2. amps-preamps
  3. 139382-20132

Still looking for an amplifier upgrade- but with a new twist.....

Hello,
I am back seeking advice.  Some of you may recall that I wrote before looking for feedback to upgrade the amplification I was using to drive a pair of MagicoS1mk1. I am still looking for amplification but my journey, if we want to call it that, has had an unexpected  twist- I changed speakers instead of the amplification.   

To make a long story short, before I owned the Magcio's I had bought a pair Thiel 3.7's. I got a very good deal on them and took a chance hoping they wouldn't look too imposing in my room and for the overall decor. Unfortunately they did look a bit too outsized which is why I got the much more room friendly Magico's.  After a long time that the Thiel's were just sitting there gathering dust I finally got ready to sell them. But for fun I decided to give them a last run in my system before I boxed them up and listed them. Well, I thought they sounded so good, with improved resolution, body, air and texture than the Magico's, which themselves are really engineering marvels considering what they can do for their size, that I decided to throw caution to the wind and just live with size.

Don't get me wrong, the Thiel's are hardly perfect.  Apart from being cumbersome with what many would consider controversial looks, they can also have a somewhat hot upper midrange/treble.  I this respect the Magico would probably be considered better balanced.  But for what I value, the Thiel's give me a better sense of the nuance of the performance with clearer spatial cue's and a more defined impact of the leading edge of notes. To some degree I found them akin to the YG Hailey's I auditioned at a friend's house this summer.  The Thiel's are not in the same league but they work for me- love them.
(Btw, as an aside I also recently auditioned the Magico A3's- a simply outstanding achievement and for that price? Unheard of! Expansive soundstage, bass, fullness- just great.  The one fault is I found is that resolution and more subtle cue's are not much better than the S1mk1's- and I don't know about mk2's. But for everything else they are one of the greatest designs I have had the privilege to listen to).

Ok sorry, so back to the matter at hand.  Right now I am using a Mcintosh Ma7000 integrated- however I have bypassed the preamp stage with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp equipped with NOS tubes. So in essence I am running what would be an upgraded circuit mc252 amp with the Primaluna pre-amp. The improvement over the standalone Ma7000 is very significant.

So if I were to upgrade from the Mcintosh what should I consider for a budget of about $5k (probably for second hand)?
What I am trying to achieve is much greater depth and layering of the sound stage.

I have a feeling that tubes would be the ultimate combination for the Thiel's but they are difficult to drive: they are 90db but with an impedance that drops close to 2Ohms for a not insignificant portion of the frequency spectrum. So the right tube amplification might be too pricey. At least at this stage I have not found anything that would fit the bill.

Going the ss route I have thought about the BHK 250's or a pair of Parasound Jc1's with high class A bias.  Pass would likely be a good match but hard to find one of the higher powered models with enough current to drive the Thiel's within my budget.  
Considering the Thiel's high frequency characteristics I think the Bryston's (7b3's?) might not make an ideal match.

I know that ultimately I need to hear the equipment for myself but hearing your thoughts has always helped me a lot.

Many thanks,

PLG

pgastone
pgastone OP
77 posts
 
I think I will indeed try to the ps audio forum and see what I get back.

Btw, any thoughts with regards to the BHK signature preamp as helomech above did suggest that maybe a preamp upgrade might make more of a difference than a new amp- my understanding is that it has a uniquely designed volume control that may actually be more transparent than the alps pot in my Primaluna.
pgastone OP
77 posts
 
And speaking of the Aesthetix Calypso Bascom King and Paul McGowen did use it as a benchmark in developing the BHK Signature
caphill
665 posts
 
Get the Simaudio Evolution series amps.
pgastone OP
77 posts
 
You mean the 860a?
I do not think you can find one in my budget.
pgastone OP
77 posts
 
Btw,  I just that there is thread started by thieliste asking about the best separates combination for Thiel 3.7’s- what a coincidence!

However there is one very notable difference- thieliste is playing in another league than mine- he’s looking for ultimate reference level equipment which is way way way above my budget.

But the spirit is the same- I like the 3.7’s so much that I just want maximize the electronics to bring out the best of what they can do (but at a different level of course).

I have had some great suggestions here and I am starting to wonder if I should do a preamp and amp upgrade.

Combinations that I am very intrigued with that seem to offer v good value would be bhk and aesthetix’s- I have had a little experience listening to the latter ( Atlas with a VTL preamp) and it was great with the YG Haileys.

As for standalone amps Pass sounds like an excellent option and I have to say Indid look at Lamm- a friend of mine had a pair of hybrid mono’s way back in the day and just loved them.   He eventually moved to Europe and sold them.

Anyway, this is kind of what I am thinking at the moment.
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