So do any aos members that have spent 5/10grand on an amp think it was worth it?
So do any aos members that have spent 5/10grand on an amp think it was worth it?
novafidelity x40 music server/pre/dac, Arcam A39, roksan k3 power amp,Monitor Audio Monitor 50, Dali spektor 1, van damme interconnects and speaker cable, roskan k3 CD player
Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.
Location: Seaford UK
Posts: 1,861
I'm Dennis.
A few years ago I bought second hand from Audio Images an ATC SCA2 and SPA2, to me outrageous in price at about £5.5k, but the new price was £11k.
I did it blind on the basis of my own experience of ATC, the company's reputation, and never seeing a bad review of either.
The purpose was as far as possible to remove amplification from being a limiting factor in my system and attempts at speaker design.
They are good, but a replacement upper cover plate costs nearly £400, and the remote has silly white lettering on a silver painted casing, a bit bling, but they do perform well.
the most expensive amps for me were the Sophia 91-01 300B; way more expensive than anything else, and the worst I have heard! I sent them back!!
John Wood 6L6 Valve Amp, with:
6L6GC Russian Original (no logo) Output Tubes 4x, supplied by J.Wood.
ECC81 Mullard NOS Input Tubes 2x
12AU7 (ECC82) Brimar NOS Input Tubes 2x
Wilson Benesch Actor Loudspeakers.
REL Stampede Subwoofer.
Cary Audio 100t Dac.
M2Tech Hi-Face 2 RCA USB to S/PDIF (co-axial) converter.
HP Pavilion G6 - 2382sa D0Y14EA#ABU + "The Teddy" 19/3 - 19V 3.5A LPSU.
The Missing Link Ultra-Pure System ~ EPS-100 ~Audiophile Silver Un-switched Double Wall Socket +
APC ‘SurgeArrest’ Surge protector - PM1W-UK (Schneider), + AG500P Power Inspired mains – ‘pure sine wave’ re-generator.
Sennheiser HD 558 headset.
Location: gone away
Posts: 4,870
I'm joe.
John Wood 6L6 Valve Amp, with:
6L6GC Russian Original (no logo) Output Tubes 4x, supplied by J.Wood.
ECC81 Mullard NOS Input Tubes 2x
12AU7 (ECC82) Brimar NOS Input Tubes 2x
Wilson Benesch Actor Loudspeakers.
REL Stampede Subwoofer.
Cary Audio 100t Dac.
M2Tech Hi-Face 2 RCA USB to S/PDIF (co-axial) converter.
HP Pavilion G6 - 2382sa D0Y14EA#ABU + "The Teddy" 19/3 - 19V 3.5A LPSU.
The Missing Link Ultra-Pure System ~ EPS-100 ~Audiophile Silver Un-switched Double Wall Socket +
APC ‘SurgeArrest’ Surge protector - PM1W-UK (Schneider), + AG500P Power Inspired mains – ‘pure sine wave’ re-generator.
Sennheiser HD 558 headset.
Location: gone away
Posts: 4,870
I'm joe.
John Wood 6L6 Valve Amp, with:
6L6GC Russian Original (no logo) Output Tubes 4x, supplied by J.Wood.
ECC81 Mullard NOS Input Tubes 2x
12AU7 (ECC82) Brimar NOS Input Tubes 2x
Wilson Benesch Actor Loudspeakers.
REL Stampede Subwoofer.
Cary Audio 100t Dac.
M2Tech Hi-Face 2 RCA USB to S/PDIF (co-axial) converter.
HP Pavilion G6 - 2382sa D0Y14EA#ABU + "The Teddy" 19/3 - 19V 3.5A LPSU.
The Missing Link Ultra-Pure System ~ EPS-100 ~Audiophile Silver Un-switched Double Wall Socket +
APC ‘SurgeArrest’ Surge protector - PM1W-UK (Schneider), + AG500P Power Inspired mains – ‘pure sine wave’ re-generator.
Sennheiser HD 558 headset.
If by "amp" you mean pre + power, then yes. Bought used, my Mark Levinson ML-2 monoblocks and Levinson ML25 and ML28 phonostage and preamp came to ~ £5K. I run them into Quad 57s and they are a perfect match.
The only downside is the Levinson monoblocks run hot (they are pure Class A; doubling their power for each halving of load impedance), so in the summer I switch to another set of monoblock power amps (either a pair of Quad 510s or a pair of Tubehunter-modified and 'monoblocked' Quad 405s), both of which are virtually as good as the ML-2s but run much cooler.
Barry
Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)
Modded Thorens TD150, Audio Technica AT-1005 MkII, Technics EPC-300MC, Arkless Hybrid MC phono stage, Arkless passive pre, Arkless 50WPC Class A SS power amp, (or) Arkless modded Leak Stereo 20, Modded Kef Reference 105/3's
ReVox PR99, Studer B62, Ferrograph Series 7, Tandberg TCD440, Hitachi FT-5500MkI, also FT-5500MkII
Digital: Yamaha CDR-HD1500 (Digital Swiss army knife-CD recorder, player, hard drive, DAC and ADC in one), PC files via 24/96 sound card and SPDIF, modded Philips CD850, modded Philips CD104, modded DPA Little Bit DAC. Sennheiser HD580 cans with Arkless Headphone amp.
Cables- free interconnects that come with CD players, mains leads from B&Q, dead kettles etc, extension leads from Tesco