Best multi channel amp and processor good for 2 channel listening.

To All,

I auditioned 5 amps just yesterday and fell in love with the Pass Labs.  I wanted to audition the Int-250 but the dealer only had the 60, but even this 60watt amp was  everything I was looking for.  Speakers were the Harbeth Anniversary 40.2 which are excellent by the way.

The amps in question were the following:

Pass Labs Int-60. 
Gryphon Diablo 300
T+A Pa 3100 HV
Hegel H590

and 

Luxman M900u  (He had the L509x out on loan).


My opinion on the above and I blame my ears for it...lol...

Hegel - Did not even here enough to really judge, since I did not like the sound.
Just found it lacked in many areas, specially for the price.

T+A - A very good amp, neutral boarder warm but it was not a match for the variety of music I listen to.  I listen to a lot of music with a lot of highs and it might be a bit bright with some recordings.  I personally think it’s too overly priced compared to other amps that are comparable in sound.

Luxman M900u - Very neutral..  I found this amp does not color the sound in any way, its very accurate. I found it to be a bit bright with some recordings, not warm enough for me, but good amp for certain recordings.

Gryphon Diablo 300 - This amp is my second favorite of the 5. It’s neutral warm an excellent amp but still not warm like the Pass Labs and I can see myself getting a bit of sound fatigue after a while of 

Pass Labs - Warm but clear and precise, best base of the five, punchy, tight base, with 3 dimensional sound.  I could listen to this amp for hours without fatigue. I actually dedicated most of the audition time to this amp and the more I listened the more I wanted to listen.  I can refer to this amp as the Chameleon of amps, it adapted itself sonically to every recording.  I was not expecting this and was pleasently surprised.

eziggy,

Hope you had a nice vaca..  

wow, that's pretty amazing.  This really proves that the best amp comes down to personal preference on sound!  Because, while I have heard the Pass and it's an excellent and very refined sounding warm amp, it would not be my preference because it's not dynamic enough.

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I wanted to ask your opinion of the Hegel.  When you heard it, did you find it sounding sterile / bright / harsh?   Or what was the verdict of it's signature?

Auxinput,

I really like a lot of balance in my music or listening and I found that balance in the Pass Labs.  My selection of music is eclectic but some have a lot of brass making the recordings a bit bright. The Pass was able to tame that and provide a well overall balanced sound.  As you mentioned it all comes down to personal preference on sound.  These amps were all good but I was looking for a sound that best suited my preference of music. I feel it has enough dynamics without affecting the overall sound, keep in mind we will never find a perfect amp but this comes pretty close for me personally.  If you are looking for a more dynamic sound than what the Pass provides and still something on the warm side,  I would recommend the Gryphon Diablo 300.

Reference the Hegel,  as I mentioned did not hear it much because it did not captivate my interest.  I found it sterile and poor soundstage, but again it’s just my opinion.

Thanks Maguair, vacation was great.  

Great summary on your take on the different amps.  Speaker and amp synergy is really important as well.  If you thought the m900u was a bit bright then the 509X will probably sound even brighter to you.  Never harsh, very smooth highs, but very resolving.  When I demoed the 509X and m900u with Martin Logan 11A speakers, I felt the 900u added tad more warmth.  The Martin Logan speakers tend to be on the warm side as well, thus a good match.

I liked the Gryphon as well, although warmer than the Luxman, felt highs could be a tad harsher on some tracks.

@maguiar102

I happened to stumble upon this thread today and I’ve been absent from Audiogon forum for a while.
All the equipments you are looking at or are intending to purchase are great and it all comes down to system synergy and personal tastes or preferences. But I still think that the most important piece of equipment(s) will be the quality of your front end source components whether it’s analog front end source components eg turntable, tonearm, cartridge, phonostage pre or digital front end source component(s) eg CD/SACD player, streamer/DAC or streamer + DAC, etc. This is where the low level signal source starts. If you start or begin with some mediocre source (low level signal) and this mediocre low level signal source will be further amplified downstream and the overal end result will not be optimal.

You mentioned that currently you are using a cheap 10 year old Acam CD player and the Oppo 203 as your digital front end source components for your stereo music listening. While your 10 year old Arcam CD player or the Oppo 203 will be fine for budget setups and systems but since you will be purchasing some serious setup/system IMO your 10 year old Arcam CD player and your Oppo 203 will be the weakest link in the chain and will not be good enough for the kind of setup/system that you are considering to purchase. And as a result the entire setup/system will not be able to perform and sound optimally by using your 10 year old Arcam CD player or your Oppo 203 as your 2ch source of music.
Arcam makes very good AVR and AV processor but not CD player. Their CD players and DAC are mediocre quality.

I would highly consider upgrading your front end source component(s) first and foremost before upgrading your pre/amp or integrated and speakers. You can use the Oppo 203 as a bluray/4K UHD transport connected via HDMI to your new prospective AVR or AV processor for movie playbacks. Oppo makes great bluray/4K bluray players. Their video processings are very good.

There are countless options and choices to consider when upgrading from your 10 year old Arcam CD player, depending on your budget. The front end source component(s) are the most important equipment in hifi chain. IMO it isn’t worth getting high end expensive speakers, amp, etc if you’re only using some entry level or mediocre quality front end source component(s). The overall end result will not be optimal and you won’t be satisfied with the overall performance of your entire system setup.

When you visited a high end hifi audio show they are using very good front end source components in all high end setups and systems. Dealers also usually use very competent high end front end source components for their serious high end setups/systems.
They won’t be using the Oppo 203 or an Arcam CD player for some serious setups/systems costing $50k and up or $100k and up.
They will be out of place and the overall end sonic result will suffer tremendously.