joessportster Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 what i mean is if i have a stasis class a amp designed by N Pass, is another solid state class a amp going to make any discerniable difference (i am not talking nuances i mean a notable difference) the pass design is probably 15 years old and i am looking at a pair of mono amps a couple years old supposed to be class a ( also my stasis amp has only had very limited use so cap etc... failure is not an issue i feel the amp is at original spec) i guess the question boils down to has there been any real advance in design tech over the past 15 years that will make a system sound notably better system consists of: pass stasis amp mccormack passive pre talon peregrine x speakers teac x 1000R reel to reel Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 It will probably sound different, but as you probably already know, your ear would have to decide if it would sound better. I just re-capped an old Marantz receiver (replaced all the electrolytics) and it brought a dull listless receiver to life. The results were nothing short of amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 totally agree with your assesment that individual ears will be the test of time, just looking for some input from some of the solid state crew here as i have very limited experience in that department, every piece of solid state i have heard has been at last 15 years old except 1 and it was low wattage and heavily modded as i recall so i couldnt even begin to compare it to this Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Joe, I'm rotating in and out of my system three different SS amps and they sound very different from one another. What suprised me was the QSC 1400 (an old one) wakes my woofers up a whole lot more than the newer QSC PLX 1202. The Sonographe by Conrad Johnson is so full of detail but the down side is no matter how loud I crank the volume it still sounds "delicate" . I'd really like to know what a powerful CJ sounds like some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 speedball thats interesting, are the 3 amps about equal in power ratings. i am contimplating going from 150 wpc to 220 wpc, (not because i need the power just because the amps happen to be rated at that in mono i am so impressed with the cd player i have from electrocompaniet (very analog sounding) i am very tempted to try there amps but i will have to sell some gear first for sure Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 no matter how loud I crank the volume it still sounds "delicate" . Interesting. I've noticed the same thing with my Harmon Kardon 430. I have Crown amps doing the bass on my RF-7's and the H/K 430 on the highs and when I crank it up........it gets loud but really keeps it's composure. "Delicate" might not be the exact word I'm looking for....but close. I'm really enjoying this sound. I even cut back on using my subs for two-channel listening. I'm only using them when needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 "solid state amps are there differences?" Yes. Although many sound very much the same in the middle of the band, with the main differences in the top and bottom end. Do you have a goal in mind other than to just change the amps? Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Joe, You already know the answer. You need to hear for yourself. There are definatelty differences, but newer is not necessairily better. Its all hit and miss. If you cannot listen ahead of time, what qualities are you looking for and what qualities are the amps known for? Take all with a grain of salt. I have Classe monoblocks that replaced Brystons. The Brystons are supposed to be bright and the Classe smooth. This was true but to such a small degree that it would be difficult to tell them apart if not compared side by side. I also heard the same Classe amps in a different system and it was bright, but that system is a bright system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 If you need lots of power, the very best solid state amps that I ever heard were from Audio by Van Alstine. I used to use these until I got into SET amps. Actually I used his Hybrid Tube Amps that had a tube output stage and produced 250 watts per channel. I used power hungry speakers and these amps would routinely crush other SS and Tube amps costing more than 7 Grand. The AVA amps were in the $2500 price range.I never found anything better until I moved to SET. The AVA SS amps are great! - The AVA hybrid tube amps are even better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 All good amplifiers sound the same. It's the room and transducers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 speedball thats interesting, are the 3 amps about equal in power ratings. i am contimplating going from 150 wpc to 220 wpc, (not because i need the power just because the amps happen to be rated at that in mono Joe I'd like to hear Electrocompaniet, they have nice looking stuff and very high $$ In answer to your question, yes they are 120w, and 200w for the qsc's. One qsc versus the other has more slam........weird? must be the old school technology. Sort of like Tigerwoods said.......... "it's going to take some real listening time to figure out what sounds the best" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 i am actually pretty happy with what i am listening to its just that not knowing thing that grates on me (yes i am one of those, never satisfied people) i always beleive something out there is better, russ to answer your ? i want the best of both worlds but i will settle where i have to joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
consistent Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 You may find that the pre-amp match may not be compatible to a particular amp or vice versa. In my view the pre-amp or lack of makes the biggest difference. What may sound better to your ears initially may not be in the long run. Always good to have a mixture of amps you can play with, that way the ears/brain never gets bored...nor do you! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinlr Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I have been using a Electrocompaniet pre and power combo for about 20 yrs and really like them. I remember reading very often on this forum that SS amps are not good with horns. Since I got my LS II's the Electros have been fine. You might do well to find some used. Only caveat is that service is not available in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Some SS amps sound like a 100.00, some sound like 40k. The only way you can tell the difference is to know the price, the only way you can hear a profound difference is to have paid the price. [] Seriously, for those who really need nuclear power, those Van Alstine hybrids sound like a good bet. I've a Frankenrebuilt St-70 and his Super PAS4i preamp and have enjoyed them a lot. Good value, great sound. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Presuming that the amplifiers are not being operated near clipping, any differences will be subtle. Your own careful listening will tell you if those differences are worth the difference in $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I've heard some very expensive ss and some not very expensive. It comes down to the ears and the speakers more often than not. I have 5 identical ss amps; all have been serviced, re-capped, etc. by the same technicians. In theory they should sound identical on the same pair of speakers. They do not. Not much difference, but noticeable if but subtle. One sounds better with the K'horns than the others; one sounds better with the Belles, but not the others, etc. etc. It's subtle and can drive you crazy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 wow alot of opinions here on solid state (thats good it is exactly what i was hoping to get) my system right now consists of nakamichi pa5 mk2 (nelson pass stasis design licensed to nak) mccormack line 1 passive pre electrocompaniet emc 1 up cdp teac x1000R reel to reel talon peregrine x mk2 speakers sounds very good has loads of detail and bass to spare and the soundstage is excellent so i am not hurting by any means just always wandering if i am missing something i like the idea of keeping a couple amps around for swapping in and out but i dont think the wife will like it much Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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