Best SS amp for $200

[SoundMann]

No worries. Just trying to help. Will not make that mistake again. Hope the caps are still good. I assume you know (you seem to know everything) that they do wear out over time and have to replaced.

You are both entitled and welcome to contribute your input. I am just letting you know what class this amp sits in.

And yes, the amp will likely need to be recapped, and the resistors will be scutinised as well.

And I would never take your information / recommendations seriousy anyway.

This is unfortunate on your part. I am a well regarded expert in the field of audio with an exhaustive resume to back it up.

 

[thedudeabides]

You could at least appreciate my effort and say thank you. But maybe well regarded experts do not do that. And no, it is not unfortunate on my part. Just common sense.

 

[SoundMann]

You could at least appreciate my effort and say thank you. But maybe well regarded experts do not do that.

I do appreciate your contributions, especially your Odyssey recommendation, so thank you for that as well as everyone else who has contributed here.

I don't mean to come off as a rude person. It's just that I am old and set in my ways!

 

[Argonaut]

You are both entitled and welcome to contribute your input. I am just letting you know what class this amp sits in.

And yes, the amp will likely need to be recapped, and the resistors will be scutinised as well.



This is unfortunate on your part. I am a well regarded expert in the field of audio with an exhaustive resume to back it up.

Most excellent that WBF attracts this calibre of member … perhaps you might you elucidate a little further referencing your ” exhaustive resume “ in the field of audio for us.

 

[SoundMann]

Excellent … might you elucidate a little further referencing your ” exhaustive resume “ in the field of audio for us.

My career as an inventor and engineer is well documented here. I am also a life-long audio enthusiast with a weath of experience with gear from all time periods, but I don't have the time to go into all of that right now.

I have participated in many critical listening tests, and served as a reference asset in such tests as my hearing acuity is world renouned.

But in the end, Everyone perceives things a bit differently with different sonic preferences, so my input can only go so far here.

 

[Argonaut]

Ohhhh … Ok then , thank you

 

[bonzo75]

Most excellent that WBF attracts this calibre of member … perhaps you might you elucidate a little further referencing your ” exhaustive resume “ in the field of audio for us.

he won the world listening competition in 2016 and 2017

 

[Argonaut]

he won the world listening competition in 2016 and 2017

WoW … So he ended DDK’s 13 year run winning streak !

 

[SoundMann]

You guys are too much!

 

[thedudeabides]

You guys are too much!

Amen. Time to move on.

 

[Another Johnson]

I really didn’t think this was a serious inquiry. So I didn’t look at it until just now.

If someone had asked me about getting a decent amp for $200, I would have advised them to start going to estate sales in high end zip codes with $200 cash in pocket. It might take months, or even years, but eventually you might be able to screw some poor widow out of her passed husband’s recent Krell or Levinson. I would not do this myself for fear of being held accountable by a higher power.

I had some nice Onkyo gear in the ‘80s. It was better than Pioneer. But it wasn’t high end, and I wouldn’t give $200 to have it back.

 

[SoundMann]

I had some nice Onkyo gear in the ‘80s. It was better than Pioneer. But it wasn’t high end, and I wouldn’t give $200 to have it back.

I would guess from this response that you are not familiar with the Pioneer Series 20 either.

 

[SoundMann]

Only a fool would laugh at the high end offerings from Japan, and a bit hypocritical for someone who owns components from Lyra and Marantz.

 

[cjfrbw]

200 would buy a nice glass cutter to burgle an audiophile's house. I am not so sure with the variety of opinions around here that you wouldn't need to be careful of which audiophile, though.

I made a dandy DIY 10 watt class A single ended Sony Vfet amp from Nelson Pass' site for a few hundred dollars of stuff to build it. I already had the Vfets from blown chassis and an Sony TA 4650 defunct chassis to put it in. It's one of the best amps I have heard within its power capabilities, but I doubt it would get a sneeze out of Acoustats.

I enjoy the 'anti WBF' theme, though, that's kind of a breath of fresh air.

 

[SoundMann]

I enjoy the 'anti WBF' theme, though, that's kind of a breath of fresh air.

Yah, they seemed to have missed that this component is for my secondary system in my studio apartment, the likes of which is nothing to sneeze at.

I am not looking to go overboard in this noisy, undamped enviroment!

Are you'all having a good Christmas eve so far?

 

[davidavdavid]

Is this thread still going? I would have thought it would be shut down long ago.
So, I turned to the cool kids on the audiophile subreddit and they in turn directed me on to the

Fosi Audio ZA3 Balanced Stereo Amplifier Home Audio 2CH Mono Amp With TPA3255 Chip​

for $129.99. Now if you are willing to spend double and go a bit over your budget and buy two for $259.98, you could conceivably run both of them in "mono" bode, bridging them into serviceable a pair of truly budget mono-blocks.

These should more than meet your needs, and if the subreddit kids deem them rizz, then you're in like Flynn.
They can't be sus.

 

[SoundMann]

Is this thread still going? I would have thought it would be shut down long ago.
So, I turned to the cool kids on the audiophile subreddit and they in turn directed me on to the

Fosi Audio ZA3 Balanced Stereo Amplifier Home Audio 2CH Mono Amp With TPA3255 Chip​

for $129.99. Now if you are willing to spend double and go a bit over your budget and buy two for $259.98, you could conceivably run both of them in "mono" bode, bridging them into serviceable a pair of truly budget mono-blocks.

These should more than meet your needs, and if the subreddit kids deem them rizz, then you're in like Flynn.
They can't be sus.

View attachment 122266 View attachment 122267 View attachment 122268 View attachment 122269

Thanks again. But I bought another amp already.

 

[davidavdavid]

Thanks again. But I bought another amp already.

So we can consider this thread closed. I'll petition the admin on your behalf. Thanks for your custom.

 

[christoph]

There is always the possibility to NOT feed a troll

 

[Another Johnson]

There is always the possibility to NOT feed a troll

Good advice. But, for the OP: Frankly Mr Frank, you missed the prerequisites for the course. You think I was tickled by the idea that Japanese sourced components could be considered high end in 2023. No, that’s not the implication of my being tickled by your proposal. The humor is in your equating high end from 1978 to high end 45 years later. It’s equivalent to arguing that the best Stromberg Carlson radio from 1940 was high end in 1985.

There are folks who believe that “Once high end, always high end.” They’re welcome to their opinions, and your company.

That ought to be a troll’s veritable Christmas feast. Deck the Halls … etc