Aleph-3 Questions

I used to have the Aleph 3. I purchased mine used, so it was fully broken in when I got it. I'd recommend at least 200 hours of break-in with most equipment before doing any critical listening. Stereophile's Test CD 3 has a burn-in track (there are others available) that you can play continuously while you're at work to help break in the amp.

hi david, not having directly heard this amp, i can't offer any direct experience, but i *do* have a couple comments - how efficient are your speakers? i know that the aleph 3 is supposed to be more powerful than its watts, but it is still only 25wpc. also, what's its input impedance? ewe have a rogue 99 preamp, right? my experience w/that preamp was not as positive as i'd hoped, partly, i think, due to an impedance mismatch - if the aleph's input impedence is 25k-ohms or less, that mite be affecting the dynamics. doug

I purchased my Aleph 3 as a demo with very few hours on it. I was initially disappointed that it did not sound as good--a little raw--as the used ones I had heard. Once broken in, I have no complaints. Be patient; I think you will be very pleased. FYI, I use mine as mid/tweeter only in a bi-amped system but I don't think that makes any difference, other than the Aleph is probably a better treble than bass amplifier. The 3 has only 20 db gain and an input impedance of only 23Kohms; mismatches could detract from its performance. Cheers,