Equally crappy? This is not about sharing opinons anymore is it? The seriousness of such a statement is so low there is no need to comment?
Who is the KING of MONOS?
WHO IS THE KING OF MONOS???
Mcintosh 501:
Big. Heavy. Reliable. Built like a tank. Smooth and pleasing. This chuck of metal will flow liquid sound at you all day and not even get warm. It is Fun to listen to and fun to look at. Arguably the best looking amp of them all. Some accuse it of being too laid back. Others would consider selling an appendage to obtain a pair.
Krell Evolution 600e.
Pretty. Maybe not Mac pretty but still pretty. Unlike lesser Krells it is smooth and articulate. Possibly possesses the best bass of any amplifier anywhere. Expensive. If it can be the King it should be expensive.
Cary SA 500.1
Probably has one of the best reviews ever written. Cary is said to be a perfect middle ground between Krell and Levinson. Not too laid back. Not too harsh or dry. Just perfectly nestled in the middle. Not big or heavy. A little plain to look at. Middle of group price tag. A few complaints floating around about reliability. A few complaints that Cary is cheaply made. Is it worthy of a King’s Crown? 10 Audio thinks so………
Levinson N 53.
It is pleasing to the eye. It has lots of clout. It has cost no object claims. It costs a lot of big American Dollars. It has a non typical switching power supply. Levinson is sometimes accused of being too warm. Is this the case the N53? The company has encountered a lot of turmoil in the recent past. Can it overcome the negatives and beat the rest? Will the new D technology be its demise?
Classe CA-M600.
Aesthetically pleasing but doesn’t match anything else. Another smooth operator. This amp has also been accused of being too laid back and polite. Sometimes polite is a good thing. Can it be the polite King of Monos?
Pass Labs XA600.5
Can anything negative be said for this beast. Another block of beauty that has a glowing meter. A little magic and a little hocus pocus maybe. I can see the others getting a little nervous with the Pass in the mix. If only the company would answer the phone and tell me who the dealers are. I hope the product is better than their customer communications.
Wyred4Sound SX-1000
Can it even fit in with names like this? According to the reviews and the manufacturer it can. Its Class D. Its Light. It looks good. According to a lot of people it does things Class A / AB cant. It is by far the cheapest or cost effective of the group. Can this economical wonder compete or beat any of these brutes? Will it wimper and run away with its tail between its legs? We shall see.
Let us discuss who the King should be. Let us discuss who it shouldn’t be. Who cares about price. This is a Royal group. Who is the best of the best? No one wants to hear “They all sound the same.” Don’t waste our time. These boxes have magic inside. Who has the most? Which one should we all be dreaming of when go sleepy at night?. Who is the King Of Monos?
Mcintosh 501:
Big. Heavy. Reliable. Built like a tank. Smooth and pleasing. This chuck of metal will flow liquid sound at you all day and not even get warm. It is Fun to listen to and fun to look at. Arguably the best looking amp of them all. Some accuse it of being too laid back. Others would consider selling an appendage to obtain a pair.
Krell Evolution 600e.
Pretty. Maybe not Mac pretty but still pretty. Unlike lesser Krells it is smooth and articulate. Possibly possesses the best bass of any amplifier anywhere. Expensive. If it can be the King it should be expensive.
Cary SA 500.1
Probably has one of the best reviews ever written. Cary is said to be a perfect middle ground between Krell and Levinson. Not too laid back. Not too harsh or dry. Just perfectly nestled in the middle. Not big or heavy. A little plain to look at. Middle of group price tag. A few complaints floating around about reliability. A few complaints that Cary is cheaply made. Is it worthy of a King’s Crown? 10 Audio thinks so………
Levinson N 53.
It is pleasing to the eye. It has lots of clout. It has cost no object claims. It costs a lot of big American Dollars. It has a non typical switching power supply. Levinson is sometimes accused of being too warm. Is this the case the N53? The company has encountered a lot of turmoil in the recent past. Can it overcome the negatives and beat the rest? Will the new D technology be its demise?
Classe CA-M600.
Aesthetically pleasing but doesn’t match anything else. Another smooth operator. This amp has also been accused of being too laid back and polite. Sometimes polite is a good thing. Can it be the polite King of Monos?
Pass Labs XA600.5
Can anything negative be said for this beast. Another block of beauty that has a glowing meter. A little magic and a little hocus pocus maybe. I can see the others getting a little nervous with the Pass in the mix. If only the company would answer the phone and tell me who the dealers are. I hope the product is better than their customer communications.
Wyred4Sound SX-1000
Can it even fit in with names like this? According to the reviews and the manufacturer it can. Its Class D. Its Light. It looks good. According to a lot of people it does things Class A / AB cant. It is by far the cheapest or cost effective of the group. Can this economical wonder compete or beat any of these brutes? Will it wimper and run away with its tail between its legs? We shall see.
Let us discuss who the King should be. Let us discuss who it shouldn’t be. Who cares about price. This is a Royal group. Who is the best of the best? No one wants to hear “They all sound the same.” Don’t waste our time. These boxes have magic inside. Who has the most? Which one should we all be dreaming of when go sleepy at night?. Who is the King Of Monos?
153 responses Add your response
Equally crappy? This is not about sharing opinons anymore is it?Yes, equally crappy. That's my opinion having listened to both Bose and Revel speakers. I think they both suck. If you don't like that opinion, too bad. And if you dismiss my opinion that Revel speakers are crap, just think what a Bose-lover must think of Paimei's opinion that Bose speakers are unworthy. Are you starting to comprehend how this works? The seriousness of such a statement is so low there is no need to comment.And yet you did! |
Paimei: Synergy is often a term used when someone applies a bandaid in a system to compensate for a flaw elsewhere. The importance of the amp/speaker interface is not so much about synergy but rather, compatibility. And again, contrary to the comments of one amp to suit all speakers, it's just plain silly. For Sound Lab electrostatics, I don't want any other amp than the ones I own. If I was to change to high-efficiency horn speakers or a biamped system, I would surely choose an entirely different amp. But compared to so many of the "high powered" tube amps out there with their crappy little output transformers, I will stay with the "lower powered" CAT. |
I agree with your thought pattern. In a way you also agree with mine. You prefer your amp because others have crappy little output transformers. This makes them inferior in your opinion to what you have chosen. You have a preference. I respect this. Your experience could direct someone away from these lesser products. Surely you agree that we can compare and contrast even it it is based on opinion? I think there are a couple amps in the list that would sound good with a broad range of speakers. The Mcintosh is a gentleman. I have heard the Mcintsoh reign in many a harsh speaker. It will likely sound good on a wide spectrum of speakers. It is a polite and forgiving amplifier with good manners. It is built well, has a strong reliability record, and resale value is very high. In many respects it is a King. Comparisions are a great way to draw and learn from others' experience. |
No, I prefer my amp because it can handle speakers beyond the simple benign impedance. If an amp is "rated" at much higher power output, but then falls apart when trying to drive the speaker that the much lower rated amp can handle, then Houston, we have a problem. And such a higher rated amp has no business ever to be rated as your status of King. As for amps with wimpy output transformers, I have no doubt that some low-power SET amps on high efficient speakers would easily result in higher performance than my CAT amps. I notice that there is not a single SET amp in your list. And yet, these are often the most expensive and most highly coveted/respected amps in the audiophile world. Comparisions are a great way to draw and learn from others' experience.I could not agree more with this. I would be interested as to what qualifies as a "harsh" speaker. A few "odd" speaker loads out there that are often discussed here include the MBL 101 series (low sensitivity), Apogee Scintilla (1-ohm load), Sound Lab (higher impedance in the bass). The CAT amps can be configured to handle the Scintilla load. And it is one of the few amps that drives the MBL speaker with aplomb. I don't think there is a single amp in your list that can match it with these three speaker systems. Oh, you might want to add the MBL 9000 amp to your list. 8-) |
I respect tubes. A lot. I respect your information. I dont have the experience with tubes that I have with SS. SS versus tubes is a whole other debate. The MBL looks good. One of the few I have not heard. I will make it a point. Harsh speaker. Well, I like smooth speakers. That being considered, I have run into some paradigm, klipsch, and Monitor audios that were a little raw to me. Im sure they would have all been better with better/proper electronics running them. Im not saying any of these are Bad speakers. I feel they need very careful matching or suffering may result. For instance, I once heard a Klipschorn on a tube amp. A low powered tube amp. Hated Klipsch till that day. It was impressive. Thank you Cajunpepe for the comments on the Mac. Im Looking for the King of smooth to run my speakers. I have heard from many people, whether they like mac or not, say that Mcintosh owns smooth. |
I consider many of the lited amps as vorthy contenders, but two less known brands/ amps comes to mind. Tenor Audio HP 350 monos. Wow.... wonderfull to look at, and wonderfull to listen to. They are hybrids and the tubes make them sound very organic, but perhaps not 100% neutural. MSB 202. You will either love or hate the design. Personly I love it! They are not the most powerfull among amps ( 200w/ 8 ohms ), but they are the most neutural sounding I have ever experienced. Hifi Choice in the UK tested them in 2009, and Chris Bryant stated that they were the very best he ever tested. And he has tested hifi for quite some years now! Not to say that because he says so !!!! But Pass, Krell yes even Lamm sounds congested in comparison ( my oppinion ). State of teh art air, timing and finess are keywords discribing the M 202´s. |
For lower powered tube amps, the best is the Coincident Technology Frankenstein's, at about $5,000. It has the strongest 8 watts per channel you're ever likely to hear, plus it is the most true to the incoming signal I have ever heard--and not by an inconsiderable margin. At tube amp at 75 watts per channel that is almost as good as the Frankenstein is Coincident's The Dragon. But being about second best is nothing to cough about. Dehavilland makes some good tube amps as do the much more expensive Wavac's. Einstein makes some fairly expensive top drawer mono tube amps. Greg |
The best I've heard is an amp that was built, in believe, in the late 1930's to early 1940s. I don't remember the details, but, it probably was a Western Electric. Each amp filled a large vertical rack. I was told that good working copies go for something like $60,000 each. This was a very dynamic, lively sounding amp. I also liked the pair of Audionote (uk) Sogon amps. These were also quite lively and had a really nice, extended, top end. To me, they sounded better on top than the Audiononte Gaku-On, though if one is looking for a warmer sound, the Gaku-On would be it. I have not heard a lot of the solid state contenders in systems I know very well. But, I've heard nice sound from systems with Dartzeel amps and the Soulution amps. |
I wish i knew than i would by them . The krells have the biggest power supply as far as i know so they would be the choice maybe for the most difficult speaker . I would maybe add Halcro dm 68/ 88 or the old Ml 33 I find personally the newer models not always better than some old designs, if you read what sort of technologies went into the 33 s nice , the 33 s or halcro s are also on my wish /try list |
Husk01: "Are there any Class A amps that do not run hot?" The answer is no. An amplifier biased in class A at it's theoretical best is 50% efficient. This means that 50% of the power delivered by the amplifier is dissipated as heat. In the real world however, efficiencies run from 15% to 25%. The worst case for a class A biased amplifier is when there is no input signal where all of the power is dissipated as heat. Such is the price we pay for zero crossover distortion. |
No Question about it FM Acoustics. I have the the FM Acoustics 115 Mono's and if anyone would like to come hear them you are welcome. They are by far the best amps we have ever heard. and we have had many including the 811 MKII and most of the amps that are said to compete against FM. You may think we are biased but I will challenge you to bring any amp you wish to compare.. |
I have read most of the replies and can't figure out why this is very little discussion about SET amps. I am currently using a 2 watt per channel mono amps which are the best I have ever owned. And yes there was a time that I had to own a huge heavy SS mono amp but my system now sounds like music with 2 watts. |
The Jadis JA500 tube amps must get hot using all those tubes. Here's a pic. Its at the bottom of the page The Jadis JA500 tube amps must get hot using all those tubes. Here's a pic. Its at the bottom of the page >http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?2409-Apogee-Acoustics-Full-Range-quot-Ribbon-quot-Speakers The Jadis JA500 tube amps must get hot using all those tubes. Here's a pic. Its at the bottom of the page www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?2409-Apogee-Acoustics-Full-Range-quot-Ribbon-quot-Speakers[/url] |
I listend a lot to Mark Levinson amps in my life. I still don't understand why people would want to buy it. Holographic sound is the most important part in highend sound. This is a part were brands like Pass are superior. Let's take another part, focus. Many times I was stunned that clients who use Levinson are not able to let me hear the right dimensions of instruments and voices of a simple acoustic recording. I think they do not know how small and direct a voice or instrument should be. Sound, all classical cd's I played at Lenvinson sounds far from real. A violin sounds so much warmer and is better focussed than I ever heard from a Levinson. Use a recording with two different acoustic guitars. The levinson is not able to let you hear the difference. But a Pass can. The last years I heard many tiems the new Classe amps. To be unnest it does not do anything wrong. I think many peole could live with this for a long time. Compare it with Pass and you understand the difference. The sound of instruments is a lot different. Pass labs gets closer to the real sound of instruments. I think XA series I would take a listen at and compare it with your own music with the other ones. |
That time I needed the money. Cause of my work they did cost me half of the new price. I could sell it for a lot of money. I have had the XA60.5 and 30.5 as well. And I liked them all. I bought the X250.5 a few weeks ago. To be unnest it is great as well. XA is more musical, more emotion compared to X. X serie is more drive and it looks if it is a little easier to give higher resolution. I could live easily with both. These days I am spending a lot of time with Audessey Pro. It is really awesome. For the first time in my life I use a subwoofer also for stereo use. I never liked it, because it was always too slow and not one with the speakers. But Audessey pro sets new standards. My PLW-15 with a 15 inch unit and 2000 watt peak gives a full stealth sound with my PL-200. I seldom heard such a 3d holographic sound in my life.My subwoofer starts at 16hz. Monitor Audio makes very exeptional filters. This gives me with Pass an extreme 3d holographic sound most people would die for. The platinum series is extreemly fast speaker which can play very loud without stress. These days I use my PLW-15 from 16 hz till 120hz. This sets everything to a new level in sound. The PLW-15 is very fast ( superior in speed compared to Velodyne) in respons. Wenn you use the subwoofer to 120hz voices and instruments are better focussed,there is more depth,nicer musical sound. I call the sound stealth. Many of my clients call it voodoo. Because they never heard a subwoofer so integrated in there whole life. Many of them still live in the old Rel time. In europe Rel is not that big anymore. They are so slow and there are enough better brands these days! |
The XA100.5 costs 2 times more. I cannot say the X250.5 has more drive. what I can say is that I prefer the X250.5 over the XA30.5. XA100.5 is more musical and more refined compared to the X250.5. It is difficult to judge because I have a different system compared to the past with the XP-20 and XA100.5 |
