Review: Aragon 8008 BB Amplifier

It always amazes me how brand name lemmings feel compelled to jump to the defense of their "pet" brands. I've compared my Aragon 8008BB amps (I have three) against a good many big-buck amps that I've actually owned and used extensively in my own system, in my home, including the Rowland Model 10 and monoblock 12, the AR VT-200, the McIntosh MC352, the Bryston 14B-SSt, the Classe 401, and most recently the Krell FPB 400cx. All of those amps are orders of magnitude more expensive than the Aragon, but they are not orders of magnitude better, and a few, like the big Krell, are too close to justify the huge price premium. In fact, once I tried using two Aragon 8008BBs to vertically bi-amp my extremely accurate and revealing PMC MB-2 monitors, I realized what I was missing with the timber-challenged and soundstage-flattening Krell. The ONLY place the Aragons gave in to the Krell was a slight bit of congestion in the extreme highs. The Krell had to be history when two used Aragons that cost far less than half the price of the Krell showed it up in bass control and slam, dynamics and timbral accuracy. After listening to the Krell for more than a year, the two 8008BBs were a revalation. Jeez, maybe I've become an Aragon lemming.

Turbo:

How did you balance the gain between the Aragon and the X5 in the horizontal biamp set-up?

Tailor3

On reputation alone I was ready to buy an 8008 BB, but when I went and heard the one I was interested in buying, I knew I had to have the thing. Nothing I could afford came anywhere close to controlling a speaker as well as this amplifier did. I recently got a pair of B&W Nautilus 802s, and even this power hungry speaker does well on them. They don't have the absolute dominant control they had on a pair of B&W 604s and other speakers of the same class and size, but they do awfully well. Their sound is every bit as musical as it is powerful, too. I'm considering getting a pair of Palladiums for the 802s if I can find the space for them. Without winning the lottery, that's the only true upgrade I can imagine being able to make. Then I can do 7.1 with my BB and 8008x3..

I've owned an 8008BB twice....upset that I got rid of it both times, once for Krell, once for Levinson. Awesome amp that lets you choose other places to put the savings...i.e. speakers. It's a pretty neutral amp that acts damn near a voltage source down to 2 ohms. What's not to like?

I have just bought an Aragon 8008 MK2 and am very impressed - can you tell me Matti, what Krell and Levinson amps did you have?