replacing Patek integrated with more powerful amp?


I'm looking for a more powerful alternative to the Audio Sector Patek integrated amp I'm presently using. Speakers are similar to Legacy Focus though the replacement amp would only drive the midbass,midrange, and tweeters. The mids and tweeters are Eton metal domes so nothing thin or bright, please. The Patek is rated at 50w.

The Patek replaced a bridged pair of Pathos Classic One MKIII. Certainly the Pathi were warmer and fuller with a more expansive soundstage but the Patek is much more transparent and every bit as resolving. So, what I'm looking for is an amp (preferably integrated) that has the transparency of the Patek but with more power. I believe the major issue is a lack of transparency in active preamps so passive preamps would be preferred unless, of course, you have experience with integrateds with active line stages than are as tranparent as the passives.

I'm a student and will be doing clinicals at years end (which means I get to work 40+ hrs/wk for 16 weeks unpaid)so my funds are quite limited. Let's say $2000 as an absolute upper limit and I'm probably looking to go no more than $1500 ideally.

Just for the record, I've tried ICE amps-Wyred ST-500, and find them lacking in transparency. I also was disappointed with a SIM Audio I-5LE. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
lcherepkai
Glenalan-do you hear a loss of transparency in the bridged version compared to the regular Patek? I recall asking Mr Tim Rawson about bridged chip amps awhile back and he felt the bridged ones lacked some of the magic....been awhile so not certain of the wording. Thanks for your time.
Yes I've built several of Peter Daniels kits and have tried stereo, parallel and bridge versions. The bridge version certainly sounds more dynamic, however this configuration is not recommended for low impedance speakers. The reason why is that a bridged amp halves the speaker load. In other words a 4 ohm speaker is consider 2 ohm when the amp is bridged. In such case this may stress the amp particularly if driven loud. I drive my 6 ohm Living Voice speakers wonderfully without any problems using a bridged LM3875 or LM4780 amps.
If you're looking for power, details and transparency. The PI-160 by Burson is a good choice.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/t/Index/bur_pi160.html
My suggestion is to call Peter and ask him his opinion about bridging the Patek. He's very helpful and he makes a great little amp.
Hi Glenalan-have you actually done this or heard of someone doing this? I know bridging the Pathos amps produced better than expected results. Since balanced inputs would be necessary, is this something that would need to be done at the manufacturer's? Thanks, this may just be what I need.
Buy another patek and bridge it - more dynamic and powerful. However if ur speakers are low impedance this may not be ideal. A bridge Patel also requires balanced inputs.
I appreciate the input so far. Actually though, I figured I'd be hearing about the Creek Destiny and the Exposure 2010S(2) as these usually get high marks for their transparency. Mind you, the only amp I've heard that bettered the Patek for transparency (and that is only in the vital midrange) was a JAS Array 2.1 which had GE 805's and Sophia Meshplate 300B's. I sold it due to hum problems though it wasn't the amp as much as wiring issues which have been corrected. Anyone heard these AND the Patek or comparable amps? Still VERY much leaning towards a passive rather than active linestage in the integrated. Again, thanks for the input.
I believe there is still an Ayre AX-7e up here...it's an integrated with great reviews and noted as having a tube like sound with solid state punch. It's not terribly more powerful than your Patek at i think 60w but it's a solid 60w and Ayre is known for their excellent customer service and relatively affordable upgrade paths.
There is a Musical Fidelity A5 int amp in the for sale section.

Meets your budget too - nice amp.

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