Find yourself a used McCormack DNA-2 for maybe $2200 and send it to Steve McCormack at smcaudio.com who for $2900 will rebuild it into a Rev A.
A DNA-2 Rev A should easily equal and perhaps outperform anything else you may be entertaining at any price.
Try to locate International Audio Review's Peter Moncrief review on about 40 tube and solid amps back in 1998. In there he lists the DNA-2 LAE (Limited Anniversary Edition) as the best solid state amp and by a wide margin.
I have the DNA-2 LAE version, and from what I understand a DNA-2 (regular model) with the Rev A should be equal to or slightly better than the DNA-2 LAE sonically.
Very strong at 300 wpc into 8ohm and 600wpc into 4ohm, etc, and an extremely fast amp.
Paraphrasing IAR: "It does everything a SS amp is supposed to do without any deficiencies whatsoever across the entire freq. spectrum. And does not get congested as most amps do when playing loud and/or complex music passages...." He goes on for two pages explaining what this amp does that no other amp can do (in 1998 anyway).
My speakers are a fairly power hungry Aerial Acoustic 10T's with 4ohm load and 86db sensitivity. Certainly not the most efficient speaker. With the DNA-2 LAE, they sing effortlessly.
If this has perked your interest, you may want to locate an audiogon member named Garfish who owns a DNA-2 Rev A and uses them with the very highly rated Vandersteen Model 5's.
-IMO
A DNA-2 Rev A should easily equal and perhaps outperform anything else you may be entertaining at any price.
Try to locate International Audio Review's Peter Moncrief review on about 40 tube and solid amps back in 1998. In there he lists the DNA-2 LAE (Limited Anniversary Edition) as the best solid state amp and by a wide margin.
I have the DNA-2 LAE version, and from what I understand a DNA-2 (regular model) with the Rev A should be equal to or slightly better than the DNA-2 LAE sonically.
Very strong at 300 wpc into 8ohm and 600wpc into 4ohm, etc, and an extremely fast amp.
Paraphrasing IAR: "It does everything a SS amp is supposed to do without any deficiencies whatsoever across the entire freq. spectrum. And does not get congested as most amps do when playing loud and/or complex music passages...." He goes on for two pages explaining what this amp does that no other amp can do (in 1998 anyway).
My speakers are a fairly power hungry Aerial Acoustic 10T's with 4ohm load and 86db sensitivity. Certainly not the most efficient speaker. With the DNA-2 LAE, they sing effortlessly.
If this has perked your interest, you may want to locate an audiogon member named Garfish who owns a DNA-2 Rev A and uses them with the very highly rated Vandersteen Model 5's.
-IMO