Bedini 801 or Audire Forte amps


I have my eye on these vintage pieces and wanted some feedback from others who have either owned or listened to them. I believe the pwr ratings are similiar. My musical tastes are acoustic jazz some r&b and a little classical music. I'm using a gainclone amp from the clone master Tim Rawson at the moment with Mission 750 spkrs and a Aragon 24ksp pre upfront. A Philips 963SA sacd player does the digital duties. Thanks in advance and have a very Merry Christmas.
south43

Showing 1 response by tonyptony

South, I am very familiar with the Bedini sound, having owned over the years a 25/25, 250/250, and then an 803. Have never heard the Audire. The 80x series of Bedini amps are as musical as all get out, but do have some limitations - one of which is very important. The amp cannot be at the end of a long IC between preamp and amp. In that kind of setup there is a very high likelihood of the input stage of the amp going into oscillation and blowing up. If your IC is going to be more than maybe 12 feet or so I would be concerned. I would also be concerned if you are using even shorter ICs that are known to be highly reactive.

If none of that is an issue then an 801 will give you, in general, a musical, dynamic presentation. The soundtage will be reasonably wide but not as deep as the best amps. The highs will be there as will the lows. If it's a good match for your speakers you should be quite pleased. Having said all that, when I had a chance to try an AVA FetValve in my system I felt it bettered my 803. I am now using a FetValve Ultra.