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What POWER amps, MONOblocks, PRE-amps and SPEAKERS has the most CLEAR, CRISP SOUND as if you were listening to it LIVE ????? Which devices have the best bang for your buck?
Follow Ups:
Take a look at Channel Islands Audio class D monoblocks - they use Hypex modules that are some of the best ones out there. Hypex also produces NC400 modules for DIY community as well.
These class D modules are not your usual "tripath" amplifiers and should be high on your audition/purchase list. Clear, Crisp, Powerful, Musical.
Lots of good stuff out there and I have my Fav's ( Parasound not being one of them ). They are good, and many people are happy with them, but I think you can do better. I also see a lot of people on the Thiel band wagon....I'm a fan, but beware of change in the company! I think the last Jim Thiel fully designed speaker might be the 3.7 ( correct me if I'm wrong). I have heard that they are on a new path and might be getting away from what all the Thiel lovers love about the product.
Lance
Trust your ears not the review...
Hi Narciso,
Welcome to the world of audio.
It might help to list what you have now, what you like about it and what you don't.
First welcome...lots of good people around here.
When I have set things up for NON-audiophiles, that is my first question....
What is the systems main purpose?? Music listening only?? Movies only?
Multi-purpose, (I live in a small condo, so my system pulls all the duties...)
Part of the fun of this hobby, for me anyway, is to do what ABE described, finding synergy between components, cables, speakers, room...pulling it all together...to induce an emotional/physical response to the music...(when I said physical, when things are right, I will get goose bumps)...
Great sound is there to draw me MORE into the listening experience...I love good sound....(I just had this conversation with my younger brother, he is an extremely talented musician), but that was our consensus...
As you can see, by all of your responses, this is a VERY subjective hobby...many passionate inmates...lots of brand preferences...but like my old man use to say..."that is why they make Ford's and Chevy's"...
What do you own now??? What do you like about it??? Where do you feel it is lacking???
Many more questions than answers...
good luck
thanks
Mark
my budget is 7,000 only. i have a marantz 2265 and sansui receiver for music listening only.. is the parasound 21 good? in your opinion what is the best brand and model of amps and speakers that you have heard? marantz, mcintosh, prima luna, parasound, bel canto, krell, bryston ?? etc....
Of all yur choices I'd stay clear of Parsound, nothing special especially with their new stuff.
$7000 is a very respectable budget...
You can click on my name and it will list all my components...
As I stated this is all soooo subjective...everything I am listing is well with-in your budget...
First find a speaker you really like...KEF LS50's??? or whatever YOU like...
Do your homework then...find which amp has good synergy with YOUR speakers
Second, I like Magnepan speakers...soundstage, imaging, transparency and detail...
I personally like tubes some where in the chain, so my Pre-amp is Conrad Johnson, depth, warmth...my DAC has tubes also...
I do own a Bel Canto Amp, (currently not using), that replaced a older Parasound...I have not heard any of the newer stuff from them...
My current amp is a Sanders Magtech, which is designed to drive Maggies, and truly a beast of amp that displays effortless sound...900 watts into 4 ohms
If I would not have bought the Sanders, I would have bought the Gilmore Raptor mono blocks...one of the inmates, whose opinion I trust, owned these for quite a few years...it took a very expensive tube amp to replace it...for the Pair of Monos is $2500...great value... 500 watts into 4 ohms...
Since you are using a receiver, (and a legendary one to boot), I might look at a good integrated amp...lots of happy Wyred for Sound (they have a 30 day trail period), users out there...they make two different integrated amps...as well as bel canto...which I am putting in my cousins house with a pair of Super MMG's...
AS far as the best I have heard....well that is easy...
Avantguard, (sp?), Trio speakers $70K
Wavelength 2A3 amps, these are 4 watt amps, $20k
Clearaudio Master reference LP rig $50K+
Conrad Johnson ART preamp $20K
The musicians were in the room with you...spooky good...
Enjoy the journey...good luck...let us know if we can help in anyway...
thanks
Mark
Drop me an email if want to talk offline...
You can learn a lot from others choices. Most folks here will answer questions about their systems happily.
Your Clear may be my Bleached,
Your Crisp may be my Bright
Your Live may be my Dead.
Best bang for your buck may be waste for mine.Once you understand my question and your (possible) answer you will understand why your question makes no sense and why you have to make your own opinion based on your listening and experience.
Hint:
John Elison's Parasound may is Clear, Crisp, Live and Best bang for the buck for him. For me it is Dry, Lean, Soul-less, Poor overall value, Mediocre amp. Fantjas and Johns Thiels are Dry, Soul-less but not Crisp at all. They have their virtues but they are nowhere near being the Best for my buck.
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"One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."
Edits: 04/09/14
But I wonder about my own preferences when i thrive on the 45, but am equally enthralled by amps with well-executed transistor output stages, the likes of Crimson, FirstWatt and Gryphon!
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
that I usually love the best amps with simple output stages, i.e. 2 tubes or transistor per channel maximum, and with minimum feedback.
That usually requires speakers that are easy to drive (not the same as high sensitivity). It's just that most of the multiple output device amps attached to hard to drive speakers leave me completely univolved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."
It's about system synergy. IMHO, if every piece of gear you assembled were each as you described, you would have a hyper detailed and potentially very bright sounding system.
I personally like Thiel speakers for their clarity and detail but driven by tube amps or full-bodied solid-state amps with a bit of warmth and soul.
"Crisp"? I'm not into crisp. The most natural and sound I've heard comes from Crimson Electronics in the UK (CS710 preamp + CS640E-III mono power amps) + Tocaro speakers.Crimson finally has their UK site up on the internet. I am a huge fan of their IC and speaker cables - the most transparent cabling I've ever heard, and copper to boot.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
Edits: 04/05/14
Welcome! Narciso.
I,too, will strongly suggest Thiel loudspeakers. These are friendly to both tubes and solid-state gear. Additionally, I am a cable guy, these speakers will play well (no pun) w/ Audioquest, XLO and Kimber cables/cords.
I suspect you need to balance the entire system and there isn't a simple, generic answer to your question.
I think Parasound represents a good value. I believe it will give you the performance you want at a reasonable price. I bought a Parasound Halo A21 power amplifier to drive a pair of Thiel CS3.7 speakers and that amp impresses me every time I listen. My system sounds clear, crisp, and accurate to my ears. As far as being the best-bang-for-the-buck, that was my conclusion about Parasound after doing my research. I am completely happy with my Parasound Halo A21 amplifier. If I were assembling a system from the ground up, I would probably go with Parasound components for everything.
Good luck,
John Elison
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