What the world needs now is a $250,000 power amplifier

sefischer1

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
102
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Southern California
This conveys how substantial they are.
 

PeterA

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2011
12,522
10,688
3,515
USA
Should someone make a "hide-an-amp" ottoman or table or something? It would probably need active cooling. o_O

Especially large class A amps. I love the look of my amps but because they sit in my formal living room, I'd prefer that they were on concrete pedestals in my basement out of the way. It is also cooler down there which would help, and my room would not be a sauna in the Summer. Ack uses cooling fans for his Spectral gear in his rack.

No, I understand the whole bling thing. It helps sell product, and some of it is very cool looking. And people like to show off their cool gear in dedicated listening rooms. I agree with those who think that the bling adds to the cost. The copper heat sinks on some D'Agostina amps look cool and apparently are very efficient cooling devices. The copper color is also fairly unique. Here it looks like the heatsings are brushed aluminum and the copper is accent trim.

We could talk about the fancy wooden boxes that some cartridges come it too, but that would be way off topic.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
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458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Knowledge is power No PUN ! Dan has been at this for a while. He learned early on that there are audiophiles and then there are audioPHALICS ! Build it and charge what you want. Are there $250,000 worth of parts ? NOPE ! If you cant build an amplifier there is $250,000 in knowledge !
To that we have to add that Dan knows exactly what part of the world his customer base is for this product.
 
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cjf

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2012
452
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Is it safe to assume that if a repair is needed for these Amps an onsite visit by its creator is part of the deal?

Hrrmm...Lets see, A Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet AND $40K in pocket cash OR....these amps :eek:

I'll take the car thank you very much
 

TooCool4

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2013
960
939
925
England
And the system they put together at CES with the big Focals was terrible.

I listened to the Naim statement and the Focal Grande Utopia at the Munic High-End Show this year, they sounded so bad 2 people got up and walked out before the end of the first track.
 
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TooCool4

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2013
960
939
925
England
I saw this amp in the flesh at the Munich High-End Show this year and they are massive / impressive. They had one on static display.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
It is a delight to hear the designer behind the gorgeous mastodonte.


* Again, $250,000 is for a pair. One Monoblock Relentless power amplifier retails for $125,000
It is not the largest and heaviest that Mr. D'Agostino designed, but it is the most powerful and most musical sounding. It's the best, from Dan D'Agostino.
 
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CKKeung

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Jun 17, 2011
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Hong Kong
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NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
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Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada

“When you listen to it, you will hear it, it is effortless, and it doesn’t have a sonic signature. It has almost unlimited power and has an output stage like the Momentum only carried to the nth degree. I have never made an amplifier that has this kind of current delivery. It was put into a relatively small package compared to a Krell Master Reference Amplifier (MRA) which is nearly 4 times bigger! It was a labor of love, it was a labor of music. When I brought it home, I think I listened for 6 hours before I turned them off around 4 or 5 in the morning when the dogs and my wife couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“I had goose bumps, I was there with my friend Dave. It was bittersweet. I had promised him I would bring them up to hear. When they were finished, I listened to them over the weekend and I rented a truck and I drove them straight to Utah. I went there, and it was tear jerking, goose bump experience for both of us. It such an extraordinary combination it’s hard to explain. You are hearing probably 1/3 or 1/8 of what it can do. When that kind of amplifier is on a WAMM, it’s something you can’t get enough of. It doesn’t matter what you play.”
 
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RussR

Well-Known Member
Dec 30, 2017
39
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Gold Coast ,Queensland,Australia
I think Naim had a $250k amp a couple years ago. It was a monolithic eye sore.
Yes they did ,But that price included the pre amp and connecting cables ,which at this level will be costly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder .I thought the Naim was less BLING and a touch easier to hide in the room ( if something a metre high and about the same wide for the 2 mono's and the pre) could be called discrete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Bodhi

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2014
1,051
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Call me cynical, but how in 14 years did Dan D'Agostino add $200k+ value to his flagship amps from Krell's flagship Class A amps of the mid-2000's (see pic below)? :confused:

Personally for that kind of wallop, I'd rather go for a pair of Vitus MP-S201 amps configured as mono blocks, Dartzeel NHB-468 or Boulder 3050 mono's. Or for just over half the price you could buy a Boulder 3060 for $130k, FM Acoustics FM1811 for similar doh, or a single Vitus MP-S201 for $102k, all of which have enormous power reserves like the Relentless.

1546666748115.png
Krell 750Mcx mono's
 
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Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,024
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Eastern WA
Are any of the less expensive amps balanced output? It seems few of them can hold as much power output, in top of that.
 

Bodhi

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2014
1,051
361
155
Are any of the less expensive amps balanced output? It seems few of them can hold as much power output, in top of that.
I know the Boulder 3060 is true balanced and must be connected to a dedicated 30a/240v circuit due to its enormous power supplies.
 
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