+1 @yyzsantabarbara for the CODA S5.5 amp
@deep_333
The S5.5 at $6K new is one of the rarely true hifi bargains, just as good in most ways and better in some than my Gryphon Diablo 300. It is a high current design in Class A but doesn't run particular hot.
There is a LONG thread here on Audiogon about it with rave comments from owners.
Your $30K budget may convince you to look elsewhere but that would be a mistake.
The only amp I have heard in my system as good is the Simaudio 860 V2, BUT at $20K it is not exactly a steal (used would be the way to go but they don'tcome up for sale often). The newest version is even more money but apparently there is a buzz growing about it, haven't heard it myself but likely it would be worth an audition.
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The S5.5 won't work well for the NS5000. I spoke with Doug Dale @ CODA about this amp and the NS5000. In fact, I use a CODA #16 on the NS5000 right now. It is a terrific pairing. The S5.5 will work on the NS5000, just like a stereo AHB2 would work. However, this speaker sounds better to me with more power than the S5.5 can deliver.
I am only looking to add another amp because the amp I use in another system would sound better if it was replaced with one of the following 3 amps, SimAudio North | CODA #16 | Luxman M10X.
I would rotate 2 amps with 2 systems. Currently, I cannot do this because my current second amp does not sound great on the NS5000.
Doug said that the new (or updated) CODA System S150 + SV would be his top gear.
CODA S150/S250 Amplifier System – Destination HiFi ($20k)
CODA SV System Voltage Amplifier – Destination HiFi ($8k)
This comes a little under $30k. Since I already have the #16, I decided not to look into the S150.
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I heard the Simaudio 860 V2 and 761 on the Paradigm Persona 5F and 9H and thought the 761 was easily better. The 761 is also cheaper.
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I bought a pre production pair of GanFet monoblocks and I am very impressed
I have to send it back for the product power supply is even better ,they don’t use LPS ,or torroid the designer of the gain Fet - brainiac helped in design
the owner Tom designs his own modules .IHave owned Coda ,Parasound JC, Pass labs and others. Class D Audio For under $2k to compete with amps many times the cost is a steal and has 4GanFets per mono block and smaller form factor but stuffer with top quality parts and made in USA .
I tried a friends orchard audio very detailed and clean but too neutral for my taste
after I get the for the production version I will. State just how good it is .
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you should look into the SIM audio north collection the 761 and the 861 amplifiers I heard the 761 and its phenomenal not cheap but well worth it.
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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.
@deep_333 High end audio, like many high end products, is driven by intention rather than cost. So you can run into less expensive gear that easily seems to outperform equipment that cost several times more. This can happen because the less expensive gear is built to a price formula rather than what the market will bear.
There are now class D amps that are exactly that- smooth, detailed and involving- that can easily outperform (and sound better than) amps that cost quite a lot more. Of course, not all class D amps sound the same just as not all class A amps sound the same so you should not be dissuaded if the particular class D amp you encountered didn't seem to bring home the bacon.
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I own 6 Amps from $700 to 20K and the most detailed AND Musical is the new NP-1 from Frank Van Alstine....It's magic .
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The Musical Fidelity A1 is not a high resolution amp.Pleasant but relatively low resolution.I own one.It has the least resolution of all the amps I own.
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You can buy Chinese copies of the FM Acoustic FM 300A amplifiers for about US $450.They are both high resolution and musical.Not quite as high resolution as my Bakoon but pretty close .The real FM 300A costs about $30,000.The copies are claimed to be 99% clones.
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You can still buy Bakoon amplifiers.At least in Japan and Australia.Bakoon is the real thing made by the designers in Japan.Enleum and Bakoon Korea are more just upselling /fancy boxing/alternative marketing enterprises based on the Bakoon Japan designs.I think the Japanese ones are much better value.
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@mbmi I heard the AVA NP-1 at AXPONA and the system sounded sensational especially factoring in the cost. I own AVA M225s, have you compared the NP-1 to M225s? Would you disclose (or message me) the other amps in your stable?
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@yyzsantabarbara , I'll get a hold of the dealer on the Coda 250...give it a shot.
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@deep_333 My #16 is likely a little less detailed than the 150 and 250. Doug said the 150 has some newer electronics that affect the top end. I think similar to the CODA S5.5 amp (mentioned above) in that aspect.
My #16 works great with the NS5000 in almost all respects, except that it is not an uber detailed amp (some people think it is). I think we maybe after the same type of amp for the NS5000. Since the speaker sounds so good (coherent), I want all the details in the recording to come out of the speaker. That is where my interest for the SimAudio North Collection comes from (an uber detailed amp).
Doug said that the real magic comes from the $8k Voltage amp that is hooked up to the 150/250 amp. That cannot be used for the #16 amp.
Destination HiFi in LA has the 150 for demo. I never made it down for a listen.
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CH Precision M1.1 did exactly this for my system. I was not expecting such a dramatic improvement with just an amplifier change, but it was there.
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If maximum resolution and the best circuit design is what you are after, perhaps consider a power amplifier from Gilbert Yeung. No one makes a better power supply and every one is hand built to order, so even if you have any special requests, they can be accommodated. A base set of 150w into 8 ohm monoblocs (300 into 4) would be $14k.
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Bel Canto Class D range punches way above their price point....a nice used one is a great way to start.
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Simaudio is great, it always impresses me at Axpona. They give incredible detail, tonality, and midrange with Wilson Sasha. I have Sasha DAW and Hegel 590, very detailed high frequency, very tight clear base, but midrange is not matching perfectly. My next upgrade will be Simaudio, there is something special about their products. I prefer to Dan Dagostino.
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Unfortunately all opinions are completely biased, and based on limited exposure. Mine is no exception. Warm means dulled highs, a common preference. I don't go by gear I have not had in my system because only the amps I have had in my system prove themselves. IOW, bright speakers may make a warm amp sound detailed under the right circumstances. That said, limited finances have limited my knowledge. Down to the point, John Curl's amps, Halo amps, are hard to beat and are the JC5 is the best amp I have heard in my system. My system has modified gear, the Lampizator DAC in particular went from impressive to amazing after using an adapter to change the tube to a 6SN7, and bypassing the coupling caps with V-Cap ODAM, AND Teflon CUTF caps in the Amber 3, and in the Don Sachs DS2, I bypassed the ODAM caps with CUTF caps. Source is a computer, and speakers are Caladans. One Caladan owner had previously owned Quad ELS57s, a compromised speaker, but still one of the best sounding speakers in many ways that I have always owned. Bass and volume doomed them in my system, but Caladan addresses that and more.
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What kind of speakers do you have? I would imagine speakers could make a difference.
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I have a pair of Krell EV 600's that push my Wilson Maxx II's. They're class A bias so they get hot, but boy how they make my Wilson's put out!
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Krell fits the bill, a good recommendation! Don't forget about the Marsh amplifiers, definitely known for their high resolution without brightness. No wonder you don't see them for sale anymore.
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ModWright KWA 150SE has been the best for detail that I have heard though have changed speakers, moved to lowered power options since owning one, and have not been in search of even better detail. Definitely no harsh edge to accompany the resolution. You can get 2 to run as monoblocks and have 550 watts with your 6 ohm speakers.
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I've had wonderful experience with the Ayre KX-R Twenty preamp paired with the Ayre VX-R Twenty Power amp. Incredible resolution with a rube-like presentation. I've yet to hear anything since acquiring them 6 years ago to suggest an upgrade.
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I will second the Ayre recommendation. Excellent electronics!
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burmester 218 is the best amp i have owned
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Despite owning two great sounding tube power amps, I chose my first solid state amps in 50+ years. The Westminster Labs REI. Not inexpensive but superb powerful amps at low weight, warm only and no maintenance requirements. No feedback/impedance problems over the full frequency range with zero global feedback, Class A (or whatever the manufacturer says it is).
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