Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!


I am assuming some of you have experienced the following.... All else being the same in the chain, you replaced a power amplifier and started hearing more resolution and detail, perhaps a lil more in a track that you have heard a thousand times.

Ime, the higher you go up in price doesn't necessarily guarantee that you could experience the above mentioned. It seems to come down to the nitty gritty of the circuits under consideration, i.e., the black art of power delivery and analog circuit design.

What is a power amp you may have experimented with that provided the maximum detail and resolution at any price? (Not just perceived changes in tonal balance, etc).

I am hoping to shortlist a power amp based on some suggestions here for a future purchase.

 

P.S. If you are an ASR type of guy who thinks all power amps sound the same, this may not the right thread for you, I suppose...

deep_333

You should definitely listen to the new SIM audio 861 amplifier it beats amplifiers costing two to three times the price, the new MDCA circuitry that they have developed is a game changer, It's the first a/ab amplifier that I know of that uses no local or global feedback most other amplifiers still use local feedback which affects the sound, I have no doubt that this amplifier will beat other amplifiers in the 40 to $70,000 Canadian range.

Boulder, Soulution and CH Precision come to mind in this category.

Not my cup of the tea but if you want resolution and detail doesn’t get any better than this.

Coda CSiB (the amp part is essentially Coda no.8) has tremendous clarity, speed and musicality. One of the best values in high end audio and one of the best amps I ever owned. 
 

SimAudio Moon amps are excellent as well. And so are the Boulder amps. All in their own price and performance categories and of course matching is critical. 
 

I don’t think all amps sound the same, but usually when I hear about reviewers hearing "things I never heard before" it speaks to the device exaggerating one tonal range over another. Especially true with speaker reviews. This is a never ending cycle, of chasing more details and more things you never heard before, sometimes leading to a particular sound that is so far from neutral it’s hard to hear. Sometimes that is good for listeners who prefer lower volumes.

My point is, be careful chasing details. In terms of speakers that sound remarkably better, D’Agostino, Vandersteen (yes, they make amps) and Luxman are among my favorites. All have glass smooth mid to treble, liquid like midranges and great bass.

From my very poor and now dusty memory, Coda had extension but never had that relaxed feeling of the others or a great tube amp. My memory now is hazy and I encourage listening.