or with biting HF. Only $2K at Music Direct with free 60 day trial. The sound was not significantly changed at over 100 hours break in. I now have about 400 hours on it.
But I wouldn't try these other amps just yet. Let your Plinius settle in, and enjoy it for what it does for your music, not because you want to impress audio people. You are actually in a nice position similar to me, because I am awaiting the promised SOTA Merrill Element 114 at a reasonable $9-12K. I wouldn't even spend money on an additional Plinius until the Elements are evaluated. I guarantee that I will be making my report here. Who knows, if the Elements are not what I think, I will consider the Plinius. Thanks for your assessment of that. For now, don't even consider spending money on expensive ARC tube amps or others. They may have the romantic glow you like, but I predict they won't have the sparkle of the Plinius. Don't spend a lot of money on dinosaur technology--it's time to consider new tech like the Elements.
You may have ignored my previous advice on all these amps, but you now have a different perspective and I hope you consider them.
I can't go because we would all end up at the ice cream place--Thomas Sweets in Princeton..and he will INSIST that there is only ONE flavor to order,only in a CUP not a CONE. Any other flavor is washed out and bland by comparison to his favorite...because it a FACT...and do not add SPRINKLES...just a waste of money.....lol
@Viber6.You describe the "upfront" , "in your face " front row listening experience as , "matter of fact". You seem to think THAT presentation is preferred by the rest of us .
I have to agree with MR decibel here..You for some reason think that everyone else prefers to hear the presentation as upfront or in your face , like you do. Sadly ,you are mistaken
I can assure you that it is not what most of us prefer. I would say that because you
sometimes
participate in the presentation , is why you prefer the upfront , in your face sound.There is a reason why they MIX the recording. If you are upfront or first row at most any presentation, the sound will not be good . It will be uneven. You know this .You will hear a lot more of whatever or whoever is playing closest to you,and many times you will not hear the rest of the band or instruments .Actually, most albums are mixed pretty evenly or balanced. I think the reason you prefer the EQ is so that you can tune it to sound like you are upfront or participating and getting blasted by the instruments near you.just my opinion of course.
@Viber6 Emotiva is "Bright " sounding if pushed, at all.I own the LPA-1 and have had it for years . I use it for Center,surround L&Rand the Outdoor pool speakers It is not as bright as any of the XPAs.I had the Emotiva XPA-1 Gen2 monos . I used them here on the Tekton Double Impact. They had Execllent Bass and overall pretty darn good .... for the money. If i cranked up the volume to get 85 -100 db peaks it became harsh sounding. But, I realize that YOU like a "bright" sound .Therefore you will like the Emotiva . Most of use dodo not. There is a difference in "Brilliance" and "Bright".....at least to me To me Bright is or can be harsh , but Brilliance is lit up or elevated in that range , but not harsh . At least that is the way i always understood it to be .
mrdecibel, I just have the hearing acuity of someone my age, not bad, not great. But I have judgment and experience, and so do you. At times, you have also voiced strong recommendations, which is fine because you are sincere and passionate and qualified to do so. Instead of claiming that your horns are grossly inferior to stats, I make it objective and say that for the priorities you have, the horns are the logical choice. That is not a God complex. The same goes for people who like tubes. We and everyone else know the disadvantages of tubes, but it is proper to say that if someone likes a "je ne sais qua" or romantic type of sound, it is logical that they would prefer tubes. (By the way, if politicians stopped calling each other names, and instead said that the other position is understandable if certain assumptions are made, we'd all have some respect for them instead of what is going on now. I am not engaging in name calling, but trying to be dignified and somewhat scholarly in providing useful info.)
You are right about many of the deficiencies of a stock Rane. Nevertheless, it is a great product as is, for the purpose intended. That idoesn't suit your needs, which is fine for you. But if I came to listen to your system, I might find that I preferred it with the Rane, adjusted in ways I cannot predict. Just don't say that is not needed in your system--just say more precisely that your sensibilities prefer not using it.
But for the purposes of WC's thread, he has agreed with me that the tone controls help the system performance with the Dag. I have little doubt that some form of EQ would help get even more performance (sparkle, etc.) from the Plinius, even with the Ref 10 in the system. If he didn't require very high volumes, the Ref 10 electronics could be bypassed. This would be especially true of the Emotiva amp with its high 29 dB of gain. That could give an advantage to the Emotiva compared to other amps with the more usual 25-26 dB of gain. Your experience with the Luminous certainly proves how eliminating electronics yields great benefits. Even I, with my lowly and somewhat flawed Rane am able to eliminate the need for a line stage.
viber, apology accepted. Just let the man be.....This entire thread was based on amplifier comparisons, at all price levels. To throw an eq in there, at this stage in the game, is secondary when wc is still " listening to amps ". That was my biggest point in all of this. It was not his priority or necessity. The Ref 5 se is the last AR preamp I can honestly say I have some experience with. My remembrance, which is much more recent than with the Classe 6 ( I borrowed the AR, I owned the Classe ), is that the AR is quite a few notches above the Rane, which, I assumed, not be as good as the REF 10. Anyway, we are all friends here, and I am sorry if I offended you or made you feel you are just like the rest of us here. Enjoy ! MrD.
grey9hound, I agree with nearly all you just said. It is certainly factual. You are right that as an immersed player, I hear my closer musicians emphasized in comparison to the ones on the other side of the stage. But even the ones on the other side have more impact to me than if I was sitting in the audience several rows back. Everything is more detailed and exciting, although admittedly some things more so than others. I have had the experience of walking in from the back of the hall, late to the rehearsal, walking closer, then finally sitting on the stage close up. The balance is fine from far back, remains fine closer, but closer yields more detail and excitement. It is not just because things are louder close up. The tonal balance gets more brilliant at a closer distance.
The question of brilliance versus brightness is interesting. Brilliance is the ideal, and brightness certainly has a negative connotation. Brilliance is the utmost revelation of detail at all freq in a coherent manner. This is the true character of live, unamplified music. I will admit that I am creating more brightness with the EQ, which is the preferential emphasis of HF in sometimes an unnatural way. But the tonal balance of live music is brighter at a closer distance, although in live music it is natural. This is because the shorter wavelengths of HF are absorbed by layers of air more than lower freq. My electrostatic speakers are far less colored and more natural than most dynamic speakers, so I get away with the brightness which comes across as also more naturally brilliant. Still, even my speakers are not the real thing, although very close to it with accurate electronics and correct natural volume levels. There are compromises on the path to more brilliance, as some tonal aberrations creep in. Try this on your car radio system. Experiment with increasing the treble in the various settings. Without tone controls, the car radio is really muddy, but with some treble boost the increased clarity is worth the tradeoff in tonal balance. What good is "correct" tonal balance if the whole thing is equally muddy at all freq? I have gotten free tickets to concerts, but the far back seat had sound that was so muddy that I preferred listening to the sound in the car at the same volume level.
On a more basic level, I realize that most people prefer laid back sound. Why is this? I am certainly unhappy about being assaulted with too loud sound, whether live or from an audio system. But I want to hear all the detail in my music. Why wouldn't anyone else feel the same? We can enjoy music casually from the car radio or on youtube with the bad stock sound of the computer. But if you go through the time, trouble and expense of setting up and improving your audio system, why bother if you are not getting the most detail out of it? And you have to tell your family you need a dedicated room for audio, so they are put off. Don't interpret "detail" as a bad word--when you have a revealing system the detail just jumps out effortlessly and then you really enjoy the music more. It is more relaxing since you don't have to listen keenly to get it. How's that seeming paradox for someone who claims they want to just relax with the laid back sound of their system?
mrdecibel, It is true this thread started about just amps. But since all systems are a chain of components, it is much more informative to discuss amps in the context of a system. Of course, nobody listens to an amp alone, they listen to the whole system of which the amp is an important part. Then some people feel the preamp is the most important part, others say the cartridge, speaker, etc. One reason this thread is the most popular is that all these things are discussed, which provide entry points for many different perspectives. And I even got in a comment about politicians, which was relevant to how to have dispassionate discussions with facts instead of emotions.
I may be wrong, maybe lesser amps can be compensated with sota preamps in the chain. I am not a big buck preamplifier believer , I am more of guy of amplifier doing the job of giving the sweetness , tone and soundstage to the speakers. Maybe the Ref 10 can do that earlier in the chain.
WC , would you say the Neoliths or 15A ( electrostatics) are much better at putting air between the instruments than the best dynamic speakers you eard ? Or just a little bit better .
@techno_dude I’d say that the electrostics give you a “spooky” feeling when set up properly due to their dipole design. Things seem to spread more so that does give you the illusion of more air because it is using the room to create a larger picture. When I started this journey, I selected panels first and then over the years I converted to awesome woofer/tweeter speakers. If I am a person that does home theater and music evenly, I’d choose a Wilson or a focal anyday over an electrostatic. The dynamics are a must have in home theater and unless you’re getting neoltihs all around your room for home theater, I don’t see any home theater with electrostatics Beating a Wilson or a focal set up. If your priority is music, specially instruments, it’s hard as hell to best a panel. The only pain is setting them up and being patient. What I love about panels is that you can sit for hours and hours listening and you don’t really get any fatigue.
I’m in talks to bring a gryphon amplifier from Europe. Domestic dealers don’t discount gryphon so I have to look in another continent to buy it for a deal even if it’s 220v. I actually plan to try many more amps in 2019 with these speakers. Some of you have messaged me asking me to try your personal amps with my neoltihs so that may come to fruition but do you want me to post my impressions here or just tell you via private messages? Man I really regret selling those 200.5 Monos.... that amp could have been magical at this time.
@Ron17, no need to smack the poor horse beyond unconsciousness... 'Tis sufficient to hold on firmly to its... Rane! G.
Besides, there are indications by examining the preprints of the original libretto of My Fair Lady -- before politically motivated revisions were applied -- that Rane might be harvested and not manufactured... The result of an unusual meteorological phenomenon occurring only in certain Hiberic lowlands, because...
"The Rane, in Spain, falls mostly in the plains!"
This would also explain the very reasonable cost of this miraculous device... Like the mythical Mannah in the Bible, Rane appears to be... Falling from Heaven!
Apologies, friend Viber... Just could not resist one (Ahem... I meant two) of my own *Smiles!*
Guido, Your cultured, insightful humor is welcomed by me, and I hope others. By comparison, others' jokes just represent juvenile, distasteful sarcasm with in some cases actual ill will instead of appreciation for my well meaning advice. Even you have been criticized for your lengthy discussions of the Elements with me, with the accuser not appreciating its relevance to anyone wise enough to value it. I certainly do, even if nobody else is listening.
Mrdecibel, I did not make an apology for anything I said. I just provided more explanation of what I said in case my thoughts were not clear. Since you and I respect each other's knowledge and experience, it is inappropriate and disrespectful for you to second XX's sarcasm by saying "XX, LMAO". I know you said you are sorry if you offended me, so I will take that as your apology. Now, let's move on, in friendship and informative comments, as always.
WC, I don’t think any Gryphon amp would be dramatically different than your Diablo 300, which was demolished by the Plinius. Your wife also said that the Dag was more open and sparkly than your Diablo. Since your Plinius is still more sparkly than the Dag (it is not the Ref 10 influence as you noted), the Plinius should be much better in these ways than any Gryphon, except for maybe power specs, but you have found the Plinius wonderful in every way. I wonder what your wife thinks of the Plinius. She would probably be delighted with the sound, and say your search for amps is just about over, especially for such expensive things. Why don’t you just settle down with the superb Plinius, then in due time consider other cheap amps, before you go for the expensive stuff. I gave you my list, and let’s hear from others like grey9hound, maplegrovemusic with their lists. Maplegrove has the 2 big models of the KingSound electrostatics, so his comments would be interesting.
My tRANE of thought too. and when my ac broke last year I chose the one I got cause nothing can stop a tRANE.. Between Hank Williams PRane songs And Newbury's tRane songs And blue eyes cryin' in the tRane Out in Luckenbach, Texas Ain't nobody feelin' no pain
dguitarnut, You are a better poet than me, thanks. Off topic, there is a wonderful book on the benefits of a grain-free diet, called NO GRAIN, NO PAIN, by Dr. Peter Osborne. A play on the bodybuilder's saying, "no pain, no gain." Osborne has a huge practice in Texas. Excellent videos on youtube.
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