High current amp search

Just saw this rare SMcAudio DNA 500 and think you’d be nuts not to consider it.  It’s a great deal for the already excellent stock amp, but this has been heavily modified to Platinum level with significantly upgraded caps, etc. by the designer to an even higher level that makes this an incredible value.  500 Watts into 8 Ohms, 900 into 4, and God only knows what into 2 Ohms but you can call SMcAudio and I’m sure they can tell you.  If that’s not enough power I don’t know what to say, but this is a SOTA amp for $2900 and won’t last long so act fast if you’re interested.  This is an end game level amp.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317455733742

Dear @soix  :  " but this is a SOTA amp for $2900 and won’t last long so act fast if you’re interested.  This is an end game level amp.. """

Really?. You are an experienced audiophile and I think a MUSIC lover too and by any astandard at any price that is not " and end game level amp ".

@gavman  owns a Boulder 2060 and IMH even against the Boulder ( is a really challenge to the 2060 at quality level performance ) this Levinson monobloks are truly end amps and a bargain at this price:

Mark Levinson 20.6 Class A Monoblock Power Amplifiers

Yes superior quality to what you own. So, you can get and can confirm for sure and if you do don't like it you can sale easy. The only change we have to make on those 20.6s are the electrolitic filter caps ( Vishay are the best ones down there . ) in the power suply,2 on each monoblock.

R.

@rauliruegas  I'm perfectly happy with my 2160, when i replace it will be with 3060's. I never heard a Levinson amp that i liked. I dont like the dry sound.

I've read your comments on this thread, and with the greatest of respect, have concluded that you don't know what you are talking about- you describe situations that are the polar opposite of my experiences.

I am 100% of the belief, as a result of experience, that my main speakers must be flat to 20hz, must be driven by a solid state power amplifier(s) and that my system sounds best when the subs, which must be adjacent to the main speakers and firing in the same direction,  come in at 40hz and below.

Furthermore it's been my experience that mainstream audiophiles in the US rarely understand the bass requirements of modern music, so their advice needs to be taken with a pinch of salt- they consider metal to be about as demanding as things can get.  Its evident on this thread, a high level of technical expertise that somehow blinds them to the real point: The syrens of modern dance music sing loudly in the sub 40hz bass region, and the requisite bottom end extension, solidity and drive just cannot be achieved with valve power amplification, (nor can the fear factor.) although i am partial to mixing a valve pre and solid state power amp. 

As was said about the legendary pro-sound creations of Richard Long, the system needs to be able to make love to you.

So I do share your appreciation of Velodyne subs. So far they are the most musical i have experienced....but i would never dream of rolling them in at 80hz. This speaks very badly to your choice of main speakers and amplification. 

@gavman 

Agree with your philosophy, but if your main speakers are flat to 20Hz (and therefore probably no worse than -6 dB at 15Hz), why in the world would you need subs...?

Really?. You are an experienced audiophile and I think a MUSIC lover too and by any astandard at any price that is not " and end game level amp "
 

@rauliruegas  Really?  By any standard and at any price?!?  Horse hockey, and that’s just a silly statement from someone who’s likely never heard the amp and definitely not one that’s been heavily modified by SMcAudio that takes it to a higher level entirely (and yes I own an SMcAudio amp so I’ve actually heard the level of improvements those mods deliver and it’s substantial).  There are plenty of audiophiles who’d consider the stock McCormack DNA 500 their end-game amp, especially those who — like the OP BTW — can’t spend well north of $10k on an amp, and the amp I recommended goes well beyond the stock amp.  And I’ll add that $2900 is less than half the $7k original price of the amp that’s already a great deal, but this amp has around $2k of mods/top-quality parts added in on top of that by the original designer, which makes this an insane value IMO.  But the bottom line here is if the amp provides what the OP is looking for, and considering those parameters this amp at $2900 would be extremely hard to beat within the $4k budget, and it can still be improved further with SMcAudio’s latest mods for not all that much more $ if even higher performance is desired.  I’ll just end with Chip Stern’s conclusion from his 6moons review (where it earned a Blue Moon award) that captures well the level of performance/value on offer here, and the OP can decide if it’s worth considering regardless of your uninformed opinion of it.

And might I add -- with an ironic compassionate cough for the benefit of those readers to whom $6995 is not a walk in the park but the outer limits of an entire system -- that the McCormack DNA-500 represents an unbeatable audiophile value that can go toe to toe with any and all comers under $10,000 and more than hold its own against some even more expensive monoblocks. For someone well-heeled enough to contemplate a $12,000-20,000 system, with an eye towards future upgrades, the DNA-500 could be a good long-term investment, a solid sonic cornerstone that can grow as your system and your appetites grow or as you move to bigger spaces, able to accommodate larger, more power-hungry full- range speakers. Based on my experience, it’s hard to imagine a speaker that would make the DNA-500 say Uncle…In toto, the DNA-500 sets a new standard for value and performance in solid-state amplifiers. It is beautifully balanced, harmonically sweet and seductively detailed. It is warm yet clear, with the full body and bouquet of a red and the transparency and piquant bite of a fine white wine. It is quick and nimble and offers immense transient impact and immediacy. It deploys its massive reserves of power in a relaxed and inviting manner, balancing delicacy and vigor, suppleness and slam. It doesn’t sweat the big gestures nor overlooks the small ones. It allowed me to experience all manner of music on a capacious soundstage with enormous scale and dimensionality and proved utterly revealing and supremely accommodating to all of the gear I matched it with, both upstream and downstream. In short, the McCormack DNA-500 conveys the immediacy, intimacy and aura of recorded music with compelling accuracy, commanding authority, soulful purity and a minimum of muss and fuss. It’s easy to listen to and even easier to love.