2. amps-preamps
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Starke Sound

Good evening Audiogon Community !

I’ve been looking into this company’s 4-channel AD.430 to power the rear and center speakers of my MCH music set up.   Alternatively,  I could swap my current Emotiva XPA DR-2 GEN 3 to the rear and have the  Starke handle front right, left and center duty.

Does anyone have direct experience with their Class D amps ?   The few reviews I’ve come across are very positive.   Personally, I’m kind of concerned that after two email inquiries through their website, I have not received a reply to a very basic inquiry.   I was ready to pull the trigger and place through their website, but the lack of response is causing me to pause.

Looking forward to your comments
ppaquin01
8 responses Add your response
snbeall
63 posts
 
That’s surprising. When I recently contacted them, they replied the same day - on a weekend no less. In subsequent followup email, I got a personal reply from the founder/owner himself. That said, a recent followup inquiry has not yet been answered - although it was over this past weekend. Given their very liberal 30 day in home trial (shipping both ways! - that clinched it for me), I figured it was just best to pull the trigger at the sale price of $999 and try it. Just finished buying.

That all said, I was influenced by a very glowing post (and PM) by boomerbillone. Look for it/them.
ppaquin01 OP
3 posts
 
Thanks for your reply.  Glad you got a quick response from Starke Sound and hope you enjoy your new amp.   Let us know how that goes! I reached out through the contact page - will try calling.   With the COVID situation, businesses have plenty of challenges and responses times may suffer.

I’ll look up the home trial po;icy - not sure if applicable to sales to Canada where I live.   I’ll definitively look for boomerbillone’s post.
snbeall
63 posts
 

 

t_ramey
632 posts
 

Member boomerbillone has experience with the Starke amp. He sent me a message a while back I can share with you if you’d like. Don’t know if he still posts here much but he definitely liked the amp.

t_ramey
632 posts
 

Is this the site you’re looking at the AD430? I don’t see it. I remember back when boomerbillone was talking about it that it was there. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough.

 

https://www.starkesound.com/detail.html?id=43

ppaquin01 OP
3 posts
 

I bit the bullet and pulled the trigémellaire on the AD4.320.  It seemed to have the right mix of power and price.   

My experience with Starke and the amp was a mixed bag.  After getting a very good deal (a good discount slight below Black Friday special), I was surprised with higher than expected duites because of an error on the commercial invoice listing the regular price.  After initially blaming UPS, they acknowledge their error and offered a reduction on a future purchasing.

In use, I found the amp generated a hum - a situation that I had never encountered with any other power or integrated used in the same set up.  I solved the problem by adding a Hum X to the connections.

Soundwise I was not overly impressed.  I found that the jump in quality was far from the reviewers alluded to.  Overall, it lacked the humpf of XPA-2 DR and felt the sound to be under-whelming.

Months passed and I stumbled upon the ASR reviews.   Wished I had before.

 

ppaquin01 OP
3 posts
 

Starke seems to have pulled out the product as evidenced by a récent visit.

t_ramey
632 posts
 

Sorry about the troubles with the Starke. I realized after my post this thread was started last year. 
 

Boomerbillone sure talked this amp up. Maybe he was affiliated with them.

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