As an owner of an Esoteric A-03 Class A has many virtues but also some shortcomings. Dynamics/Headroom are minimized due to lower power and the relaxed sound of Class A. Transient Speed and Bass Slam can also be effected. Many Class A amps have an oversaturation(IMO) of color Accuphase/Pass Labs to name of few. Be careful of buying a Pure Class A integrated due to excessive heat entering the Preamp section. Even with these issues Class A amplification can provide the most coherent and balanced sound available. IMO the best Class A strength is the Non-Mechanical flow of music that only the best Class AB power amps can approach.
??? WHY WHY WHY ??? Class A vs Everything Else
After 8 long months at the Authorized U.S.Service Center,my beautiful Sugden Bijou Class A amplifier & PreAmp came home 2 days ago..BOTH units have been completely,& I mean COMPLETELY rebuilt,from input stages to output stages,pretty much everything was replaced with new components,checked,cleaned,rebiased & cooked in...
For the last 8 months I've alternated between a Class A/B SimAudio Moon 240i & a Class D,Creek 4040A..I really like the Class D Creek and it will accompany me on an upcoming 3 year job in the Philippines starting this coming November..I was all set to put the Sugden gear up for sale as soon as it came in & I confirmed operation..I NEVER should have set it up!!!
Using the Moon 240i as a preamp since I don't have a stand alone source to feed the Sugden HeadMaster,I set up the MusicMaster amp & let it warm up for 15 minutes...
From the VERY FIRST NOTES,I was enchanted.mesmerized,enthralled,seduced & completely gobsmacked...
There was something soooo right about the sound..There isn't one area I could point to,it simply sounds.right..Everything seems to have been lit from inside..The best analogy I can provide is this..The sound is like the colors of nature,as the rising sun just clears the horizon & suddenly everything snaps into vivid focus,taking your breath away...
I spent the better part of today swapping in & out between all 3 amplifiers on hand just to make sure I wasn't simply locked into subconscious justification for spending the $ to have the Sugden gear rebuilt..I wasn't!
I hate having gear sitting in a box unused but I'm not sure I have any choice in this situation..When I come home on breaks during this upcoming project & when it is finally finished & I come back to the States for good I'll have it to enjoy..Not to mention it will cost a small fortune by then to replace the level of performance of this gear offers with whatever happens to be the flavor of that time...
WTH can't everything just sound this superb.......
Showing 2 responses by dayglow
@freediver +1 There is no substitute for pure Class A. Biased based Class A is more of a sales ploy than performance based. |