Most musical S.S. Amp under 2k used ?


i'm counting on you guys to fan the flames of this inquiry.

geez, i’m really going a lil crazy here with all this new and unexpected fervor toward this ridiculously addictive material. my girlfriends actually a bit worried about how much time i can spend on this stuff. guess the possibilities are endless. thank god i have a budget!!!!

just by studying the reviews i like what's been said about some of the krell's and mccormack's. which of these would be considered more musical overall - ksa-100, 150, 250 or dna 125, 225? what does 100 watts of krell sound like compared to 225 watts of mccormack?

other considerations: {please give feedback if you can... and remember - musical!}

PS Audio GCA-100

jeff rowland model 5

ayre v-3

edge g-5

conrad johnson - motif ms 2001

classe 201

gamut 100 mklll

arc 100.2

odyssey extreme

pass labs x-150.5

audio research 150.2

Meridian 205 100 Watts Pure Class A Mono block

Musical Fidelity A5

hosting a dear friend of 30+ years in my home in a couple of weeks and i really hope to have pulled the trigger on my upgrade amp. by then.

quite anxious to sit around the fire with my ole compadre - sippin on something smokey/peety & reminiscing... listening to tunes that helped define our youth. so looking forward to having the opportunity to hear some of our favorite music for the first time - if you catch my drift?

please help me to choose something worthwhile.

much obliged,
timtopper

Showing 1 response by loudandclear

ARC 100.2 hands down.

We chose it over literally dozens of other amps. Unbelievable value for under $2k used.

Musical is the first word that comes to mind as we listen to it. The 100.2 just "gets out of the way". You don't hear the amp, you hear the music with all of it's harmonics, sweetness, dynamics, warmth, impact and soul.

With most other amps we auditioned, we heard the amp. This is such a key concept and took us way too long to figure out.

Good Luck!