30 Amplifiers Totaling $428,740.00 In Search of Audio Nirvana

Hey, I never accused you of a Quid Pro Quo.  Now, about that favor you were interested in.....

Well, my favor to ask is, which one proved to be your favorite, and why?

Can I also ask you a favor! Can you place retail pricing on each amp, yes can look up but you must have it on that spread-sheet. Also what did you settle on?

My ultimate personal favorite was Block Audio. These monos rang every bell imaginable. 
Holographic, wide soundstage, excellent imaging,  deep and wide detail that delivers backgrounds not normally heard, lots of power and head room, incredible bass mids and highs that will make your speakers disappear.

No question my favorite as of today!

@rsf507 

I do have the prices on a spreadsheet but no way of uploading here on the forum. 

The amp I have settled for the moment is the Audio Research 160S,  my number 2 choice from the list.

@rsf507 

Here you go, copy and paste it!

 Anthem Integrated 225 $4,500.00
 Adcom 575SE $2,500.00
 Audio Research 160S $15,000.00
 Bell Canto 600M $5,000.00
 Block Audio $30,000.00
 Bryston 4BSST $2,995.00
 Bryston 7BSST2 $14,000.00
 Divalet Expert Pro 220 $9,995.00
 Emotiva XPA-2 $700.00
 Gryphon Diablo $16,000.00
 Krell Evolution $18,500.00
 Hegel H30 $15,000.00
 Luxman M900U $19,900.00
 Merril Eliment 118 $30,000.00
 Mcintosh 452 $7,500.00
 Mcintosh 601 $14,000.00
 Octave Audio V110 $8,900.00
 Musical Fidelity Titan $30,000.00
 Parasound A21 $2,500.00
 Parasound JC1 $6,000.00
 Pass Lads 250.5 $8,250.00
 Pass Labs 350.5 $11,000.00
 Pass Labs XA350.8 $15,000.00
 Pass Labs XA160.8 $30,000.00
 Pass labs XS300 $85,000.00
 Plinius SA-250 $9,500.00
 PS Audio BHK 300 Signature $1,500.00
 Primaluna Premium HP $4,200.00
 Primaluna Prologue $2,400.00
 Sim Audio W7 $8,900.00
 Total $428,740.00

Well you realize you have to give a sonic summation of each one, right?  Comparative references to others would be great too : )

Please list what rest of listening system comprised of as well.  Thanks!

I'll start you off with a query:  BHK 300 (fyi, change that price to 15k I think) versus Hegel H30 -- which one and why?

Interesting for sure
can you list what you owned and hours listening?
enjoy the music!!!!!
fun

Thanks @blumartini  for the price update.....much appreciated

@kren0006

Well you realize you have to give a sonic summation of each one, right?

Lol yes, will do, but for now I will volley them on a case by case basis in the meantime.

BHK 300 versus Hegel H30

Tough one, as I like them both but for different reasons.

Hegel H30 is a Beast of an amp as Mike Tyson was as a boxer. The H30 delivers a punch with authority that can drive most any speaker on the planet. The first thing that comes to mind is the BASS and its grip and control as well as its in your face front row sound. Mids where clear but i felt that it lacked a bit in the upper mid bass and highs where smooth and not brittle. The H30 plays well with a lot of different speakers and loves rock and metal and Techno. The mids are are a bit forward with great imaging and but suffers a bit with its narrow sound stage. I

BHK 300 is amazing and more like Mohamed Ali with substantial power yet more of a dance that is musical and more involving. The sound signature lends itself to a more euphoric and holographic sound as apposed to an in your face forward sound. Bass is totally there with the innate ability to deliver punch and gradients with in the lower spectrum. Mids are superb and lushes with great detail more to the Musical side rather than analytical. The highs are superb and natural with a clean and clear sound and not in any sense harsh, piercing. or brittle.

I must say that is one of my favorite mainly because its a hybrid, with the best of both worlds, Muscle, Force and Bass of the Class A/B world and the Finesse and Lushes Organic musicality in the mids and highs from the Tube world. The BHK 300 will play well in most all types of music both instrumental and voice.

Sorry to go off on a tangent with the BHK but it had very similar characteristics to the Block Audio Monos my #1 pick from the list.

Cheers!

On the boxer analogy theme, anybody bite off part of your ear ?

@tomic601

Now that is LMAO Hysterical :)

Saving thread to hear more of these matchup analogies... 

And also, what speakers were you driving?

@cal3713

There were 6 manufactures, B&W, Dynaudio, Focal, Martin Logan, Revel, Wilson and over 11 different speakers variations of those manufactures during the process. Please specify what amp so that I can be more specific.

Cheers

" BHK 300 is amazing and more like Mohamed Ali with substantial power yet more of a dance that is musical and more involving. The sound signature lends itself to a more euphoric and holographic sound as apposed to an in your face forward sound. Bass is totally there with the innate ability to deliver punch and gradients with in the lower spectrum. Mids are superb and lushes with great detail more to the Musical side rather than analytical. The highs are superb and natural with a clean and clear sound and not in any sense harsh, piercing. or brittle." 
I had BHK 300s in my system and your comments are proof that "we" should evaluate components in our own system/room. My final thoughts on the BHK 300s are total opposite of your's.  

There were 6 manufactures, B&W, Dynaudio, Focal, Martin Logan, Revel, Wilson and over 11 different speakers variations of those manufactures during the process

don't you want to list all those speakers as well?

@vavan

Here you go.

 B&W 805D
 B&W 802D2
 Dynaudio C1
 Dynaudio C4
 Focal Sopra l
 Focal Sopra lll
 Focal Evo Scala
 Marin Logan Motion 60xt
 Marin logan Monthis
 Martin Logan Renaissance
 Revel Salon Ultima ll
 Wilson Saha 2

So you had those awesome monoBlocks and never tried MBL Radialstrahler?

Hmm. Go figure.

@millercarbon
Can't say I have had the opportunity but wish I could have.

Mmmm, Mbl. 😍
Bob

@ricred1

My listening experience included PS Audio BHK Preamp PS Audio Direcstream Dac w/bridge 2 Speaker's were Focal Sopra 2.  Same gear on both amps.

Now tell me what gear you used in your evaluation and what was your findings?

I had the BHK 300 mono-amps and BHK preamp. I compared them to my Jeff Rowland 625 S2 amplifier and Corus preamp. I also used the BHK 300s with the Corus.
The rest of the system: Monitor Audio PL500 II speakers,  Chord Dave DAC,  Antipodes DS GT music server,  Torus RM20 power conditioner,  Clarus Crimson speaker cables,  Wireworld Platinum series 8 XLRs, all Audioquest Hurricane power cords.  My room is 20'x26 and treated with GIK Acoustics. 
The Rowland has better detail across the Audio spectrum. The soundstage is both wider and deeper, with better front to back placement. 
My point is every system is different. What works well in one system, may not work well in another. In another system I may prefer PS Audio.

@ricred1
Wireworld Platinum series 8 XLRs, now that is a wow factor. I remember auditioning those cables and it made me go wow that is a significant bump in clarity and separate.

Can you please share your impressions between Parasound A21 and JC1? Also the Parasound vs Anthem ?
I currently have A21 and planning to upgrade to JC5. Thanks in advance! 

A high end amplifier every 1.8 month AND 60 month nonstop!

@ranjithkp

Parasound A21 is a great 2 channel amp depending on your room size speaker and listening volume it might be just fine. Now if you want to drive your speakers at louder volume JC1 will be your better choice. The JC1 is in my opinion more muscle and more musical and you will most definitely hear a bump in Bass. The sound signature is John Curl no doubt but more of it with it operating in class A up to the 1st. 25 watts. 

I have not had the opportunity to play with the JC5 so I cant really comment.

As far as the the A21 VS Anthem both are great at that price point, my experience was with the Anthem 225 integrated which is an awesome combo similar from a price  power prospective but the Anthem comes with the built in pre which by the way is better than the  Parasound proposition. 

Enjoy 

@blumartini, when you wrote you have "owned and auditioned 30 of..." did you actually purchase all these amplifiers, or did you just audition some of them?  BTW, that is quit a list!

I auditioned the JC1s and JC5, and have now owned the JC5 for several months. They both have a very similar sonic signature, but I thought the JC-5 sounded a little more refined. A bit more detail and smoother mid-range. However, the JC1 was considerably older so it's possible a recap would make up the difference.

Also, the speakers I was listening to, and also the ones I have now, were fairly efficient. With less efficient speakers, the added class A power of the JC1s might be more of a factor. 

Simaudio vs Pass Labs x350 vs Gryphon?

What a list, just curious if you considered Aesthetix Atlas Monos?  I use Aesthetix in the summer months and switch to the Audio Research VM-220 monos during the winter because I can tolerate the heat in with 24 tubes in the amps.  I have always liked tubes, but am considering SS and using a high end tube buffer for warmth.  Interesting thread.

@camb

That's a tough one as they are great depending on your room and speaker's  etc. My 1 st. Responce would be Grypon since it has everything you will need under 1 roof., 2and. Pass Labs x350 if you like separates. 3. Sim Audio if you have smaller room and need less power

Strangely it could be a loudspeaker issue.....
Ever get a chance to listen to a pair of Wilson Benesch from the Geometry series??
A.C.T. One Evolution or for the very hard to please with a large room:
Eminence

You could spend $350,000 if the price has not gone up since it listed at this price in 2003, but for that kind of money use it to pay off your mortgage and build your own using most of the same parts for under a couple of thousand dollars. Or hire some unemployed physicists who knows how to build it for you for a few thousand dollars for a month's work. There are plenty of such people out in the world of audio because only about 2% of PhD graduates even in STEM ever get a career in the academic world.

@mountz the Aesthetix is a great hybrid amp and compares well to ARC with most speaker loads better bass. There are three levels now, Eclipse is sublime. When I compared them a REF150se edged it in midrange magic.

Tomic601: I use an Aesthetix Callisto Eclipse for my pre and agree that the Eclipse is the way to go.  Ref150SE?? - I don’t see that on your list, but presume you are speaking of audio Research.  I would suggest you audition the VM-220, tubes are perpendicular and has bass with tubes that must be heard. (preferable to my Ear).  I also have the  Bel Canto Ref600m and feel they are great for class D, but lack the midrange warmth that a tubed amp provides.  
Have you ever listened to a tube buffer with SS amps?  Much less fuss than a tube amp but you do get warmth.  
I have also gone through the heard with headphone amps and settled on the Woo Audio 5-LE with 1940 tubes, but that is for another discussion.

You should have bought tickets to live concerts.

@stringreen

Great answer, would have loved that but could no get them to perform in my listening room so I have been working on how it could be possible.

Cheers 

stringreen

You should have bought tickets to live concerts. 

Attending a live performance and listening at home are two different things. While both can be great experiences, neither is really a good substitute for the other, imo.

@cleeds 

X2

Altogether a boring read.

If you auditioned 30 amps on various systems or speakers then you didn't audition anything. Auditioning 30 amps with them being the only variable is  auditioning 30 amps. All you did was listen to 30 audio systems. It would be like testing 30 different tires on 30 different cars. 

Without a reference system (see The Audio Critic) all of this is for naught! All conclusions reached are at best just random!

A reference system is your own system/room. All things are judged against others NOT someone else's system IMHO