What's hot? Which AMP is currently the strongest contender? (brand new, up to $1000 / 850 Euro in EU ).

[wwenze]

If there is a new game changer every 2-3 months, is anything really a game changer?

@solderdude,
I am a little surprised by your answer. Yes, audio sound is a personal matter, everyone likes something different. It is difficult to please everyone with one amplifier.

But tests indicate models that have, for example, less distortion, better SNR, are better made, have better functionality, are better designed, etc.
In this way, you have undermined the meaning of this (and many other) audio forums, as well as the editors who test the equipment

I know I may have asked some difficult questions, but there have always been favorites in every price range. Three years ago, as I wrote, the SABAJ A30A stood out from the rest, with almost everyone recommending it.

You will find that the founder and main reviewer of this forum will consistently repeatedly say that certain non-ideal measurements are below hearing and thus inconsequential, with a good panther rating given as long as the product is worth buying over alternatives. Audio is a solved problem in general. So once you have enough budget to solve the main problem (usually power and connection), you use the rest of the money to solve your specific problems or preferences. Take amp class for example, my home is scattered with low-power class D for the TV etc. But my main and room/computer amp is a 10-year-old 45Wx2 class AB running 24/7 with the computer sitting on the top panel without the need to worry about longevity like those *certain popular high power good value amp that triggers the forum when mentioned* and I'm keeping it that way partly because of the 7 relay-switched inputs and 2 relay-switched outputs which make life a breeze together with the remote. It does 80dB SINAD and I don't hear any noise with my ears pressed up against the tweeter, so that's good enough.

With today's technology and with speakers like Usher S-520, an amp with DSP to fix the speaker's bass response is going to elevate the final result more than having gold-plated capacitors. Room response is also a required fix anyway even if you spend infinite money to get the perfect speaker and amp. So with that budget an amp or DAC with DSP is what I'd recommend for a start. Then adjust the final price with required power, connection, other features, preferences.

 

[VintageFlanker]

For a small room (about 20 square meters) and bookshelf speakers. I can buy the DAC separately (I was thinking about the FiiO K13 R2R, good enough?) and the WiiM Ultra as a streamer. Could be class D.

Unless you specifically need for some extra inputs, or higher voltage with XLR, the Ultra alone is already perfectly fine as a DAC with variable output.

Also, if you really plan to spend 1k€... Get this :

AUDIOPHONICS LPA-S600NCX Power Amplifier Class D NCore NCx500 2x600W 4 Ohm - Audiophonics

We are proud to present the Audiophonics LPA-S600NCX, a Class D stereo power amplifier based on two NCore NCx500 modules.

www.audiophonics.fr

And call it done.

It will drive any speaker you would buy in the future to the physical limits of your room.

Edit: Just realised the budget was 850€. So you can get this instead:

AUDIOPHONICS AP300-S250NC Power Amplifier Ncore NC252MP

The Audiophonics AP300-S250NC is a stereo amplifier based on a Hypex Ncore NC252MP amplifier module. It is ideal for providing a significant power reserve (2x250W @ 4Ω) without sacrificing sound reproduction quality.

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[ivayvr]

Oh my god.... OP just wanted some recommendations for devices to look into and of course it devolves into the typical nihilistic ASR drivel of "nothing matters anyway you know", "it is a solved problem", "but how do you define 'good' exactly?", "everything sounds the same so why would you even ask this question?".

For a group nearly entirely focused on measuring, reviewing and discussing audio gear, yall really like to devolve every post asking for guidance on gear. There should be a bingo card for someone linking to the NPR lossless test, yelling about double blind listening tests and existential arguments about words. It is the same couple of users every single post and so exhausting.

Most people into this hobby enjoy the tinkering aspect and trying new things. Heaven forbid! None of this is purely logical and justified spending. The only justified expenditure doesnt need to be measured exclusively by maximizing Amir's scores (but no more than the audible threshold!) for the cheapest possible price and then unsubscribing and sitting satisfied for the next 20 years... If you guys cared less about how other people spend their money, this place would be much more useful.

Looking for more useful places is always an option to pursue.
What solderdude said:

"All you need is a pair of speakers that you like (in your room).
Any decent amplifier that can drive speakers in 4ohm and have enough power for the speakers in question in your room to the levels you require."

is what really matters.

If you are looking for a mystery, most audiophile magazines will satisfy that need.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

But measured values aren't necessarily musical.

 

[Kosmonaut]

More words please. As a trained physicist I am curious

 

[Ropeburn]

If you're looking for the best measured values, then the Topping LA90.
But measured values aren't necessarily musical.
Personally, I love my Musical Fidelity David (25W Class-A) on 2-way Dynaudios, or rather the resulting overtones

Ah. It must be musical because that's in the brand name? Makes sense. Anything touched by something like "Audio Precision" surely isn't "musical", because that sounds so analytic and technical.

 

[Kosmonaut]

Ah. It must be musical because that's in the brand name? Makes sense. Anything touched by something like "Audio Precision" surely isn't "musical", because that sounds so analytic and technical.

Nice one! But could be, you have to ask the founder of Musical Fidelity

 

[RexrothPigeon]

More words please. As a trained physicist I am curious

If the "musicality" isn't coming from the things that are measured, where is it coming from?

 

[kemmler3D]

What bothers me is the attitude that comes across of, "We can be interested in many different devices, every new product release and specs because we are interested in measuring them but you can't be interested in them because you just want to listen to them and audio is a solved problem...idiot."

There is no reason why you can't just answer this post with the current most respected / agreeable devices that fit their criteria. Interrogating every OP's motivations for wanting something new is so exhausting.

Fair point if aggressive delivery. While I don't disagree with delivering the "amps sound the same" message early and often, that shouldn't come at the expense of just answering OP's question.

To that end, I'd look at the higher end topping stuff and anything by Hypex or Purifi.

I would add that the Wiim is a perfectly good DAC of its own and you shouldn't buy another one unless you need the extra plugs.

 

[Ropeburn]

Fair point if aggressive delivery. While I don't disagree with delivering the "amps sound the same" message early and often, that shouldn't come at the expense of just answering OP's question.

To that end, I'd look at the higher end topping stuff and anything by Hypex or Purifi.

I would add that the Wiim is a perfectly good DAC of its own and you shouldn't buy another one unless you need the extra plugs.

I'd disagree with recommending Topping, for the sole reason of how they handled product problems and customer support in the past: horribly and despicably. Blacklistworthy.

 

[dualazmak]

YAMAHA A-S**** series Stereo Amplifiers!
https://europe.yamaha.com/en/audio/home-audio/products/hifi-components/

 

[kemmler3D]

I'd disagree with recommending Topping, for the sole reason of how they handled product problems and customer support in the past: horribly and despicably. Blacklistworthy.

Also a fair point but the B-200 is hard to overlook just in terms of specs, although a pair is a little past OP's budget.

 

[Ropeburn]

Also a fair point but the B-200 is hard to overlook just in terms of specs, although a pair is a little past OP's budget.

Yeah well. I thought it was established at the very start of this thread that specs aren't everything.

 

[kemmler3D]

Yeah well. I thought it was established at the very start of this thread that specs aren't everything.

You can establish that out of my cold, dead, hands... Or something.

(I meant to say measurements not specs, but you get the idea.)

 

[antcollinet]

More words please. As a trained physicist I am curious

Musicality is a property of the music, not the gear.

For the gear (electronics), as far as sound quality goes, there is only noise, distortion and frequency response. Plus, for an amp - enough power for the SPL you want with your speakers.

 

[Kosmonaut]

Musicality is a property of the music, not the gear.

For the gear (electronics), as far as sound quality goes, there is only noise, distortion and frequency response. Plus, for an amp - enough power for the SPL you want with your speakers.

Guys, I wrote:
"If you're looking for the best measured values, then the Topping LA90.
But measured values aren't necessarily musical.
Personally, I love my Musical Fidelity David (25W Class-A) on 2-way Dynaudios, or rather the resulting overtones."

This means that best measured values (e.g., a SINAD of an incredible 120 dB! with the AL90) don't necessarily have to sound good. The Musical Fidelty A1 / David 2 I mentioned is a case in point; it has mediocre measured values but "sounds" fantastically musical. Perhaps this is a statement only people who are musical themselves understand.
The approach that a good hi-fi system should be as completely neutral as possible in your system (with regard to the usual measured values) often doesn't work in my experience. Music reproduction in a private environment is always a highly subjective matter. I can only recommend everyone to listen to a Class A amplifier, for example, and then judge what sounds "good. And of course, that doesn't mean you have to like it."

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Guys, I wrote:
"If you're looking for the best measured values, then the Topping LA90.
But measured values aren't necessarily musical.
Personally, I love my Musical Fidelity David (25W Class-A) on 2-way Dynaudios, or rather the resulting overtones."

This means that best measured values (e.g., a SINAD of an incredible 120 dB! with the AL90) don't necessarily have to sound good. The Musical Fidelty A1 / David 2 I mentioned is a case in point; it has mediocre measured values but "sounds" fantastically musical. Perhaps this is a statement only people who are musical themselves understand.
The approach that a good hi-fi system should be as completely neutral as possible in your system (with regard to the usual measured values) often doesn't work in my experience. Music reproduction in a private environment is always a highly subjective matter. I can only recommend everyone to listen to a Class A amplifier, for example, and then judge what sounds "good. And of course, that doesn't mean you have to like it."

My man, you're in the evidence-based scientific audio forum talkin about magical potions and tellin ghost stories

 

[Kosmonaut]

My man, you're in the evidence-based scientific audio forum talkin about magical potions and tellin ghost stories

Yeah, possibly that's the right place to be!

And as you like ghost stories:
Have you heard about entanglement ("spukhafte Fernwirkung" Einstein) in quantum physics, totally independent from distance?

 

[Mart68]

The Musical Fidelty A1 / David 2 I mentioned is a case in point; it has mediocre measured values but "sounds" fantastically musical

It's not state of the art but it's more than good enough for human hearing - you could swap it for multiple different amps some which measure worse and get the same 'fantastically musical' result.

In short - it doesn't matter as long as it can drive the speakers without clipping. (BTW I own 4 class A amps).

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Have you heard about entanglement ("spukhafte Fernwirkung" Einstein) in quantum physics, totally independent from distance?

I sure have! Have you heard about quantum mysticism?