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My Four Favorite SS Amps

The best SS amplifier I've ever heard was a Vandersteen driven by a CAT preamp.  Amazing.  I almost never bring it up because it is so far out of my price range.

The next three are about the same IMHO for sound quality, though the Ayre stands out a little.

D'Agostino, Luxman and Ayre. 

Honestly the D'Agostion and Luxman sound very close.  Tremendous bass and treble extension without hardness or accentuation.  They just make speakers sound much more capable.  Very smooth, dead quiet.

Now Ayre... Ayre is also very good but also IMHO kind of different sounding.  It makes the room seem quieter and darker.  I do NOT mean dark as in it lacks treble, not at all.  I mean, it's as if you are listening into a pitch black room from which notes just magically come out of.   It is my favorite?  Should you get one?  I don't know.... I really like the sound.... but it's ... just different?

erik_squires
carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,384 posts
 

I only have a list of SS amps I don't like.  So I enjoyed opening this to see which 4 you picked (none were on my list).

thanks.   Jerry

erik_squires OP
15,870 posts
 

To clarify:  I meant a Vandersteen SS amplifier driven by a CAT preamp.  Of course, this was a Vandersteen demo so it was driving Vandersteen speakers. 

Also, CAT preamps are my absolute favorite preamps, SS, tube or otherwise.  Wish I could afford one because I've only heard them a handful of times and each time I was mesmerized by the sound quality. 

 

@arafiq  Pass is my favorite for looks. 

doyle3433's avatar
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doyle3433
267 posts
 

I have two to report.

This was in the early days for me. Early career = little disposable dough. 

Proton D1200 and the Threshold 400A

Regret selling them both even though since the Threshold, it's pretty much been valves for me. 

tweak1
3,561 posts
 

I still fondly remember my KBA 75 (class A). Of the many amps I tried (both SS and tube) with Genesis Vs, it was the only one to grab hold of them and make them perform as advertised

FF3+ decades, I love my Ric Schultz EVS 1200 based on IcePower AS1200 modules and lot of his tweaks

LSA Voyager GaN 350. It took the design team a year to solve niggling issues. I plan to send it to Ric for his full compliment of tweaks

jc4659
526 posts
 

Agree with Vandy amps driving Vandy speakers. Just for fun I'd experiment with a Holo Serene KTE preamp in front. Now that would be an interesting comparison to the C.A.T. pre.

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