Amp Suggestions?

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi All

I eventually changed my speakers to some Harbeth C7ES3 which i am very pleased with, as good as my ATC is amp i feel i just dont need all that power as i dont listen at loud volumes and want something a bit warmer sounding. My budget will be whatever i can get for my amp plus approx £200 at the most. Some of the amps i have in mind are Nait XS, Sugden A21al, Lavardin IS and possibly a Croft integrated. I also like the look of some of the Luxman's but probably out of my budget. I have a Croft phono stage and it is very good.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance, Ed 🙂

 

[Al ears]

From your listing (note I have never heard any Lavardin gear)so I would suggest in order:-
Second hand Luxman, Sugden and Croft amps probably level pegging in second, Nait.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Thanks Alears

I hope to demo some of them soon.

Cheers, Ed

 

[CnoEvil]

Ed, I like your shortlist....any chance of stretching to a Masterclass IA-4. >)

Others brands to consider are Electrocompaniet, Unison Research Unico, Audio Analogue and Musical Fidelity.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi Cno

The Masterclass is a bit out of reach at the moment, i've heard a few good things about it, Macspur has one with his Harbeth HL5's. I think it may be a case of saving up and going for an ex dem, used Masterclass or Luxman 550. I'm going to check out some stuff this weekend and hopefully have a listen to the Lavardin IS which seem to be popular with Harbeth owners.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Cheers, Ed

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Cno

The Masterclass is a bit out of reach at the moment, i've heard a few good things about it, Macspur has one with his Harbeth HL5's. I think it may be a case of saving up and going for an ex dem, used Masterclass or Luxman 550. I'm going to check out some stuff this weekend and hopefully have a listen to the Lavardin IS which seem to be popular with Harbeth owners.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Cheers, Ed

Look forward to your thoughts.....it's one of the best sounding amps that isn't Class A.

 

[Macspur]

Hi Ed,

Glad your pleased with the Harbeths.. must admit, no regrets swapping my 40's for the SHL5... enjoying my music again.

I heard the Lavardin IT a few weeks ago and if the IS model is anything like that, you should like it... no remote though.

If you get to hear the Luxman, I'll be very interested in what you think, was actually reading up on them myself last night.

Croft also very popular with Harbeth owners and you know you won't go wrong with Sugden

Keep us informed.

Cheers

 

[paradiziac]

Some excellent amps on your list.

I owned the C7ES3's, awesome midrange but the timing was poor using my 50W Sugden Mystro. This amp with any other speakers has great timing and drives pretty tough speaker loads well compared to its rated power.

What kind of music do you listen to?

If you like anything beat-driven/rhythmic you might want to think twice about using a lower power Class A/Valve amp with the C7's--though if you're a sucker for vocal/midrange and acoustic music, the trade-off might be worth it for you. Obviously a lot of people on forums etc. do like the combo, but not me...

There was someone (A.L.) on these forums that agreed, saying that their dealer recommended at least 100W.

I'd be interested to hear what you think after trying a few of these amps, the ATC looks great as well.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi Paradiziac

I listen to all types of music from metal to classical and jazz in between but to be honest its the vocal, midrange acoustic thing that always wins me over in the end, hence why i ended up with the Harbeths. As Good as the ATC is i'm not sure if its suited to the Harbeths and maybe there is something out there that i prefer. I do like the look of the Luxman's and seem receive positive reviews.

I used to be against the thought of tone controls but now i'm starting to think that it would be a good idea so you can dial in the sound you prefer depending on certain recordings etc.

I do a lot of listening with headphones because i have young kids so thats certainly a factor.

If anyone has heard any of the Luxman's i'd love to know what you think of them?

Cheers, Ed

 

[paradiziac]

@Ed,

The Harbeths and a good class A amp will produce a stunning mid range, that's for sure. Look forward to hearing how you get on.

 

[Macspur]

Hi Paradiziac

I listen to all types of music from metal to classical and jazz in between but to be honest its the vocal, midrange acoustic thing that always wins me over in the end, hence why i ended up with the Harbeths. As Good as the ATC is i'm not sure if its suited to the Harbeths and maybe there is something out there that i prefer. I do like the look of the Luxman's and seem receive positive reviews.

I used to be against the thought of tone controls but now i'm starting to think that it would be a good idea so you can dial in the sound you prefer depending on certain recordings etc.

I do a lot of listening with headphones because i have young kids so thats certainly a factor.

If anyone has heard any of the Luxman's i'd love to know what you think of them?

Cheers, Ed

Hi Ed,

This is the response I got from a dealer when enquiring about the L-505-U and the L-550-A;

Of the two the Luxman L-550A MKII would be the one to comfortably better the Sugden – in terms of real world musicality, the 550 has it all : Low frequency grip and control (very tuneful bass actually), delicious mids with more of a liquid shimmer than the Sugden – the built in phono stage is also superb !!

Hope it's of some help.

Cheers

 

[busb]

Hi epd42

A cheaper option may be to bin the QED silver 25th Anniversary cable?

Added:

Tone controls are a great idea in theory but the few amps which have them that I've heard, sound noticeably better when defeated.

 

[BenLaw]

I would also add Primare to your list to audition, definitely the i30 and I've also heard good things about the i32 (from everywhere except WHF!).

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi All

I eventually changed my speakers to some Harbeth C7ES3 which i am very pleased with, as good as my ATC is amp i feel i just dont need all that power as i dont listen at loud volumes and want something a bit warmer sounding. My budget will be whatever i can get for my amp plus approx £200 at the most. Some of the amps i have in mind are Nait XS, Sugden A21al, Lavardin IS and possibly a Croft integrated. I also like the look of some of the Luxman's but probably out of my budget. I have a Croft phono stage and it is very good.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance, Ed 🙂

Hi Ed

Im looking at this from a different perspective. You already have an excellent amplifier, which isn't exactly bright sounding - if anything, it's on the warmer side of neutral, especially seeing as its heavily biased into Class A at the volumes you listen at. As good as amps like the Sugden are, they're not necessarily going to be any better as far as quality is concerned, just different.

It's not all about power. Even though you have 150wpc on tap, it's all about headroom. You can happily listen at your preferred volume, knowing the amplifier will take anything to come in its stride.

Can I suggest trying a different speaker cable? Some of the Van Den Hul cables will smooth things out and warm things up a little - maybe just enough. Some QED cables can be a little forward in some systems, which im not saying is the issue, but worth trying before doing anything rash. Even something like Chord Odyssey will bring a little warmth to the table.

Just a thought.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi Ben, David and Bsub

Thanks for your input, I have thought about the Primare and will try and get to listen to one, as far as speaker cables go i hadn't really thought about it too much but now it has been mentioned a couple of times i shall now do so, i'm afraid i'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to cables but to be fair a haven't tried any different speaker cable in my current set up.

As regard to the ATC/Harbeth combination its doesn't seem to be that popular. I shall keep an open mind on the cable thing and have a listen to a few amps. Thanks fella's 🙂

Cheers, Ed

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi Cno

The Masterclass is a bit out of reach at the moment, i've heard a few good things about it, Macspur has one with his Harbeth HL5's. I think it may be a case of saving up and going for an ex dem, used Masterclass

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/250998638958?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla >) :shifty:

 

[Frank Harvey]

...as far as speaker cables go i hadn't really thought about it too much but now it has been mentioned a couple of times i shall now do so, i'm afraid i'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to cables but to be fair a haven't tried any different speaker cable in my current set up.

If you're a sceptic, even better. At least you'll try out the cables believing that they won't make a difference. If you hear that they do, you can't be accused of falling foul of the placebo effect (but don't count on it). If you don't hear a difference, what's the cost? A trip to your dealer to borrow a couple of cables? Better than changing your amp and still finding that brightness there because it's inherent in something else.

 

[busb]

Hi Ben, David and Busb

Thanks for your input, I have thought about the Primare and will try and get to listen to one, as far as speaker cables go i hadn't really thought about it too much but now it has been mentioned a couple of times i shall now do so, i'm afraid i'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to cables but to be fair a haven't tried any different speaker cable in my current set up.

As regard to the ATC/Harbeth combination its doesn't seem to be that popular. I shall keep an open mind on the cable thing and have a listen to a few amps. Thanks fella's 🙂

Cheers, Ed

I'm personally far more skeptical regarding interconnects as opposed to speaker string. I have heard fairly significant differences in my own system when experimenting with speaker cable. I sure I've heard it said that your cable can sound bright. A dealer may be able to lend you some alternative cable - much cheaper option!

If you eventually find that you need to replace your amp, I would also check out Primare. I've heard their i32 class D & was very impressed. The i30 maybe available 2nd hand (WHF really rated it as it happens).

A recent upgrade to an M-DAC has me looking at power amps to go with it - I'm hoping to listen to Primare's new A34.2 at Bristol over the weekend.

 

[BenLaw]

Busb, if you do get to listen to the a34.2 please let us know your thoughts 🙂

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

you defo need to listen to Lavardin. and better still IS Reference as it's more akin to the IT.

there's a guy here with a Croft integrated amp and he rates it very high too.

I also had a chance to listen to I32. unfortunately the music was not mine so don't really have a good basis for benchmarking. can't really fault it but at the same time it wouldn't be my choice. and if you'll find Lavardin to your liking I think you'll be put off by Primare as well.

I also think that checking out some other strings may be a good idea. go for high quality pure copper or pure silver.

 

[Macspur]

Hi Cno

The Masterclass is a bit out of reach at the moment, i've heard a few good things about it, Macspur has one with his Harbeth HL5's. I think it may be a case of saving up and going for an ex dem, used Masterclass

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/250998638958?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla >) :shifty:

Excellent deal.

 

[Anonymous]

Ed,

If you after a warm amp, Luxman is the way to go. I'm very happy my Luxman L-505u which is going to be on my rack for more than a decade. After trying many amplifiers, I have at last found the right amp. Like you I was after a warmer amp, but not overwarm like McIntosh MA6900 or other amps that have veiled mids. Luxman's class AB amps produce a nice lush sound but are also capable of producing great dynamic range, super bass control and a high transparence on the mids.

As your loudspeakers are very easy loud, I recommend a real class A ampflifier, like Luxman L-550AII as well as Accuphase E-560 which outputs 20wpc (actually they are capable of outputing 30wpc). In case you prefer a traditional class AB amp, any of Luxman or Accuphase integrated amps will suit your taste finely (Luxman L505u, Luxman L507u, Accuphase E-250 and Accuphase E-350). Among them, I'd choose Luxman L-507u.

 

[edplaysdrums42]

Hi All

Just thought i'd post an update and my search is now over (until i upgrade my TT :roll🙂

I now have a Luxman 550A-II to go with my superb Harbeth C7's. I couldnt be happier! I now have the sound i was after, a smooth warm sound with fantastic detail. I'm not that great at describing what i hear but it sounds great to me.

The built in phono stage and headphone stage are superb too, also something that gets a mention on here from time to time is tone controls. I its great to have some again, being able to adjust the sound on certain recordings to something i prefer i feel is a real bonus.

Thanks to everyone who offered some great advice! 🙂

Regards to you all

Ed

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi All

Just thought i'd post an update and my search is now over (until i upgrade my TT :roll🙂

I now have a Luxman 550A-II to go with my superb Harbeth C7's. I couldnt be happier! I now have the sound i was after, a smooth warm sound with fantastic detail. I'm not that great at describing what i hear but it sounds great to me.

The built in phono stage and headphone stage are superb too, also something that gets a mention on here from time to time is tone controls. I its great to have some again, being able to adjust the sound on certain recordings to something i prefer i feel is a real bonus.

Thanks to everyone who offered some great advice! 🙂

Regards to you all

Ed

The boy done good! :rockout:

Did you listen to a Lavardin?

 

[BenLaw]

Many congrats Ed 🙂