PSE Studio IV...for the money, cant be beat |
It's the one I own: Krell 400cx. This amp has worked flawlessly for ten plus years. |
For me personally, Jeff Rowland.
I used to own a pair of his Solid State amps before I went to tubes. |
I love the Bel Canto line. This was originally a tube based manufacturer and their solid state amps sound stellar! |
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Acoustat TNT 200, once it gets back from Roy Esposito. Who's Carl Eber? I'm sure I miss him too. |
Dynaco 400 Mono blocks with a C-100 Cap Bank on top of each amplifier. That's pushing up to 600 watts per channel into a difficult load. Tons of headroom does not even begin to describe it. Sweet. |
The new amp by Mr. D'Agostino (formerly the founder and chief designer for Krell) might be a contender. I've only heard it at a show (powering Wilson Sasha speakers), but, I was impressed with the fact that it did not have the kind of brittle, edgy, sound I associate with much high powered solid state amps.
That it is compact, reasonably decent looking, doesn't cook a room, are pluses too. |
and yet another vote here for Spectral. Now will someone please sell me a damn pair of DMA 360 series 2!!!!!! |
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I have a krell ksa 80 that after a long warm up of say 4 hours turns into a time and space travel portal machine. |
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"What ever happened to that Carl_eber fellow? (see earlier posts) Seems a little on edge"
Funny looking back 11 years, it seems like yesterday, colorful times back then and of course less censorship. I think Carl was banished, but through it all I really loved the guy's passion, he was a "one and only" to be sure. |
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What ever happened to that Carl_eber fellow? (see earlier posts) Seems a little on edge.... |
Krell FPB 300cx. 9 years young and going strong, sounds superb, never a hiccup, probably will outlast me. What more could one want? Worth every penny.
Neal |
Pass First Watt. Amazing tube like solid state. |
Mark Levinson ML-2
This is the archetype of all US made highend amps.
Had them recently in my setup with Acoustats 2 + 2 and they were still sounding wonderful to me.
Credits to John Curl & the late Thomas Colangelo |
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I love tube amps, especially SET's, but I also have 2 of Nelson Pass's XA.5 SS amps and I like what they bring to the table. I enjoy them everytime I rotate them in. I also have an early Bedini 45/45 SS amp that has an ease to it. They would get my vote(s). |
I have hardly heard all the contenders, and no solid state amp in my own system for quite a while, but, I've heard a few in friends' system and at shows, etc. I generally find Ayre electronics to be consistently nice sounding in a wide range of systems, so I would give them a nod. I've heard BEL amps sound good in a couple of systems too.
A friend has a First Watt amp (Nelson Pass design) in a high efficiency system that sounds very good in that system. I believe the model he has is an F2 amp. It is, however, an amp that is not as universally usable as other solid state amps -- it is somewhat low in power and is better suited to speakers which have a high impedance.
The better solid state amps that I've heard at shows are not American in origin. In particular, I thought that the Swiss Soulution amps sound good, as well as another Swiss amp, the Dartzeel amp. It is unfortunate that both are quite expensive. The German Burmester gear also sounds pretty good to me. |
I've never heard a Levinson, Krell, or Rowland that sounds even half as good as the McCormack DNA-500 |
Jeff Rowland i have 8T love it great sound wonderful service the BEST!! |
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Jeff Rowland spares no expense and compromises nothing. There are no reviews. There is no advertising budget. His philosophy is that his products are appropriate for those, and those only, who can appreciate them. If you think there is another company on earth that delivers more for your amplifier dollar, you are kidding yourself.
Carl Eber, if you are still at large, should realize that you are very much like a Krell amplifier. Cold, steely, strident, obtrusive, pretentious and in need of mods right out of the box. |
Spectral. Look inside a Spectral see the quality. Listen,
and hear that quality. |
My vote goes to Spectral. |
From the ballot, I vote: Pass. |
B&K Modified is the best I have heard for the $$,but saying there is no real best because what might work great in one system sucks in another.
There are so many great amps that oicking one would be close to impossible.Here is a list in the order of cost that I would consider,but some are not made in the USA and worst I have not heard all of them.
B&K ST-202 original version mocified
CODA-used
Monarchy SM-100 Deluxe used
McCormicks
Odessey Monblocks
Llano Pheonix
Gamut
Ayre
Plinius
Threshold
Parasounds JC-1
Aragon Palladiums
Mark Levs
Jeff Rowlands
Pass Labs X-350
Goldmunds
Electrocompaniet
Krell
Plinus
Jadis
Lamm
If you got this far down the list and your amp manf. not on it I feel sorry for you unless I forgot it.L |
one look inside a Rowland will tell you its the best built amplifier available. |
i agree, it's the wrong kind of question (though still a good one).
everyone's taste in their equipment is very personal, and not one amp or speaker is better than another based on what you prefer to listen to and how you listen to music.
your other components and room environment will play a huge role in how you enjoy the music.
all the amps mentioned are among the better performers, but how can one really say one is better than the other? in certain categories perhaps, but not across the board. |
Boulder 1060 amp. Its 300 watts and weighs 189 pounds. Here's a pic of it. Check how deep it is. http://www.audioreview.com/GALPhoto_59413crx.aspx |
Lamm 2.1, Mccormack DNA2 LAE, Levinson 333.5, 336. I heard the Carver Lightstar 2.0 that listed for 2700 last week. Thats a nice sounding amp. It sounded very smooth with a nice mid. |
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MY T100 HAS BEEN A GREAT PERFORMER UNTIL SUNDAY. RUNNING MY B&W 802 MATRIX SPEAKERS, MY T100 DECIDED TO SHORT OUT AND MELT THE KEVLAR WOOFER CONES OF MY BELOVED 802'S. ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLEM? |
Hold it! I was berrated for stating the obvious on another thread concerning this kind of discourse? Leave carl alone. The man obvisouly wants(needs) attention in anyway that he can get it. Positive or negative. Treat him like the annoying child that is whining, don't respond, soon he will go away. |
Threshold T series after years with Krell, Levinson, PS Audio. However, must have great tube preamp on any ss amp to bring out the best. |
Bebo...that was good one! BUT, "licked" in the "old" days could mean "kick-the-shit-out-of-you". I am not shure what Tm had in mind...? |
you need at least one tube in any system to sound good LIsten to LAMM! The lamm hybrid monos are the answer. Had krell heard spectral, pass, All are harmonically incorrect The lamm equipment sounds true to the insturments Real music weight slam Has it all no solid state glaring edge to make you run out of the room in 10min The amps must be on for at least a few hrs to reach thermal equilibrium then wow Just go listen |
I LOVE being well licked! |
Nice to see carl making a jack ass out of himself again.carl its people like you that make Americans not very well licked around the world.It was you playing the Banjo was it not.As for Krell it Rhymes with smell.Krell MIT.And you profess to hear.When id you lose your hearing.As for Canada we are above you your our backyard.If you new anything you would not make Moronic statements.In every report on standard of living done around the world.Canadians allways come out ahead.I have takin a few wrong turns in city's like Philly,Buffalo,Detroit.If one has a heart it will make you cry to see the abject poverty these people live in in the richest country in the world.You all should be ashamed of yourself's.So get off your high horse you pathetic human and try to make the world you live in a better place.Give you head a shake the wax in your ears might be dislogged. |
I agree with Jasman. For solid state amplification. Threshold SA series amps, especially the SA/1's mono-blocks; 2 or 3 (Class A). And Pass X xeries amps. |
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Yep.Goldmund and FM Acoustics are excellent as well. |
I certainly wouldn't proclaim any amp as "the best" (you know, different strokes for different folks) but I'll tell you one thing,Jeff Rowland Design Group amplifiers are certainly CONTENDERS for the best built, best sounding amplifiers in the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter. |
To 3141510 you are almost right :-) JRDG (USA).Goldmund for Europian |
JRDG.Gryphon for Europian. |
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I do not think that it is possible to say there is 'a best solid state amp' anymore than a best 'car'. People are different - their likes and dislikes, priorities and perceptions all vary. That said, getting to the question at hand, I have recently listened to: Pass Labs X350, Plinius SA 100, Bryston 4B ST, Mark Levinson 334 & 335, Ayre V3. Some were better in certain areas than others, all had strenghts and weaknesses. Of the bunch, I liked the Mark Levinsons the best overall - I bought one. This is my simply my opinion, I am sure that others who might audition the same bunch would come to a different conclusion. This is a good thing because if not, there would only be one manufacturer making only one amp - 'The Best Solid State Amp'. |
