Best amplifier for $1000


I am looking for a NEW power amp to drive my beautifull Ellis 1801b.
My budget: limited to about $1100

After doing thorough research I decided that I need your opinion to confirm or not my findings. It seems to me that there 4 companies that are offering fair value for money: Monarchy Audio, AKSA Aspen, Audio Van Alstine and Odyssey Audio. I am pretty sure that if I will chose any of their products I won't go wrong.

Now, within my budget, I am trying to maximaze the value that I will get, having in mind that I won't need tones of power to drive my Ellis. So, after another month of reading and research I can conclude that the best value for money within a limited budget are (in order):

1. AKSA Aspen 55 with Nirvana Plus Upgrade
2. Monarchy Audio ST-70 PRO
3. OmegaStar 260 EX (AVA)

Unfortunatelly the Stratos seems to be a litlle overpriced compared with the others (in value/price terms).

Now, my question for those of you who had the chance to listen to at least 2 of the 3 from my list: Can you confirm my findings? Can you let me know your opinions?

Thank you very much
rmihai

Showing 1 response by jonboy

Rmihai,
My first choice of that selection would be the Odyssey Stratos. It is a very refined amp and more powerful than it's rating would have you believe. I had the traveling 1801's for 6 weeks last year and the Stratos was a perfect match. This was the Extreme version, however. The Omegastar is an amp that I also considered but having had a Hafler for years, I always felt that mosfet outputs, also used by Van Alstine, left a veil around the top end. After using the Stratos, which employs bipolar outputs, my experience was that the presentation and detail retrieval was there in a way it had not been before. Obviously, not all mosfet designs are the same, just my .02 worth. A used Stratos sells for about $850. Save yourself the long break in period. These amps are built to last. Good luck with your quest.