Ampzilla747, Isn't the thalia preamp you are looking to get made by GAS?
I have a little experience with the brands you are comparing. I own a Dynaco 400 and have had a Aragon 8008BB in my system for a short while. The 400's front end has been modifyed by me but even with that taken into account I believe that the 8008BB was more refined. I believe the differences should be clearly audable in your system. (I use the 400 as a sub amp most of the time)
On the other hand there are several factors that could make your observations different than mine. 1) The most likely reason is that I have not heard the exact amps you have. 2) In agreement with the others, the Dynaco was a very good amp in its day, and if the capacitors were replaced (they really do age and dry out) has the potential to be very close to the Aragon. To my knowledge, transistors do not deteriorate with age and the Borbely designed Dynaco 400 is not really much different than the topology used in the Aragon 8008BB. The biggest difference is in the power supplies where a toroid is used in the 8008BB. This difference should be most audable in the bass. 3) I will chime in with everyone else and agree that there could be a bottleneck else where in the system. I have a non working PS Audio 5.0 that I could repair and give you some feedback on it in the future. I have heard PS Audio equipment at trade shows and I feel that it is reasonable stuff and well suited for the rest of your gear.
I share your desire to use older equipment. I upgrade the parts as required and I get a kick out of someone saying "That old stuff sounds that good?". I woulg really like to get an Ampzilla (and many others) after I get rich.
Feel free to email for help on repair if you want. Chris
I have a little experience with the brands you are comparing. I own a Dynaco 400 and have had a Aragon 8008BB in my system for a short while. The 400's front end has been modifyed by me but even with that taken into account I believe that the 8008BB was more refined. I believe the differences should be clearly audable in your system. (I use the 400 as a sub amp most of the time)
On the other hand there are several factors that could make your observations different than mine. 1) The most likely reason is that I have not heard the exact amps you have. 2) In agreement with the others, the Dynaco was a very good amp in its day, and if the capacitors were replaced (they really do age and dry out) has the potential to be very close to the Aragon. To my knowledge, transistors do not deteriorate with age and the Borbely designed Dynaco 400 is not really much different than the topology used in the Aragon 8008BB. The biggest difference is in the power supplies where a toroid is used in the 8008BB. This difference should be most audable in the bass. 3) I will chime in with everyone else and agree that there could be a bottleneck else where in the system. I have a non working PS Audio 5.0 that I could repair and give you some feedback on it in the future. I have heard PS Audio equipment at trade shows and I feel that it is reasonable stuff and well suited for the rest of your gear.
I share your desire to use older equipment. I upgrade the parts as required and I get a kick out of someone saying "That old stuff sounds that good?". I woulg really like to get an Ampzilla (and many others) after I get rich.
Feel free to email for help on repair if you want. Chris