what is the best amp you've ever heard


Period.
fruff1976

Showing 1 response by raquel

Tube: CAT JL-1 Limited Edition monoblocks ($50k).

Solid State: My darTZeel ($21.2k).

Honorable mention tube: My VAC 70/70 Renaissance Mk. III ($14k).

Honorable mention solid-state: My old Rowland Model 6 monos with Rowland battery power supplies ($16.4k).

I listed prices because we know you are shopping for an amp.

If you really want to spend $7k on a high-powered amp that will last "for at least the next 20 years" and that will not sound like sh-t when you move on to music other than rock, then the suggestion from some poster on your other thread about the McCormack 500 is not bad. As for the "20 years", Steve McCormack/c-j does not have Bryston's warranty policy, however, and now that I really think about it, tube amps, due to the fact that you basically have a new amp each time you retube them, may be preferable for you. Tubes also do really well with rock as compared to solid-state due to their headroom and second-order distortion characteristics. If I were a rocker, I would look for a pair of Sonic Frontiers Power 3 monoblocks ($3.5-$4k used) -- they throw off some heat, but they use good output transformers, are otherwise well built, decent output tubes hold bias in them, they have balls, and when your testosterone level drops and you transition into other forms of music ("1976", right? The clock is ticking for YOU), you'll find they have the finesse as well as the muscle needed to come close to handling music like orchestral and big band that is truly challenging to a stereo.