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Class A amplifier

rman9

Active Member
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May 23, 2021
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A few months back, I looked seriously investing into a turntable.. but after some discussions on this board with some valuable inputs from members I have stayed clear of the vinyl itch and I am mostly convinced to not go that route.. Thanks.. Now I have questions on Class A amplifiers.. I have good Class AB amps.. However, Class A amps with the good linearity, high gain and low distortion.. are they something to explore and not ignore? I am looking into a 20Watt/channel Class A amp..
 
A few months back, I looked seriously investing into a turntable.. but after some discussions on this board with some valuable inputs from members I have stayed clear of the vinyl itch and I am mostly convinced to not go that route.. Thanks.. Now I have questions on Class A amplifiers.. I have good Class AB amps.. However, Class A amps with the good linearity, high gain and low distortion.. are they something to explore and not ignore? I am looking into a 20Watt/channel Class A amp..
What speakers are you mating to this amp?
 
What speakers are you mating to this amp?
Right now I have Joseph Audio RM22Si (soon to be traded to the store here) and B&W 805 D2 nautilus, but will be hooking up Magico A3 when they will be delivered in a few weeks..
 
A few months back, I looked seriously investing into a turntable.. but after some discussions on this board with some valuable inputs from members I have stayed clear of the vinyl itch and I am mostly convinced to not go that route.. Thanks.. Now I have questions on Class A amplifiers.. I have good Class AB amps.. However, Class A amps with the good linearity, high gain and low distortion.. are they something to explore and not ignore? I am looking into a 20Watt/channel Class A amp..
A class A amp is not going to be technically a step up from a class A/B one, and in fact will undoubtedly measure worse. Going from A/B to A is a more lateral move which is starting to get into the 'audiophile' side of things, more subjectively based. Nothing wrong with that at all, but you will be wading into a pool with strong viewpoints either way, subjective and objective, with just one the 'right' way according to who you listen to.

So, in my opinion, there is no need to go with class A. But if you want to explore alternatives, even if they bring you right back to the same place, by all means, go for it. Its supposed to be fun. :)
 
The Magico A3 is 88dB efficiency and the recommended amp is minimum 50W/ch.
magico.png

The Luxman L-550AXII is 20W@8R and 40W@4R.
Luxman.png

I owned a class A with 75W@8R, 150W@4R and 300W@2R and it seemed to have more power than the 75W@R would indicate and so I see where you are looking at class A although I think in this case the Luxman L-550AXII is underpowered for such speakers as The Magico A3. Is it the Luxman or the class A that you are intrigued by?
 
There is no need for class A amps any longer... they use too many materials and are stupidly inefficient in power usage converting most to heat. In 2022 I feel there is no place for new class A amps to be produced at all when numerous other implementations can produce similar or often much better measurements. They are also insanely expensive per watt of power delivered.



JSmith
 
The Magico A3 is 88dB efficiency and the recommended amp is minimum 50W/ch.
That is true by specs. Often, though, a low-power amp does fine. For example, the 25 watt FirstWatt F8 amp keeps my Focal Aria 906 speakers, rated at 89.5 dB sensitivity, happy. So did a 20 watt Quicksilver Integrated tube amp. The F8 is class A.
 
That is true by specs. Often, though, a low-power amp does fine. For example, the 25 watt FirstWatt F8 amp keeps my Focal Aria 906 speakers, rated at 89.5 dB sensitivity, happy. So did a 20 watt Quicksilver Integrated tube amp. The F8 is class A.

The "minimum" amp spec is always questionable, as it doesn't really carry any actual use specs with it....then again max wattage doesn't particularly mean a lot either in the same vein.
 
The "minimum" amp spec is always questionable, as it doesn't really carry any actual use specs with it....then again max wattage doesn't particularly mean a lot either in the same vein.
We all know a few watts is enough to get most speakers moving at a decent clip although we don't know what the listening habits of the OP. Does he need the power for dynamics and louder listening levels? Are the Magico A3 a difficult load? All stuff we are not sure of. I attempted finding a impedance graph for them but none found.
 
The Magico A3 is 88dB efficiency and the recommended amp is minimum 50W/ch.
View attachment 183473
The Luxman L-550AXII is 20W@8R and 40W@4R.
View attachment 183474
I owned a class A with 75W@8R, 150W@4R and 300W@2R and it seemed to have more power than the 75W@R would indicate and so I see where you are looking at class A although I think in this case the Luxman L-550AXII is underpowered for such speakers as The Magico A3. Is it the Luxman or the class A that you are intrigued by?
It's both.. the Luxman and the Class A.. I recently bought the Luxman DX03 and paired it with the Mcintosh MA352, and the DAC on the Luxman is beyond beautiful. That's what the brand Luxman is drawing me in. Also, with the class A, I was hoping to get a more wholesome experience with classical music even at lower volumes.. Is my expectation going to be a disappointment? Ofcourse I will get this setup demoed at my dealer..
BTW, I am waiting on the Veracity ST being built by Salk..
 
A class A amp is not going to be technically a step up from a class A/B one, and in fact will undoubtedly measure worse. Going from A/B to A is a more lateral move which is starting to get into the 'audiophile' side of things, more subjectively based. Nothing wrong with that at all, but you will be wading into a pool with strong viewpoints either way, subjective and objective, with just one the 'right' way according to who you listen to.

So, in my opinion, there is no need to go with class A. But if you want to explore alternatives, even if they bring you right back to the same place, by all means, go for it. Its supposed to be fun. :)
Thank you so much for the feedback.. I have been on a slippery slope with audio.. And any sharp strike across my impulsiveness is very helpful..
 
I have had turntables and class A amps. I still have turntables but not class A amps. If you want to spend a lot of money on a really heavy , low power amp that will heat up your room and not sound any different, then class A is the ticket but not for me. At least turntables give a different type of sound and experience.
 
It's both.. the Luxman and the Class A.. I recently bought the Luxman DX03 and paired it with the Mcintosh MA352, and the DAC on the Luxman is beyond beautiful. That's what the brand Luxman is drawing me in. Also, with the class A, I was hoping to get a more wholesome experience with classical music even at lower volumes.. Is my expectation going to be a disappointment? Ofcourse I will get this setup demoed at my dealer..
BTW, I am waiting on the Veracity ST being built by Salk..
They certainly are striking in that blue finish.
s.jpg

If me I would go for more power than that Luxman class A amp is offering. I am a Luxman fan too although I think more power in this case is required. If you want to change speakers in the future then you will have lots of power for any speaker and for the dynamics of classical a more powerful amp would be good.
 
I have had turntables and class A amps. I still have turntables but not class A amps. If you want to spend a lot of money on a really heavy , low power amp that will heat up your room and not sound any different, then class A is the ticket but not for me. At least turntables give a different type of sound and experience.
This is the kind of feedback I was hoping to get, not having owned any class A amps.. thanks..
They certainly are striking in that blue finish.
s.jpg

If me I would go for more power than that Luxman class A amp is offering. I am a Luxman fan too although I think more power in this case is required. If you want to change speakers in the future then you will have lots of power for any speaker and for the dynamics of classical a more powerful amp would be good.
They are going to be simple dyed maple finish..
DyedMaple.png
 
They certainly are striking in that blue finish.
s.jpg

If me I would go for more power than that Luxman class A amp is offering. I am a Luxman fan too although I think more power in this case is required. If you want to change speakers in the future then you will have lots of power for any speaker and for the dynamics of classical a more powerful amp would be good.
Understood!! so the 20 watts/channel is going to be quite underwhelming??
 
Understood!! so the 20 watts/channel is going to be quite underwhelming??
Unless you have very efficient speakers then I think the 20W@8R is not going to be enough for now and for future upgradability. Do you have other choices for a amp that you are considering?
 
How about something like this Luxman L-509X. It gets you into something with enough power for most dynamics and for future proofing. Otherwise maybe a very powerful Krell integrated or something other than the Luxman might be in order. The Krell won't look like the Luxman though. Luxman has very good looks.
 
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