Should I buy a Class A Amp.

I don't think Class A is what it used to be. :) That is, amplifiers are a lot better. I traded an amp that was Class A up to 35 Watts for an ICEPower unit and never regretted it.  It's better for my power bill and the planet. :)

Personally, I find Krell to be powerful, but not particularly interesting, and the age of the KSA 200 makes it way overpriced to me.

Save your money.  If you want an amplifier that adds to your experience, as opposed to just transmits the music, maybe a tube amp would be worth listening to.  If you must have Class-A, then the Pass amps are probably going to be the best exemplars. For afford-ability, how about a Parasound A21, class A until 20 watts or so.  Very neutral.

If you want to be a bit of a geek ( and who doesn't? ) The Ncore monoblock kits are running around $1,200 US for a stereo pair. IMHO a much better investment than an old Krell, unless you happen to have the Apogee Scintilla's to go with them. :)

Godesses, I hope this starts a flame war worth having. :)

Best,


Erik

Hi Don!

Like my speakers, I rolled my own. :)  I came across a great deal on used, stock ICEPower 250ASP modules, and put them together with Chinese sourced cases and silver signal wire.

Originally I was going to use the ICEPower units to power my HT speakers, so Center and Surround, but I ended up with six amp modules instead of three. I had a Parasound A23 amplifier at the time, about the same rated power, but idle was 140 Watts, vs. 30 for the ICEPower pair. I honestly could hear no difference at all between the two amplifiers, so I kept the cheap small cold one's and use them exclusively.

With a little more funding I might have played with warming up the sound a bit, but having just moved, I just don't have the time or space.

Best,


Erik

Ahhh, right, Krell's sliding bias thing. Still, my point, and really my only point, is don't be mesmerized by a technology. Just because an amp says "Class F" or "Zero Feedback" is rarely a reason you should personally buy one or the other.

Use your ears,and don't spend money unless the differences you hear are worth the spend.


Best,


Erik

Hi Mitch!

I don’t think we’re saying anything differently, but there was a minor miscommunication.

I don’t mean that Class-A has gotten worse, but rather, the gap between Class A and other amplifier technology has gotten smaller thanks to non-pure Class A amplifiers getting better.  As a result some of the sheen has rubbed off the "Class-A" brand.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Best,


Erik

What a great thread has been created.  I need to make more friends like this. :)

The other thing, one not often mentioned, is that if your ears can't tell a difference, don't spend the money. Stereo equipment, like cars, rarely ages well. It's not worth spending $20 for a "better" amplifier if you can't hear the difference. OF course, reliability, size, power all matter too.  I just meant that no matter what the consensus may be of a particular piece of gear, spend your money for you, not others. :) That $20 could better be spent on a new LP.

Best,

Erik