Amps which are Great, but either Unknown or Underpriced


Hello everyone,


When I think of Power Amps (or integrated amps) that play / sound way beyond their price-point and can be non-household names, I think of companies like:


  1. Belles (Power Modules)
  2. McCormack
  3. Coda


Can you guys please suggest other Power Amps / Companies that are also somewhat unknown or of great value?


Your suggestions would really help me and others.  Thanks!


Matt

mminor
The Yamamoto A08S 45 Single Ended Triode Tube Amplifier is gorgeous with a pair of 98db sensitive Lowther PM5A (Alnico) drivers in Open Baffle. It is hand-made and illuminates textures, detail, transparency, a haunting sense of 3-dimensionality and captures the ambient 'space' of where the recording was made. It also has that mysterious sense of 'flow' that helps bring music to life. Srajan of 6-Moons suggested it sounded more tonally richly saturated than a 300B tube SET amplifier. He was right! It is also uncannily quiet. Shigeki Yamamoto is a master. It should cost at least $8,000 but only cost a ridiculous $2500, helped by the currently strong US dollar. It is also beautiful designed. There are few audio amplifiers that come even close to it as a work of art.
Agree on the Belles - still use one f his first, a Belles A, in a third system
The Juicy Music Audio pure class A Triode (pCAT) monoblock amplifiers are outstanding.  Unfortunately, they are discontinued, rare, and don't come up for sale often.