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My Final Amplifier Purchase - What Would You Buy?

I'm a lifelong audiophile/music lover and earlier this week, I had a life changing event. As a result, I am now in the position of purchasing what is almost certainly my last power amplifier.

To quickly explain, I was just notified that my entire department will be outsourced, effective September, following the completion of a transition. The buyout is not great, but they do extend my service time for an additional period, allowing me to begin receiving my full pension in September. So essentially I'll be okay financially, but certainly not enough to buy this level of audio gear down the road.

So, what this leads up to is that I was in the market to buy a quality used power amplifier (up to $4000.00 budget)to upgrade my system. I can still manage to do that, but clearly need to do it soon while the paychecks are still coming in. In the future, I simply won't have the financial means for a purchase like this.

Thankfully, the rest of my system is solid, and this should essentially complete things for the future. I'm very happy with the preamp, but I suppose that could "possibly" change one day, maybe to tubes,in a break even trade, but beyond that,if it even happens, the system should remain what it is.

Current system:

Meridian G02 Preamp
Meridian G08 cd player
Olive D4 Music Server
Silveline 17.5 speakers
Marantz SA8004 SACD player
Bryston BDA-1 DAC

and the power amplifier that I will be replacing:

Atma-Sphere S30 MK III.1

I truly love the S30, but a friend recently upset my satisfied audio world when he brought over his new Plinius SA-103 amp and that changed everything. Even more than the sound of that amplifier, which was superb, it became readily apparent that the Silverline 17.5's really only open up and fly when given that kind of power (100 wpc or more.) I also tested it further with a second amplifier and verified that the power is key to really getting the most out of the speakers.

I have long been an avowed tube lover, but there simply are not many options with the kind of power I am in need of, that fall within my budget. I've included a few as options below that put out 75wpc, because in my experience, thats roughly the equivalent of 100 wpc in solid state.

In a perfect world, I would just move up to the Atma-Sphere MA Series, but my budget is far insufficient. Also, a key factor is that I have a small room, even the M60's which (might) have enough power, would create a literally sweltering environment. Trust me on this, I've even talked to Ralph Karsten about it previously, and he agreed.

Based on that, some earlier suggestions here in the forum, and a massive amount of research, I have narrowed things down to a number of choices, which are, from my perspective, likely the best options. What I am truly in need of are any thoughts, expertise and experience you might have had, especially with multiple amplifiers on the list. I have not actually heard any of these. Also, if there are better options that I've missed, please mention them.

Lastly, remember that I would be buying used to maximize my options and value. Thanks in advance for any assistance in helping me choose my best path here. The help is greatly appreciated.

What I have identified as good possible options:

Parasound JC-1's

Pass X250.5

Pass XA 30.5

Jeff Rowland Model 6 Mono's -(I fear these only appear extremely rarely though, and given their age, may need servicing and new caps,etc. possibly putting them out of reach)

BAT VK-75

Modwright KWA 100SE

Primaluna Dialogue 7 Monoblocks

An old Threshold S series thats been refurbished? - These have always fascinated me, but would it last another 20 years?

nightfall
nightfall OP
185 posts
 
Tony,

Thanks very much for your thoughts. I've done some research and it does not seem likely that any Spectral amps could be had within my budget. I have heard they are tremendous, though, but the requirements for very expensive MIT cables, by itself, would eliminate my options even if one somehow appeared at a price I could afford.

I will do further research on your Classe and McIntosh recommendations though.

"02-04-12: Tonykay
Sorry to add to your dilemna, but I would add Spectral, Classe and McIntosh to your list of possibles. Your power needs and budget will dictate the particular model. All of these companies are still in business so you should be able to have them repaired or updated if the need should arise."
nightfall OP
185 posts
 
John,

I greatly appreciate your thoughts on the matter. I've come very close to jumping on the Pass bandwagon, because I greatly admire what Nelson has done. I've especially targeted the 30.5's because they have tested out at 140wpc A/B. However, I have the same concerns you do.

Pass seems to have a good reputation for reliability, and if you don't have a local dealer, Mark at Reno HIFi inspires confidence; I'd expect good service. That said, if your speakers really want 100 plus watts, I'm not sure the XA-30 are what you want. I use it's cousin, the INT-30A, on 92/4 speakers, and while I think it very well suits the small acoustic music, I'm giving up grunt from the 180wpc A/AB it replaced. My hunch is that you should favor the X-250.5, even if it's less tooby, as 100 watts in the XA series is $.

Good luck!

John
lapierre
547 posts
 
Great selections here but what about Audio Research HD220 which is hybrid
or for tubes Audio Research Classic 150.

Modwright 150SE will provide better extenstion and dynamics as well as
Rowland 300 series.

IMO for SS amp look at 200 watt min or amps with high current. Also, the
MC275 is a great amp and if you replace the tubes with higher rating you can
get close to 95 watts instead of 75 watts.

Good luck.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Didn't read all the posts; my gut reaction - Don't buy another amp, buy another set of speakers.

Run two diferent types/technologies of speakers and I believe you will find far more enjoyment than simply alternative amplification. :)

No other change long term in audio (and there have been very many for me) has yielded as much satisfaction holistically as running two types of speakers. I strongly suggest that if at all possible you do so, especially if you cannot afford major upgrades down the road.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
Doug is correct in that the S-30 is mismatched with your Silverlines. The Silverlines are, for the most part, based on the Voltage Paradigm and the S-30 is based on the Power Paradigm. IOW the Silverlines want an amplifier that has constant voltage ability with respect to the load it is driving, and the S-30 tends to produce something more like constant power. For more information see:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php

In addition, the S-30 is at a disadvantage as the Silverline is not an ideal impedance for the amp. If you really want to see what it can do, it is better to seek a higher impedance speaker (and perhaps one with greater efficiency, the S-30 is only 30 watts into 8 ohms), designed with tubes in mind.

If you decide that you wish to have solid state them my vote goes to the Pass.
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