Both ModWright and Pass will give your Ref 150 a run for the money. They don't pretend to be tubes, but they are both great amps. I like many don't have any desires to go back to a tube amp for the same reasons you're considering the change. I've listened to a lot of SS amps and Pass has gotten me closer to the magic of tubes. I love listening to a fine tube amp but I don't want the headaches or cost of re-tubing a big tube amp; no thank you. I've had several tube amp owners hear my Pass and they have commented on how great it sounds and how it doesn't sound like a SS amp. I'm using a tube preamp so I'm sure that helps as well.
Solid state amp to replace my Audio Research Ref 150 amp
I have owned an Audio Research Ref. 150 for 4 years, but with tube changes and the heat, I'd like to find a solid state amp that would mate well with my Baby Nola speakers, as well as be 100% reliable and have the great sound my AR amp has given me. The AR amp was originally recommended by the Nola designer, Carl Marschiotta.
My listening tastes primarily range in jazz, classical, roots music, and Americana such as Jason Isbell. I do like to rock the house occasionally, but I greatly value the finesse I get from the AR 150, as well as the solid bass and dimensionally my amp provides in my system.
I don't want to replace my Audio Research preamp and phono preamp, so I am wishing for a solid state power amp that will fulfill my amplifier hopes, work with my other AR pieces an continue to provide me the pleasure my Audio Research amp has given me.
I would like to pay less than $8k on AudiogoN.
Comments and suggestions are appreciated.
My listening tastes primarily range in jazz, classical, roots music, and Americana such as Jason Isbell. I do like to rock the house occasionally, but I greatly value the finesse I get from the AR 150, as well as the solid bass and dimensionally my amp provides in my system.
I don't want to replace my Audio Research preamp and phono preamp, so I am wishing for a solid state power amp that will fulfill my amplifier hopes, work with my other AR pieces an continue to provide me the pleasure my Audio Research amp has given me.
I would like to pay less than $8k on AudiogoN.
Comments and suggestions are appreciated.
72 responses Add your response
Perhaps consider the Modwright KWA-150SE. In my system it strikes a nice balance of tube and solid state virtues. You can switch between low and high bias modes--in high bias it runs slightly warm (Class A for the first 15w) and sounds more like tubes, in low bias mode (Class A/B) it generates little heat and sound almost as good. Built like a tank with great product support from Dan. I've had mine for years and the only thing that would lure me away are the right SE tube monoblocks (my speakers are 97db efficient). BTW, you can also run the Modwright in bridged mono for speakers that need crazy power. |
I appreciate ARC gear and your current combination seems terrific. I would guess you'd miss the 150 the minute you turned on whichever solid state you choose. Why not consider a decent performing lower dollar solid state with proven resale like a Parasound or older Ayre V3 and keep the 150 and do the turbo upgrade when it's available. |
ARC Ref250SE is my main amps and I use a Hegel H30 in the summer for obvious reasons. It's not tubes but excellent nevertheless. It's runs cool, not dry like most SS amps, linear and dead quiet (no transformer hum or HF hiss). I compare to many ... could live with most, found Pass XA160.5 accentuated mid too much for my taste. Hegel H30 listing. Carl Marschiotta always use ARC at shows. It's interesting he was using VAC Master pre and 200iq amps at CES. |
The amount of heat an amp will put into the room can be judged based on its AC power requirement specs (or its AC current requirement specs, which can be converted to power numbers by multiplying by the assumed line voltage). Although that judgment will be less precise for class AB and especially class D amps than for class A amps, since those numbers will vary considerably as a function of the volume and dynamics of the music in the cases of class AB and class D. But for example in the case of the OP’s class AB amp we know that the power drawn will be somewhere between 420 and 730 watts, probably closer to 420 than to 730 most of the time. This assumes, of course, that the specs are provided by the manufacturer and are reasonably accurate. Temperature measurements (or estimates based on touching the amp) may not necessarily be meaningful because for a given amount of power consumption (and hence heat generation) the measured temperatures will vary depending on the design of the heat sinks (the more substantial they are and the more efficiently they radiate heat into the room the lower their temperature will be, everything else being equal), among other variables. The amount of heat put into the room by a component is proportional to the power going into it minus the power going out of it. But since nearly all speakers convert just a small fraction of the power going into them into sound, with the rest of that power being converted into heat, the AC current or power drawn by the amp can be a useful indicator by itself. Regards, -- Al |
I own the Plinius SA Reference amp and have owned several other Plinius amps and one Pass 30.5 amp. I never thought they ran hot! Especially the Plinius. I just took the temperature of my Plinius amp with an Infrared Thermometer the Plinius has been playing for an hour in A/B mode in an open rack, 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Granted in A mode it runs warmer, but who listens in A mode all the time? |
I used. Big ole Adcom and B&K amps for years to give me my 200watts, but with lots of heat. I switched to Bel Canto monoblocks and could not be happier. They stay on and stay cool all the time. I have the 500m, the new 600m is supposed to be the best yet. You can also get used 500m or 1000 mk2 for a relative song. i know, they are class D. I have no issues with the sound, but i did get improvements with power cables (Acoustic Zen) and Nordost cabling, especially Heimdall 2 XLR form the preamp. |
George, note though that one of the OP’s concerns was heat generation. A pair of XA-160.5 monoblocks apparently draws a total of 1200 watts, all the time (when powered up), since it is biased in class A. While the power consumption of his Ref150 is spec’d as 420 watts at idle, and 730 watts at rated output. So the Pass will generate a good deal more heat than the Ref150. A similar issue would arise with most comparably powerful class A amps, whether tube or solid state. Regards, -- Al |
