Old Amp vs. New Amp

I own a Lafayette tube amp form way back when.  I have not found anything really out there that can compete with this beast.  Probably because of the transformers used back in the day.  I have heard very nice hybrid class D amps that sound pretty good also.  It all depends on the old amp and the new amp.  I would like to have my Krell 50 amp back also.  Hearing differences also to me depends on the source.  I personally would rather upgrade my source then my amp.  To me that brings a higher reward in sonic improvement.

Happy Listening.

Even 4 year old amps have often become very much a good value - why go back 20 years? And Class D's such as Nuprime are ready for prime time

jond - Yes, I am interested in tube amps, but for some reason (not really sure why) I tend to lean towards Solid State.  I would certainly like to try tubes at some time.  I own a few guitar amps, and I wouldn't even consider a solid state guitar amp.

There are SOOOOO many amps out there, it's really difficult to decide which one is best.  I guess I just gotta take the plunge and hope for the best.

So... I did just that.  I just purchased a Mark Levinson No 333.  I sure hope it turns out to be all that I hope it is.  I guess I'll see.

Thanks for the great discussion!

Hello petrela
The Mark Levinson 3 series are great amps for the money now. I have owned several and still use one today. Just plan to make sure its been full re capped  with in 2-3 years from the time you purchase it. Or plan on getting it done your self at a certified Mark Levension repair shop. Well worth the money after its done.   The sound will not let you down.
Enjoy Pete

" I had never heard of Classdaudio.  I just looked at their website.

Certainly something to consider."

     petrela,

      The good news is that classDaudio is only one of many companies offering very good class D amps.  My initial very good experience with a class D amp impressed me so much that I did a lot of internet research about the history of class D amps, from the 1st proposal in 1958 and the 1st commercially available amp in 1964 to the best current examples of class D using power modules from companies like Hypex and Anaview/Abletec. 

       But this fascination with class D only inspired me to want to try some of the latest examples in my own system. Fortunately, my limited budget also limited my subsequent class D amp purchases to the more reasonably priced versions.  

       My 2nd class D amp was an Emerald Physics EP-102 stereo amp (bought on sale for $600) and my last amp purchase was a pair of D-Sonic M3-600-M mono-blocks (just under $2,000/pr.).  

     All 3 of my class D amps share some similar sonic qualities: very good bass control and response, very low noise floors, powerful dynamics,exceptionally neutral, high levels of detail, solid and stable sound staging and smooth mid-range and treble response that never seems too bright. 

     From reports  from numerous class D amp owners using a wide variety of good class D amp brands and models on this and other audio forums,  they typically mention the same  sonic qualities that I mentioned above.  However, I still try to resist claiming all good class D amps sound the same because I've only personally listened to a small sample of them.

     If you'd like to explore some other good class D amps, I'd suggest a google search of 'class D home audio amps'.

      Tim