Your top 10 favorite amps (inspired by LL21's post)
- Thread starter Peter Breuninger
- Start date
Only power amps that I know pretty well:
Krell Evolution One
Tenor Audio 175S
CAT JL-7
Gryphon Antileon Evo
Aries Cerat Concero 65
Cary Audio CAD 805
Nagra VPA
Jadis JA 200
Krell Evolution One
Tenor Audio 175S
CAT JL-7
Gryphon Antileon Evo
Aries Cerat Concero 65
Cary Audio CAD 805
Nagra VPA
Jadis JA 200
Ampzilla- What Bongiorno's amp did at the time, and for the price, was a landmark in the annals of hi-end.
Spectral DMA90. The best of the little Spectrals. A fine all around performer, affordably priced.
Lamm ML3- Magical tonality, excellent bass and unsurpassed muscality on efficient speakers.
VTL Siegfried II- Reliable, fine-sounding tube amp with power
Spectral DMA400- Master of soundstage, space, and speed.
Soulution 511 monoblocs- Timbre, resolution, musicality, balls of Godzilla, unlimited power
Spectral DMA90. The best of the little Spectrals. A fine all around performer, affordably priced.
Lamm ML3- Magical tonality, excellent bass and unsurpassed muscality on efficient speakers.
VTL Siegfried II- Reliable, fine-sounding tube amp with power
Spectral DMA400- Master of soundstage, space, and speed.
Soulution 511 monoblocs- Timbre, resolution, musicality, balls of Godzilla, unlimited power
Tenor 75 OTL
Thomas Mayer 46 valves 1w amp
Silbatone 300b
Silvercore 304TL (80w)
In SS amps, dart 458, Vitus, symphonic line Kraft, Luxman m900u, dagostino momentum, for various price points and applications. KR VA 200 where it can be substituted for SS amps in situations where power is required
Berning quadrature Z
Thomas Mayer 46 valves 1w amp
Silbatone 300b
Silvercore 304TL (80w)
In SS amps, dart 458, Vitus, symphonic line Kraft, Luxman m900u, dagostino momentum, for various price points and applications. KR VA 200 where it can be substituted for SS amps in situations where power is required
Berning quadrature Z
Here you go:
- Krell Evolution One: the best Krell I have ever heard. They are the modern incarnation of the famous KAS. An iron fist in a velvet glove: fast, detailed, transparent with a beautiful soundstage and an unbeatable slam. But... they run very hot even at idle
- Tenor Audio 175S: the best of both worlds with a beautiful hybrid design. Not as detailed as the Krells but provides a beautiful sense of depth and the added tube warmth is a bonus. It can drive any loudspeaker with ease and authority
- CAT JL-7: the epitome of high power and tubes. A match made in heaven
- Gryphon Antileon Evo: I have listened numerous times to the Antileon Evo, the Colosseum and the Mephisto (on Rockports and Gryphon Pantheons – my local dealer carries both brands). Whereas I found the Colosseum a little bit « too dark » and the Mephisto a little bit « too much », the Antileon Evo strikes the right balance. I would love to listen to the mono version
- Aries Cerat Concero 65: these bulky beasts are the perfect match for driving high efficient loudspeakers. I would opt for horns; I know what I would take. Flyer, the local distributor is a close audio buddy so I have heard them numerous times at his place
- Cary Audio CAD 805: just great memories of a friend who was driving a pair of Dunlavy SC-IV with the CAD 805 and more than 20 years later, I still believe that it was one of the best combos he has ever had. It was musical bliss at a reasonable budget. If I had space, that would be my dream for a second system
- Nagra VPA: I could not believe that these little beauties could drive a pair of Wilson Maxx with ease. They reconciled me with Wilson Audio big time
- Jadis JA 200: highly musical but maybe cheating a little bit. At the time I had Infinity IRS Epsilon driven by 2 Krell stereo blocks, I was tempted several times to use a pair of JA 200 for driving the upper range but reliability issues with the first generation put me off and I was not sure that they would produce enough juice anyway
I heard the Colosseum on both Rockport Aquila and Focus Audio Master 2.5 (my loudspeakers’ little brothers). On both pairs of loudspeakers, the Coloseum was superb. Being well acquainted with the Focus Audio sound, I found that some of the magic in the medium/treble range was slightly missing compared to the sound I have at home with the Krells.
The Mephisto were hooked to the Gryphon Pantheon and there was a feeling that the loudspeakers were slightly overwhelmed by the sheer power of the beast. It would have been me; I would have tried to adjust the gain to better tame the energy (I have the same issue at home when I switch from the Krells to the Tenor audio and I need to adjust the input level trims).
The Antileon Evo seemed to be a better match with the Pantheon.I would love testing a pair of mono-blocks in my system just by curiosity. As I just got the Krells fully overhauled, I have no plans to change before long. If I were on the market for new power amps, the Antileon Evo Mono would certainly be on the top of my list.
Everything is relative and it is more a question of loudspeakers/power amps matching.
In a few months time I will let you listen to the Ianus Mk2 of Aries Cerat. A 140W (@8 Ohm!) per channel pure class A amplifier that has enough current to drive loads steadily down to 0.5 ohms.
It is a not-so-normal hybrid design based on Triode-fet, a blend of hollow state and solid state. See http://aries-cerat.eu/products/amplifiers/ianus
Hi Michel,
Looking forward to it. If you want to bring them to my place for some burn in, be my guest... 85 Kg each. That's peanuts for you
Best
Hello Lloyd, to answer your questions:
1. The new Ianus will have a RRP of 38.500 € in Europe.
2. To start with, the design is not mine of course, that is Stavros's (@Aries Cerat) as I am merely a mortal that had the chance to get to know his products!
I sure hope the Ianus will have a similar sonic signature as my SET-model Concero65, just bringing it to a wider range of speakers, including panels. Also the Genus and the Concero65 are clearly cut from the same cloth. Expect the Ianus to reveal its strong points depending on the loudspeaker it will be driving. As the Ianus will feature a switch that will reduce its gain a lot, it will be able to be used on both high efficiency as with low efficiency (like panels) speaker designs.3. It is actually to Stavros to explain his rationales but most manufacturers want to have models that fit a wide customer base I think. But you already wrote a few rationales that are effectively and evidently applicable.
Bryston 28B monoblocks .... effortless, silent, grain-free
BAT 75SE monoblocks .... liquid, 3D, palpable
VTL 750 SE monoblocks in triode mode .... earily present, holographic, immersive
BAT 75SE monoblocks .... liquid, 3D, palpable
VTL 750 SE monoblocks in triode mode .... earily present, holographic, immersive
Hello Lloyd
I see Michel already answered
The Ianus Mk1 was a showcase of the TriodeFet technology.Using this unique active element which it's transfer curve mimics and are somehow identical to a true triode, we were able to design tube-like circuits,like our floating cyclotron,(more like floating SE in series).Biased at 12A (6A per bank),that is at multiple times the current idle of many other "Class A" SS amplifiers.We were able to make an amplifier that sounded like our OTL amplifiers,while driving anything we threw at it.
The Mk2 is based on the same technology,in a much more "mature" design.
First pair to be delivered in March 2019.
Cheers
Stavros
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