looking for truly transparent affordable amp s


I'm looking for recommendations for amps in the 100 + watt area that are highly transparent, coming in under $2500 on the used market. I have 3 systems that include Meadowlark Audio Hot Rod Herons, BG Corp 520DX, and custom speakers similar to Legacy Focus using Eton drivers. The custom speakers are paired with a JAS Array 2.1 SET amp using 805 and 300B tubes. This is my reference for transparent sound. Source has ranged from a Consonance Droplet 5.0, to Modwright and Upgrade Co modded Oppo players (83SE), and a Cambridge Audio 851C (which I hope to have modded as well) all driving the amp direct. I don't like preamps. I'm looking for a similarly transparent amp to drive the BG Corp speakers and the Meadowlarks. I recently acquired a gainclone built with premium parts and love the sound; it's quite a clear window on the original performance. But it just doesn't have the power to drive any of the speakers to the levels I like to listen at so I'm looking for an amp capable of this level of transparency and detail, with sharply defined images. Any recommendations? I have Gamut on my short list. And may I ad that in the last few years I've had the following amps and none come close to the level of transparency I'm looking for:

Theta Intrepid (used to biamp)
bridged Pathos Classic One MK III
Wyred 4 Sound ST-500
Sim Audio I-5 LE
Consonance Calaf (tubed version)

Amps that had promise but didn't quite make it:

VAS Citation II EL34 monoblocks
Audio Zone integrated gainclone
Cambridge Audio 840W

Thanks in advance for your input
lcherepkai

Showing 1 response by djohnson54

Lcherepkai,

Not trying to sway you one way or the other but your comment regarding the Pass XA30.5 and power is a common misconception. Not sure why Pass doesn't try harder to set this straight. The following is from the measurements section of the Stereophile review.

"Fig.4 shows how the THD+noise percentage in the amplifier's output varies with output power into 8, 4, and 2 ohms. While the XA30.5 may give 30Wpc into 8 ohms in class-A (14.8dBW), the distortion at this power level is low, at 0.015%. The amplifier doesn't actually clip (defined as the THD reaching 1%) until a much higher power level: 130Wpc into 8 ohms (21.14dBW). Even higher powers were available into lower impedances before clipping: 195Wpc into 4 ohms with both channels driven (19.9dBW), and 332W into 2 ohms with one channel driven (19.2dBW)."

Dick