Your Favorite Power Amplifier that you have ever owned or currently own and what makes it your favorite

[forss]

Your Favorite Power Amplifier that you have ever owned or currently own and what makes it your favorite

And I will kick it off with my answer....

B&K ST140 ....100 watts per channel and it sounded good and I liked the looks of it and mostly it was my first Amp and it got me into HI-RES Audio .


Can't seem to post photo.....but I am sure most know what that amp looks like......

 

[BDWoody]

Krell KAV 250a/3

It's just a beast. 3 channels, 250w@8r, 500w@4r, bridgeable to 1kw. Never complains...just does its job, and likely will continue to do so for a long time.

 

[ex audiophile]

Easy for me, AHB2. Compact, light, quiet as a mouse, clipping lights, bank vault built in safety systems, speakon connectors, superb customer service and reliability record, great resale value. Pricey if you need to go mono but for me it's the last amp I need to buy.
and almost forgot, external gain settings.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Devialet Original d'Atelier

 

[Gorgonzola]

My present amp is my favorite overall: my VTV Purifi stereo amp with VTV i/o buffer with Sparkos SS3602 op amps.

It is the most neutral (i.e. not warm, bright or harsh), detailed, transparent, and dynamic amp that I have owned ever over 50+ years. I've owned four other class D amps over the years, viz. Bel Canto Tripath, ClassDAudio SDS 258, ICEpower ASC200, Hypex NC252MP. These came very close in these characteristics but (subjectively) the Purifi is the best.

A very pleasing alternate to the class D sort of sound was my Pass Labs X150.5; it was good in all characteristics but a little less so in terms of transparency and dynamics than the Purifi especially. Also, the Pass added pleasant, slight warm cast to the sound.

 

[Tom C]

I went with VTV NC1200 stereo. Loud and clean.

 

[ENG]

NAD C298
It's silent and powerful. Auto on/off works flawlessly.

 

[Astoneroad]

I love the amp that people here seem to love to hate... a vintage McIntosh MC7300... it doesn't leave me wanting... it's a zen thing man... lol.

 

[LTig]

Denon POA 6600 Mono blocks. Enough power to drive almost any speaker except maybe fullrange electrostatic panels. However Audiophiles nowadays would look estranged at the thin fixed power cord with 2 pin connector ...

I bought them used in the 90's and sold them around 2006 after making the final switch to active speakers without looking back. Otherwise I'd still keep them.

 

[LTig]

2nd in place is the NAD 2200, comparably small housing and 100W@8 Ohm but an insane amount of peak power (see the review here). I own two of them waiting for the output relay exchange. After that I'm inclined to sell at least one, maybe both since they just occupy space and collect dust.

 

[anmpr1]

Of all the amps I've owned the one I still wish I had was the Quad 405 (but only with its companion 33 preamp). Because of its form factor. Smallish and compact, no-nonsense aesthetics. And Peter Walker, who is one of my audio heroes.

 

[sarumbear]

Easy for me, AHB2. Compact, light, quiet as a mouse, clipping lights, bank vault built in safety systems, speakon connectors, superb customer service and reliability record, great resale value. Pricey if you need to go mono but for me it's the last amp I need to buy.
and almost forgot, external gain settings.

Ditto. I have two, connected as two mono-blocks. Can’t imagine any reason to change them.

 

[forss]

A lot of interesting responses so far

 

[VINT]

gustard A18 vers Boxem Audio ( Arthur 4215/E2 - Purifi ). Le combo marche bien...

 

[Anonamemouse]

My Bryston 4B SST2. Built like a tank, handles everything I torture it with without even blinking, sounds excellent, all safeties I might need are built in (I never had the opportunity to test any of them though).
I feed it with a Benchmark AH4. The pre amp is more important than the power amp.

 

[BDWoody]

My Bryston 4B SST2. Built like a tank, handles everything I torture it with without even blinking, sounds excellent, all safeties I might need are built in (I never had the opportunity to test any of them though).

Got any time left on the 20 year warranty? Great amp.

 

[Mart68]

Krell KSA50S:



of all the amplifiers I own the only ones that will drive my favoured loudspeakers properly in the LF are this and a Krell KSA100 Mk2. But, subjectively, I prefer the 50S.

I have two of them, just to be on the safe side. There do not seem to be many of them out in the wild in the UK.

 

[Sokel]

Audio Analogue Donizetti.Great driving ability,fairly neutral.

 

[Gary_G]

Parasound A23+. It's mine, it's new, and the base for my entry into 2.0 (maybe 2.1 later) listening. It melds well with my Focal Aria 926 speakers and matched it with a Parasound P6.

 

[itz_all_about_the_music]

Wouldn't a DIY amp, that has no perceptible sound of its own, HAVE TO BE one's fave? Example: