Why are most High End Amps class A

Gp_phan, if you can wait and save an additional $1000, and do some bargaining (at the $3000 range) on a used Pass XA30.5, then I know you will get that good Class A sound described in Audiogon. The XA30.5 works well with smaller speakers. It can do the job with some bigger 4-ohm speakers to give them 60 watts/channel, but I would be cautious. People need to do audition before buying anyway. I am not that familiar with other Class A amps beside Pass Lab as they are the lead in this niche market. Perhaps somebody else could help you with the $1000-2000 range. Unfortunately like anything else, you get what you pay for.

My hunch is Kirkus is probably right. In practically all Audiogon discussions to bridge tube and SS amplifiers, Pass Lab is mentioned. I know the XA.5 delivers just what people have talked about, but they are expensive. It thus leaves the question as to what it takes in order to lower pricing. I do know of Clayton as well and have listened to the better Clayton amps. They are nice sounding, but they are not cheap either.

Your system sound is determined by the weakest link in your system, right down to interconnects, cables, electrical and vibrational isolators. There is no question that the real McCoy Class A amplifier design is that good. So if you really want what Class A design can deliver, with some give and take and some negotiation with somewhat better than your price target, it might require smaller speakers and not so loud listening with the music taste that does not demand floor jarring bass. It really is a compromise at this price range or about.

Kijanki, could you please explain about the phase shift in a bi-amp setup? Are you saying that different amp has different timing as to when the music is projected out?

Kirkus, you are assuming rational thinking, whereas audiophile is a hobby. A hobby involves high-drive passionate pursuit for the best quality, such that other considerations seem far remote. For audiophile, that means getting the best sound for whatever money one can afford, or dare I say shouldn’t afford. As long as the equipment doesn’t break down often, nobody cares about anything else, except for a divorce if you spend too much money or make too much intrusion on the decorative well-being of your spouse.

My purpose of getting on Audiogon lately is to encourage people to check out Class A amplifiers, the real Class A stuff, if their pocket book can afford its price. Perhaps those in the borderline price range should wait for a while until they can own this good amplifier design. The sound gap between Class A and other classes is so wide that I cannot picture myself returning to Class AB. I am talking about how to retain the strengths of SS amplifiers and gain the values of tube amplifiers without their overkill. Music is a very potent medicine that can heal you in many ways, ways that the medical world could not provide. Yet for years I have such a tough time getting that quality sound at home, as opposed to a live concert with, somehow, less peripheral noises and proper sound projection. I am so much at awe with what true Class A amplifiers can do to my life that I just want people to check them out.

My days of sampling different amplifier classes are over. I don't want to knock anybody thus won't mention various equipment brands. Yet I can tell you that through the years I listen to equipment from a lot of major brands. None of them remotely come close to what the real Class A amplifier can do. As to those who have other priorities to spend money at this moment, it does not cost anything to just go listen to these equipment. When you see that much a difference, perspective and priority can develop different meanings. Because of the type of discussions and reports people have about the XA.5 series and that I own and know how Pass Lab XA60.5 sounds, it's obvious as to my recommendation. I am just too in awe of the difference to sit still on this.

Now from a different angle, the more expensive a purchase, the longer it better stays with me. Even $100 is a good amount of money, needless to say $1000 or $2000 that Gp_phan is thinking about. I am not about to spend $1000 when realizing that a year from now I would loose so much just because I really want something else instead. But that's just me.

Kirkus, perhaps Nelson Pass refines Class A amplifier design to a higher level, but the fundamental Class A characteristics that I currently experience, wrote about in this thread and elsewhere is the same thing that Redwoodgarden and numerous audiogoners have described. These characteristics set this particular design so far apart from others that I can have the realism of music at home rather having to severely limit myself to just live concerts here and there. Secondly I did somewhat follow the engineering discussion here and on the internet. But there is only so much the oscilloscope and math can help you assess reality. Ultimately it's the human ears that decide one way or the other. Thirdly Levinson ML2/3 were made late 1970's and early 1980's. Don't you think it's too risky to recommend people buying equipment that old? Finally, the newer Levinson amplifiers to me have their strength in precision and clarity, and that was the basis for my entry into the audiophile world a few decades ago. It really was a fine start, considering what's offered at the national chain stores.