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Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there

I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.

I have sampled so far in order of preference:

-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-

-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?

What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.


I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.

I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.

Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.

Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.





chorus
richdirector's avatar
richdirector
266 posts
 
Luxman 550 states. Only 20w but tannoys 94db and I barely get to 10 o clock on volume dial before it becomes too loud. They say it goes to AB under demand but not seen anything in writing. Beautifully built and I see know why you see 30year old luxman up for sale still at good prices. 
richdirector's avatar
richdirector
266 posts
 
Sugden also very good but more $ in the US compared to UK so value for money might become relative issue. 

mrmanisundaram
81 posts
 
If u decide to stay tube, give a Line Magnetic 518ia consideration. SET, 22wpc, but very capable watts.  4/8/16 ohms taps available.  A little hum, yes.....but gloriously musical. Best of luck in ur search.   
gryphongryph
352 posts
 
@decooney - I am very impressed by the sound, very good soundstage with beautiful decaying of instruments, I did not expect so much right away as I am using the pre out of my old intergraded amp, but I can live with this sound happily until I get a tube pre.

I think it sounds neutral, the bass is very good, very live, the treble sounds extended too me, but the midrange is just wow, very good tonally and at the same time very clear.

My hybrid amp gave some more atmosphere, like being in a small nightclub listening to Grant Green, but when I get my tube pre I expect that to come back, the SA-30 has much better resolution than my hybrid, that’s for sure.
    
The amp design looks real quality, very thick front, back and top plate, nothing ringing when you knock them, only tender knuckles ;-)

A very faint hum can be heard if one puts the ear close to the amp, but the speakers are dead quiet with full output on the pre.

It does get very warm though, so good ventilation is important. 
aldoallen
29 posts
 
If tube amplification is an option, my suggestion would be Linear Tube Audio. I am using a ZOTL 10 amp with the MZ3 preamp on Spatial Audio M4 Triode Master speakers. The speakers are rated at 93db and average 12 ohms. These are open baffle speakers and are probably getting around 8 watts from the ZOTL 10 amp. This amp can drive me out of the room if I cranked it up, so it has plenty of power for normal listening levels. I believe the amp puts out 12 watts at 4 ohms.

These amps are very different from a normal tube amp with normal transformers. They have a frequency response that goes down to 6 hz at -0.5 db which gives you the bass response of a ss amp. They have no massive transformers and the tubes run at much lower amperage than a normal tube amp. The tubes are supposed to last between 10-20 years and the heat generated is less than a normal tube amp or a Class A ss amp in my experience. LTA amps and preamps are dead quiet with no hiss at all. I went from using a Cary Rocket 88 tube amp to a CODA 10.5R ss amp (100 watt, 25 watt Class A) to my current LTA system. LTA describes their sound as tube tone with solid state detail which I think is very accurate.

They have a two week trial period and will take back the amp for any reason and will cover the return shipping. The ZOTL 10 power amp is $3,200 and they have a Z 10 Integrated amp for $4,900.  
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