Tpk123,
You mentioned "older" amps, but the two Monarchy amps that you mentioned are still current products.
You don't mention what speaker you will be using. The Monarchy Audio SM-70 or SM-70 Pro are only about 25-30 watts/channel in stereo mode. They jump up to 70 or 80 watts/channel in mono mode.
At their used price, the SM-70 or SM-70 Pro are EXCELLENT amps, if you can live with 25 watts/channel. Heck, I think you can get a single SM-70 for under $300-$350 used.
Enjoy,
TIC |
Ever consider a tube hybrid like Lazarus H-1A? |
Levinson made a pair of very nice class A amps, monoblocks, rated at 25 per channel into 8 ohms....and 50 into 4...and 100 into 2...and 200 into 1..and 400 into 0.5..think they were the ML2 but not sure...one of them is at least as large as the stereo 100wpc 27.5. If a pair ever pops up for sale I'd give them serious consideration; they'll drive anything around probably.
Cut down on your heating bills, too. |
Swamp - The pure class A 50 watt version or the 100 watt A/B version? |
Look for a Bedini 25/25. They go for around $450-600 on the used market. John Bedini also will rebuild them for around $400. Lucious midrange! Your speakers will need to be at least 89db efficiency if you want to listen at higher volume.
Marco |
I'm pretty sure you can get the Monarchy SM70 and run it as a mono amp. Two of them run as mono blocks would be relatively inexpensive, and very good sounding. |
The Forte 4 IS a great amp and will cost you about 1/2 of what you wanted to spend, I think. |
|
Consider checking out a Stax DA-80.
Pure Class A.
Runs hotter than hell.
You could fry an egg on it.
Sounds great.
It will be in your price range or below. |
I should have put, that wanted to spend less than $1000, which is why I am looking at older gear. Thanks for the responses!! Keep em coming... |
There are a number of folks on this site who own or are big fans of the Forte Model 4, which I thought was a great little amp when I heard it years ago. You might want to check the archives. |
Don't forget the Krell KSA-250. This is a superb amp. |
Gryphon mono blocks DM-100. Excellent amps.Threshold Amps are too bright for my taste. |
I know of one who owns some 20-plus year old Classe model D-25 (I believe) and really enjoys them. He also has had much exposure to and has owned some outstanding amps.
-IMO |
Threshold sa-1 or sa-2 mono bloc amps are still considered the best of class a sound today. They are just very tough to find.
Chang |
Personally, if I were going to get an older Class A amp I would wait for a Threshold SA series 1 or 2 (both mono's) or a 3, depending on power requirements. The original SA3 is a real sweetie and a bargain at typical sales prices. Apart from that I would also consider the Classe DR3 either the regular or HC depending on speaker requirements. These are great amps, different perhaps, even compared to todays products. Of your list the only one I'd think about would be the Threshold T-50 and, before I thought about it much, I'd want to be sure the output devises are still available in case of a failure. |
I owned an SM70 and currently own a pair of the Monarchy SE100Delux's. The SM70 was a sweet little amp. I just sold it but it was hard to let it go. Was looking to buy another one and run them as monos but could not find another one with matching faceplate. The only problem I had with the SM70 was that it ran hot. It doubled as a space heater in my little 10x9 office; good in the winter but not so good in the summer.
Hope this helps, |
