my favourite amp is of course my amp, the creek 5350R integrated! but of course if i had more $$$$$$$$$$$$....

I really like the less expensive creeks, I think their best amp so far has been the 4330R with phono stage, man now that thing can play music!

Wavac MD300B ,Jeff Korneff 45 SET ,But the best of the over 75 amps I have owned is a John Hogan 6sn7 27 SET 45.It even bested the Musical Fidelity Kilowatt amps my good friend owns he now listens to SET amps and the big rig sits unused.As always YMMV

I own Classe' amps that I am happy with. I think class D amps are interesting and could be the amp of the future.

Up until 10 weeks ago, I was quite content with a Classe' pre/pwr combo consisting of:

Pre-amp: Classe' CP-50
Pwr-amp: Classe' CA-100

Then burglars decided to carry out some affirmative shopping and both units made their way into the "involuntary re-cycling of audio gear" process... :-(

After some form-filling, the insurance company came through and I was given the go-ahead to replace with current equivalents from Classe':

Pre-Amp: Classe' CP-500
Pwr-Amp: Classe' CA-2100

When I logged into Classe's website, I found that the CA-2100 would not fit into the current racks I use - it was too deep and would have hung over the front.

To cut a long story short, I went with a pair of Jeff Rowland's Model 201 mono-blocks (cost about the same here in SA as the CA-2100).

The system now consists of the following:

Pre-Amp: Classe' CP-500 (with optional phono stage installed)
Pwr-Amp: Jeff Rowland Model 201 (x2)
CD-Xprt: Theta Data Basic II
D-A Cvt: Theta DSPro Gen Va
CD Rcrd: Yamaha CDR-HD1300
T/Table: Linn LP12
Speakrs: Tannoy D700

After about 2 months heavy usage, everything is now well broken-in and it all hangs together very nicely, thank you.

The CP-500 is a really good pre-amp - very neutral, very low noise floor, very musical and with a great intuitive user interface - via its touch-screen.

The Model 201's have proved to be real eye-openers (ear-openers?) - incredible control over the D700's, good LF extension and natural mids & highs.

The dealer that handled the replacement (Classe' importer) does NOT handle the JRDG gear (he had to source via another) came round a couple of weeks ago to install a new cartridge in the LP12 and, after some listening, had to admit that I'd made the right choice in the 201's versus the CA-2100 - he had his socks blown off... :-)

I can't comment on the bigger Classe' CA-2200 (it was way over my insurance budget), but the CA-2100 may just be a wee bit light. Classe's previous range included the CA-200 which was a pretty decent amp...

FYI, the technology used in the 201's is B&O's ICEpower - modules that JRDG buy-in from B&O. ICEpower is - as far as I can understand - based on using the analog feed from inputs to modulate a digital "carrier". The modulated digital carrier is then fed through a digital gain stage for amplification, then fed to a de-modulator which reconstructs the amplified analog signal. This approach yields a very high efficiency (>80%) and makes for a very cool-running amplifier.

To give you an idea, each monoblock is about the size of a phone book, delivers 250w into 8 ohms / 500w into 4 ohms, will cope with a current demand of up to 35 amps and the whole unit seldom gets more than 2-3 deg C above ambient temperature!! (see image below)

So, your comments regarding Classe' and digital amplification are valid - IMHO

My favorite amp with my reference speakers is the Bruce Moore M225 P/P tube mono's. With the new Lowether driver speakers I'm evaluationg, it's the deHavilland IOS 25 wpc SET.

Quad II's - old ones.

has anyone compared the new ones to the old ones?

Art Dudley, I think your review said an old pair were not available for comparison. Have you had the chance yet?

I have to say that I like the ASL Hurricane

http://www.divertech.com/aslhurricane200dt.html

Wonder ful mono amps with the nice tube - sound and the power to drive whatever that connects to it

The best one I have ever heard is a Sphinx (www.sphinxlab.com) Project 24. Amazing dynamics and detail.

I have always had Accuphase as one of my Favorite. But i have owned Tube amps (EAR 509) and even ICE power But its Accuphase that makes the music in my home

at the moment i'm pretty pleased with my Class

I am really satisfied with my 400 W/ch Bladelius Grendel modular amp (up to five channels).

I'm in love with my Simaudio W-5 LE dual-mono amp.

I haven't auditioned the hundreds of amps that some people have, but when I first heard the Bel Canto eVo21 GenII, I have to have it.

[image]http://gallery.audioreview.com/showphoto.php?photo=1220&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1[/image]

It was a "huge" improvement over my NAD C270.

There other great amps other -- maybe even for the same price -- but the reasons a I bought the Bel are (1) a local dealer let me listen to it at home in my own system, and (2) some Bel Canto eVo amps were rated "Class A" in Stereophile.

This is a "digital" amp. Beautifully neutral, sweet, and extremely transparent.

Thats allways a tricky question, room-size rest of the equipment etc. Right now i

My trustworthy Rotel RB-1090 is of course my favorite. Just sits there every day, doing it's job. Subtly telling me: "Louder. Louder please. Yes, turn that knob! LOUDER! MORE! I AM INVINCIBLE! BWAHAHA...

Where was I? Oh, right, a picture!

(I'm looking for another one...)

Well, of course my current amp is my favourite but besides, I

Hi,
the mine is Densen DM-10

best
gizmo

Having many different low-efficiency speakers over the years the high-power, high current amps have been my friends.

Amongst the notable:

Classe M-1000 monoblocks. You could weld with these, however the transistor edge was ever present. Once you got through that, they are quite musical.

Levinson 333. Laid back Levinson sound, "5th row back" powerful however bass a bit muffled and vieled.

Levinson 336. Now we're talkin'....all the good of the 333 plus much improved bass response, detail in spades without brightness and a fairly balanced presentation. A great amp value, I fell better than the 4 series amps that replaced it. Still the signature Levinson "5th row back". If you are looking for imaging in front of the speakers, consider something besides Levinson.

Levinson 33H. I still have a pair. These can fool you. Almost as powerful a sound as the Classe' M-1000 without the transistor edge. More up front in presentation than the 333 or 336. I never feel that these amplifiers are working hard, regardless of content or volume level.

Levinson 33. All the better points of the 33H, with all the authority onb the bottom end you could ask for. The end of an era in 2 channel amplification. Not much around now with the sheer size, wieght and build quality these carry.

McIntosh 501. A bargain at it's price point. Instruments live in more space than the Levinson 333 or 336, however bass control can leave a bit to be desired.

McIntosh 275 tube. The little amp that could, and will. 75 watts/channel of tube heaven. To my ears, a better sound than the MC2000 collector piece. Does a wonderful job on a friend's system with BAT 50SE and B&W N802D speakers. Who'd have ever thought a reasonably low-powered tube amp could drive 802D.......Go and hear it....it's GOOD!

LOL, I've got more, however my hands are tired from the typing.

Best,

Paul :-)

Right now? Krell 400xi.



Why? Both powerful and fast, yet sleek, small and sexy finish. I realy like the sound, a ironfist in a velvetglove.

Doesn

After many years of audio angst, of buying and trading dealer demo's, of tireless research and auditioning, I've found the perfect amplifier: Halcro DM68 monoblocks. I've owned a variety of solid state amps including several Levinson and Krell models but none have come close to the Halcro's. Their defining characteristic is the utter blackness in and around the sound. I had apprehension because of their relative low power rating (225W). I don't understand all the details of the amp's power correction circuitry but somehow the current gets to my speakers when it's needed. The soundstage these amps throw cannot be believed until you hear it. The only question I have is what can Halcro possibly do to top this product?

Hi. I haven't yet compared the old Quad IIs with the new ones, face to face: After I'd spent some time with them, I had to send the new ones down to NYC to be photographed and measured, and I'm not sure what's become of them. Sometimes things come back here so I can write a follow-up report (and I'd be very happy to do that here). Sometimes they don't.

FYI, after my review came out, a friend called and hinted (albeit cordially) that my implied comparison lacked merit because I didn't say precisely what tubes were being used in the older sample I had in mind: His view is that tube choices themselves represent too wide a range of performance characteristics for my comparatively general remarks to have any real meaning. That may be true. So I imagine that my own admittedly less fiddly approach, even when the time comes that I can make a direct comparison, may leave some readers feeling a bit disappointed. Understandably.

Anyway, I will indeed keep trying to scare up a pair of old IIs.

Thanks for reading the review --

-- Art

Right now, and hopefully for a long time, just what I have, Krell FPB700cx.

If I were to do something, it'd be to add another one and biamp my ML Prodigys (although it doesn't make sense, but what a pretty sight!).

As Beemer, I have this thing with low efficiency loudspeakers, and one can tell when you have plenty of power reserves for such PITA boxes....

As an alternative, the big Macs MC1200. Nothing beats it imho. I have closely heard the MC501s and I just love those. Can't imagine how good the 1200s would look in my system!

brgds Marcelo

Kenwood DVS-6100 left channel, Opera 9.9C right channel, Dahlquist PDQ-15 sub. Pretty decent.

I've only had two amps as I'm kinda new to all this. The first was an Adcom 5503 and compared to the garage sale receiver and speakers, it was awesome. Now I have a Fosgate Audionics 1000.5 which matches up VERY WELL with my Dali's!.

I am no reviewer,therefore,not too much experience with different amps,just a few.Anyway,it's the first time in my life i would gladly purchase amps from the same manufacturer
I am using jeff Rowland pre/power combination and what can i say ? excellent !!!!!

Lumley 120's & NRG 401S still sounding great.

I kind of like my Tube Class A Pre and Hybrid Class A and A/B Power Amp.

Shengya

Simaudio Moon's new Evolution Series W-8, differential, dual-mono power amplifier. The Evolution Series sets a new benchmark in the rarified world of reference-grade, solid state, audio components.

My new, favorite power amp would be the Simaudio Moon W-8 250 watts/channel Differential, Dual-Mono Power Amplifier. ( http://www.simaudio.com/moonw8.htm )

My old favorite, the Mark Levinson 33h, is still my favorite :http://www.marklevinson.com/products/specifications.asp?cat=pa&prod=no33h