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plinius sa-250

I am purchasing this amp and would like some input. This will be the 2 ch. amp in my h.t. system. As of now I have the Krell KAV-500, which will handle the center and rears until i upgrade to a more powerful 3 ch. amp. My speakers right now are Revel performa M-20s, B&W center and rears. Eventually the M-20s will go in the rear and F-30s will take the l&r chs. and the C-30 will be my center. The sub I'm running now is the Velodyne FSX-12 but will be replaced by the Revel B-15. The room I have the system in is 22'x13'x9' and I have wall to wall carpeting. I have the l&r speakers connected with Transparent Super XL bi-wire cables and the rears with Transparent The Wave 100s. I will have the SA-250 connected with Transparent Ultra XL balanced cables. The rest of the system is hooked up with other Transparent, Monster and Audioquest cables. I would like to hear any comments on the SA-250 amp and the Bryston 6bst, which I am considering for the 3 ch. amp. I hope this is enough detail to allow my question to be posted and have well informed responses in return.
jrwr7
avdcreations
42 posts
 
The Plinius is a descent enough sounding amp. It's a bit better than the Krell, Aragon, Classe, McCormack,and Bryston HT dedicated amps, that's definite! If you like the sound of that Krell 5 channel, the Plinius will have a similar sound, only more refined by a bit, with better soundstaging, fuller midrange, and better musicality! The Brystons aren't that great really! They're strong enough, with good body and strong bass...but theyr'e rolled of a bit, softer, added warmth, etc. They're OK, nothing that special in my oppinion. You'll probably be happy with the Plinius well enough, yes. It's better than a lot of choices you could do for the money. The Plinius is almost as good as the perfomance level of amps like the Pass X150/250, Older Theshold T200/400's, CODA model 11 and higher...You should be fine.
For 3 channel amp in the future, you could stick with Krell 3 channel 250a or McCormack HT 3 channel, and have similar sound. Aragon 8008BB X 3, and similar will also work. Good luck
jrwr7 OP
211 posts
 
Hey everybody,
Thank you, Advcreations, for your input, but is that it from the rest of you in Audiogondom. I would really love some more info from the gallery. hope to hear more on this. Thanks in advance, john.
musicgioni
8 posts
 
What Plinius 250 are you buying? Is it the MK IV? If it is not then I could not help you much since I have never auditioned one. If it is a MK IV though I can tell you that I have done A LOT of research and I auditioned various amps before I settled with the Plinius 250 MK IV which is an altogether different animal compared to earlier series. To put it simply, the Plinius is the best amp I have heard in my system and in friends' systems and dealers in my audiophile life. And this even with much better speakers than mine. It is defientely better than (price) comparable Krells in overall finesse, musicality, detail and there is really not much of a comparison to Thresholds or Brystons or Classes out there. I have been listening to most of these amps in every occasion I could get and I can tell you the satisfaction I now derive from this baby is beyond description. It really breathed new life into my speakers.

GO FOR IT and you will not regret it. By the way, is it a new unit or a used one? There are a few great deals in Audiogon on 250 MK IV and I am amazed they have not been sold already!

I have also heard the Revels (dealer only a few miles from my house in Fort Lauderdale FL) and I love them. To these ears though they are a bit excessive in the highs a problem that the Plinius will take care of much better than your Krell ever had. It will infuse detail, delicacy and finesse in the system w/o taking away the "air" and transparency in the mids and highs!

Please, respond to me with your firts impressions when you get the unit! Take care and enjoy the music.
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