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Review: Aragon 8008 BB Amplifier

Category: Amplifiers

I have Had this amp for about a year. At first I drove my B&W N803 with them to great success and then I got the X5. I am now bi amping the 803 with the bb on bottom and the X5 on the top. This is about the best setup I could ask for there is tremendous power for the low end as well as smooth and involving mids and highs. Compared to the Krell it is just smoother but with all the slam. The Anthem was just plain out classed and sounded in comparison as my wife put it Boring. The Bryston was very good with maybe a little better base but not as good at the top end. In all this is one solid amp with good looks and very good bang for the buck.

Associated gear
Aragon Soundstage
Aragon 8008X5
California Audio Labs CL-20
SACD 777es

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Bryston
McCormack
Anthem
Krell
and many others
996turbo
kvhagedorn
2 posts
 
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..
matti
114 posts
 
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?
dave-0c2d
1 posts
 
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?
matti
114 posts
 
Hey Dave - glad to hear you're enjoying it. I had a KAV-250A and a Levinson 332. Both were nice but really not any better than the 8008 to my ears. I'm always trying new stuff and always buy used, so dollar-wise I rarley lose much...time-wise though...that's another story. That was sort of my point - if you want to get off of the merry-go-round, you could do much worse than the 8008.
perfectionist
197 posts
 

I bought an 8008st back in '97 and then had it factory upgraded to a bb in '01.
I have to jump on the bandwagon here, it's a fantastic amp and the bass control is amazing.
And as an added bonus, they hold their value very well if you keep them nice. I used to drive PSB Stratus Golds with the Aragon, and the bb upgrade was well worth the money. My system is completely changed now and I own Parasound JC1's driving Von Schweikert VR4 HSE's. The JC1's are far superior to the Aragon, but given the price difference, they should be. But, dollar for dollar, I think the 8008bb will go down in the history books as one of the great workhorses of all time.

P.S. I think the Stratus Golds are to speakers, as the 8008bb is to amps.
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