Does Threshold equal newer amp designs?

As a former Threshold owner (SA-3, T400), I'd say no, their amp designs are old and don't sound as good as some of the newer ones. Pass, Llano, and Reference Line all smoked the T400 (T200 was rated "Class A" by Stereophile). Thresholds sounded good for their day, but sound electronic when compared to other high quality amps today.

Klouie, you are right in most older models of Threshold. The SA/3 and T-400 were decent. I had a T-800 and a S-500 at one time. Where I beg to differ with you is on a pair of Threshold SA/1's modified to balance configuration and other minor mods. I currently own both a pair of Pass X-600s and Threshold SA/1's. The X-600s have more guts and bottom end. But over all the SA/1's are a more finess, sweet sounding amps. Smoother and more control on the top end. And silky almost tube/warm mids. The bass is tight and has extension. I have two systems and swapped amps on each pair of speakers, and each system is worth about +$50K. One day I will sell my Pass X-600s, but I will Never sell my Threshold SA/1's.

I own a Threshold T200. I use it in combo with a modified CJ PV-11 preamp, MIT 750 Magnum speaker cables and Revel Ultima Studio Speakers. In my opinion, there are many old products that sound as good as new generation products, Threshold among them. Of course, there are old Threshold and older Threshold amps and preamps depending on whether you own the T series which were produced by PS Audio - no longer in business - or the older Threshold amps owned by Nelson Pass who sold Threshold to PS about 6 years ago. It is ridiculous to think that new = better in analog equipment all the time. In my opinion, and I've been in highend audio for 10 years + and I've been to at least 2 or 3 high end shows, not to mention stores all over the country, the only solid state out there that really is decisivley better than the Krells, Levinsons, Thresholds or what have you, are the Spectrals. If you want the very best solid state has to offer, Spectral is it or maybe Rowland if you have the bucks. Also, system matching is so important, I cannot begin to emphasize this aspect of high end audion enough. I have heard great gear sound lousy in sytems that were not well matched. Regards, Welltempered.

In the mid 70's I switched from ARC tubes to the first Threshold product the 800A and later went to the SA1 and SA2. There aren't very many SS amps that sound better even today than the SA1 and SA2. Vintage Amp repair can keep them going. Last year I went back to big tube monoblocks but this is just a preference on the part of my wife and I. We could have easily afforded the Spectral but didn't like the sound. Topkat is right.

Many of the Threshold / Forte' products built and designed by Nelson Pass EASILY surpass much of the "common" gear of today. One can easily pick up used gear from the above brands for $350 - $650 that will literally slap current amplifiers costing up to $3K silly. There are exceptions to this though, so don't think that i find these amps "unbeatable". For the money though, these amps offer some of the sweetest, airiest, most detailed (yet not hard or bright) sounding amps that "reasonable" money can buy. I have owned over 40+ amps in the last couple of years and still keep coming back to some of these as being my favorites. Spending more for the more expensive / bigger models starts to run into the land of "diminishing returns". Having said that, I still hope to one day own a pair of "updated" SA-12 Monoblocks. Sean >