Yamaha NS 5000 w/ NAD M33

Agree with the quality of amps used with the NS5000. The NAD is not in the best choice. I would take a Benchmark AHB2 mono over the NAD for about the same price, even though it was my worst performer on the NS5000.

With regards to the current or power of an amp I have to disagree on what is needed. I just finished a shootout with 3 amps,

- stereo Benchmark AHB2 (100 | 175 | 192 @ 8 | 4 | 2) (off memory)

- CODA #16 (150 | 300 | 600 @ 8 | 4 | 2)

- Sanders Magtech (500 | 900 @ 8 | 4)

All 3 of these amps drove the speakers to acceptable levels. The bass was incredibly articulate on the AHB2. The AHB2 is the weakest power wise of these 3 amps and the CODA is the strongest. One could argue the bass was the best with the AHB2. My friend, who dislikes the AHB2, even said this to me on the Stones Sympathy for the Devil track. My takeaway is that the NS5000 is not that difficult to drive even though it has that huge woofer.

The AHB2 sadly came out last in the overall test, I wanted it to win. The AHB2 had a slightly smaller soundstage and some fatigue in the top and mids with my gear. I am very sensitive to this, and others may not notice. I may be able to eliminate that with a warmer DAC, but the issue was not there with the other 2 amps.

Now if you want to stay in a "budget" price range the Sanders Magtech is an excellent choice for the NS5000. My used Sanders was $4k from Sanders with warranty and is excellent in many ways. Now if I had not heard the #16 on the NS5000 I could be very happy long term with the Sanders. The Sanders is miles ahead of NAD M22 V2 that I had in the house long ago. 

I also tried my modded Peachtree GAN1 (Class D 200 @ 8) and it was too weak to drive the NS5000 nicely. Though I will try this again as a stopgap tomorrow. I may sell the Sanders and AHB2 to raise cash for a more expensive amp. 

Given my taste for a neutral sounding amp fo the NS5000, that suggestion of the Boulder amp is interesting. The Diablo would be too warm for me. A SImAudio North Collection is what I think would work the best for my ears, but I have only heard the old lineup. My CODA #16 is an amazing amp, but I like it better on my Magnepan LRS+ speaker (spectacular pairing with Holo Serene preamp + LRS+). The LRS+ is nowhere comparable to the NS5000 but the #16 takes it to another level of goodness. The Sanders comes pretty close to the #16 on the NS5000.

I was deciding on whether to sell my AHB2 tonight, so I hooked it up to the Holo Serene preamp and the Benchmark DAC3B. I put it through the RAAL T1-1b amp interface box and listened with the RAAL CA-1a headphone.

That fatigue I had on the NS5000 system with the AHB2 is not evident on the phones. A very surprising result. I am keeping the AHB2 for the RAAL, since it sounds so good. I am even using a silver headphone cable from RAAL.

yyzsantabarbara

I remember reading a post somewhere that you don't care for Mac electronics and I was wondering if you'd listened to the latest gen? I picked up a pair of MC611's to replace the H590 driving my Blades and the low level resolution improvement was a pleasant surprise. Top to bottom detail, resolution and soundstage gained more texture and bass which is one of Hegels highlights was bested by the mac. These amps power meters usually bounce between .6 and 6 watts and deliver. Ultimately I needed to turn the treble on the c49 to -2 db because the Blade uniq can overwhelm a room, but I recently heard the MA352 int driving a pair of Dali elikore11's and probably could have saved a lot of money going with that 200wpc int with a tube pre.

@steve59 In the past I have not been a fan of MAC. Now if I am not seeing a perfect match with the CODA #16, which is slightly warm. I think I would have the same issue with the MAC. That is why I tried to make the brighter Benchmark AHB2 work. I bought the Audience FrontRow speaker cable specifically for the AHB2 and it made a huge improvement. I really think the SimAudio will work for me. I am fine with the Sanders until I am ready to get a new amp.

BTW - in terms of neutrality, for my ears the KEF Blade is neutral. My NS5000 is a touch warmer.

I take all reviews with a grain of salt. After going through over a half a dozen highly rated full range speakers I am firmly in the camp that believes the listening room makes the biggest difference when comparing speakers.