Should I buy a Class A Amp.


I would Love to buy a Class A Amp. I have a Sony Tan-80ES Amp right now and I have had it for 19 yrs. To me it sounds Great but I am curious about Class A Amps. Do they really sound better? I am looking at a Krell KSA 200 Amp right now for $2000.00. It is older then my Sony. Is this too much for such an old Amp? Would Love to hear members thoughts on this.  

Blessings, ..........Don.
donplatt

Showing 6 responses by inna

Why would class A operation make an amp slower? Is it inherent in the design? I don't understand these things.
Another question is is the full class A amp a simpler design that just has to be executed well to make sense?
What about older Rowlands, 8T and 9T, and even older 5 and 7, how were they doing in terms of class A? Gryphons, I think, were and perhaps still are pure class A.
Ideally there should be no difference for an amp to play any kind of music equally well. In reality, there is. You don't want Kondo to play jazz/rock fusion. Some amps manage to strike a good compromise. But it's not only amps, it's also speakers etc. If I could I would have two completely different set-ups - one tube, the other either solid state or hybrid or also tube but different.
Atmasphere's mythology is that there are no better amps than his and no better ideas than his. I'll leave him to that.
Tim,

As they say, just because I don't know how to cook doesn't mean that I don't know how to eat.
If I hear the difference I hear it. Just because someone has ideas of what I should or should not hear doesn't change this.
Ralph's tone is often egocentric and condescending, and I believe he knows it. I do not question the quality of his amps, by the way, I never did. But I will leave him alone from now on.
So, yes, to state it again - I would not choose Kondo for jazz/rock and I would not choose Rowland, Pass or perhaps even Lamm hybrid for acoustic guitar music. I would choose tube amp. Which one? I don't know, I would listen to them all above certain level. But usually we have to choose just one, along with one pair of speakers, for many different types of music. My current amp is actually better for jazz/rock than acoustic guitar but not bad for anything. And speakers are the other way around !  However, it's a modest system by audiophile standards.
Let's just not simplify and distort things.