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188.214.1.79
I want to buy a second hand pure sounding amplifier with limited budget (500-600Eur)
I am thinking to the likes as Hiraga or JLH designs that can possibly be acquired with this budget. Dont care if it is a branded amp or a DIY design. Prefer solid state design.
Speakers are single drive 6 Ohm impedance and look for an amp that can reproduce delicacy and nuances as I play 2-3 instruments type of music. Therefore tone purity and delicacy is my poison. What other name to look for around? Something from Exposure might be to included as well in the choice?(although AB class I guess).
Preamp is a well in shapeand lovely Hegemann Hapi 2, but maybe good to have a youger age amp to mate this. Thanxs for some nomination
Follow Ups:
It's too bad about a limited budget because the best sounding higher power class A of all time is a Harman Kardon Citation 2 with the McShane mods IMHO.If you have the ability to rebuild it yourself,you can save lots of money. The amp runs about 1200usd in so so stock condition but these babies are an absolute marvel when recapped. If you are looking for purity,this amp is it AFAIC. If you want SS,I like the Nelson Pass Designed Threshold and my SA2 sounds really nice but it runs as warm as my tube amps do.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken
I have a Citation II with all the McShane mods, it is my favorite amplifier for my Quad ESL-57's. Wonderful amp. I paid $1,100 for it about four years ago. They cost more, now.
Indeed they are incredible.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong" H. L. Mencken
Sudden is a good option if you can find one in your price range.
Thanxs everybody. While I was trying to hear a sumo class A I had the lucky shot to find a metaxas iraklis that was totally unknown to me.. Not a class A but really silky and natural sounding. Love at first sight I think.. Never heard vocals with this realism
Thanxs to all
You could search HiFi Shark for the word: Rawson
I owned an Aleph J clone years ago and it sounded good, but ran hot. The one I had looked pretty good too, although I've seen some rough ones. Since these are DIY they should probably be checked out by a competent tech before using. Amps that run that hot may require maintenance sooner. Adjust your offer accordingly. I sold mine because a few times I forgot to turn it off before going to bed and IMHO this should be avoided because they run the hottest when idling. I prefer amps that I would feel comfortable leaving on all the time.
Using a Bryston 2B-LP Pro now and would recommend a used but newish 2B over the Rawson clone. Better build quality, runs cooler, more power, better warranty, etc.
Thanxs to all...will follow your
I wouldn't get too hung up on the Pass Aleph, or Class A for that matter. You might do better with a very good 'traditional' Class AB amp. I didn't think the Aleph was that magnificent. I repurposed mine.
Same goes for the Aleph 30 which I sold in short order in favor of Nelson's more traditional Class AB X150.5. The AB amp was more transparent, more dynamic, and generally better all around - in my experience.
Class A does get HOT for sure.
I had a pair of Monoblocks that were class A up to 50 watts. They made the whole room several degrees hotter. Nice for very cold winters but the last thing you want for the rest of the season.
I did get that Class A lushness though....thick like Barry White.
Dynobots Audio - Music is the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth
NO Pass class A does Not get hot.
Certainly Not his Firstwatt designs Only the earliest designs got HOT.
Nelson is constantly developing new topologies... each version an improvement on it's predecessor.But Hey! lotsa CHI FI 'gear' available on Ebay. Cheap Too :-)
Edits: 04/10/17
NO Pass class A does Not get hot. Certainly Not his Firstwatt designs Only the earliest designs got HOT. Nelson is constantly developing new topologies... each version an improvement on it's predecessor.By their very nature Class A amps run HOT relative to other designs. There's nothing Nelson can do about that. All one needs to do is look at the idle power consumption spec relative to the amp's output power. That idle power consumption is a direct indicator of heat dissipation. The smaller 10 - 25w Firstwatt amps dissipate anywhere from about 150-watts to 250-watts in heat. That's HUGE for the small amount of audio power they actually produce, which is typical of Class A. Nelson isn't going to change the laws of physics to change the relationship of Class A to heat dissipation.
Model / Audio Ouput / Heat Dissipation
F7 20w / 170w
F6 25w / 180w
SIT1 10w / 200w
SIT2 10w / 200w
J2 30w / 200w
M2 25w / 160w
F5 25w / 180w
F4 25w / 180w
F3 15w / 200w
F2 5w / 150w
F1 10w / 200w
Aleph J 25w / 200w
Aleph 30 30w/200w
Aleph 3 30w / 250wXS150 150w / 700w
XS300 300w / 900w
Edits: 04/11/17
Obviously, Class A creates more heat by design, but how the heat is dissipated makes a difference. My X250 was A/B but it was never hot to the touch even with heavy use. It was well ventilated as well, which makes a difference in how hot the chassis may seem.
I hope there's more than beauty involved in all that Pass metal, LOL
I understand what you are saying....
But "hot to the touch" is not the issue. It's the total amount of heat dissipated by the amp. And Class A amps put out a lot of heat for the small amount of audio power they produce.
An amp that is dissipating 250watts in heat across large massive heat sinks may not feel "hot to the touch" in any particular spot but it is still dissipating 250watts.
That same amp design with a much smaller heat sink will feel hotter "to the touch" but that doesn't mean it's putting out more heat. It's still 250watts in this example.
I agree the watts are generating heat, but I'm thinking if the heat is neutralized, if you will,at the heat sycns, then less effect of room temperature.
No matter how we slice it Class A is not efficient and that energy has to be dissipated. I was just thinking an amp that didn't radiate the heat into the room may be more of an advantage if you lived in an area with a hot summer. Which is almost everywhere now, LOL
Nirvana Electronic Works (N.E.W) A-20 - a nice little amp you can sometimes find at reasonable prices.Original Monarchy SM-70 - the ORIGINAL SM-70 is biased pretty far into class A, runs in class A down to maybe 2~3 ohms load. Gives you about 25 watts a channel @ 8 ohms. (Don't confuse the "SM-70 Pro" models for class A, they are high-bias class A/B, not class A. I've owned both. The "original" SM-70 sounds better IMHO.) A pair of them, each driven with balanced input in mono, makes a really great amplifier of about 100 watts a side for under $1,000. Because they have no global feedback, their harmonic output is rich in second-order and low in higher-order harmonics, giving these amps a somewhat tube-like character.
Forte 4a, 50 watts @ 8 ohms, 100 watts @ 4 ohms, class- A. With the Soderburg mods, these amps sound WONDERFUL.
I own all the above and can vouch for their sound and reliability.
I do not own but have read that the Pioneer M-22 amplifier- 22 watts / channel @ 8 ohms, class A- is a very good amplifier.
ANd then there are a number of current and vintage Luxman class-A products which have their following.
I have owned some vintage Yamaha "silver" integrated amps which can be switched into low-power class-A mode. I was not terribly impressed with these.
Edits: 04/17/17 04/17/17
I know tubes run hot,but I would look at the Atmasphere s-30 OTL.Single driver with relatively stable 6-8 ohm load.Might be heaven.
Tom:cat
I have never tried an Atmasphere in my system but have heard them elsewhere and they sound very good. I've always wanted one.
Generally I agree with the idea of getting pure class A but on a budget like this I would simply be going for the best sounding amplifier over exclusively looking at topology of design.
A very good push pull tube amplifier might be an idea. You say prefer SS but what if you can get a tube design that is auto-bias and the tubes themselves are cheap and long lasting? To me the main issue for people looking at tube amps is the extra work required so I prefer plug and play tube designs when recommending them. This way you can get class A and possibly as good a sound for less money than having to go to Pass or Sugden which can be pricey.
Why not Aleph?
nt
.
Dynobots Audio - Music is the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth
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