Ghent Audio Power Amplifiers

Coll

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My system comprises Arcam FMJA19 amplifier, Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers and Audiolab 8200CD. I consider this to be well balanced but feel it is slightly underpowered as my listening room is approx. 50 cubic metres.

The amplifier has pre out so I decided that perhaps a power amplifier may be a good idea but my rack is quite full so it would need to be half size. I set about searching the internet and found many small power amps but of course they are class D. I am not actually against class D as I used to own a Marantz MCR603 which sounded good and there are now many expensive class D amps. Most of my searching centered around American forums where I found a number of high powered small class D amps. One name that came up quite a bit was Ghent Audio in China who sell direct. I was a bit worried about buying but read many good reports of excellent service so decided to go ahead and order. I actually contacted Ghent myself before placing my order with a number of questions and found the service to be second to none. English is not perfect but it is easy to understand and all questions were answered very quickly. The power amp that I have purchased is a dual mono in one case model GA-S500B and the price includes free shipping. If you look at the site you can get full details and prices which are exceptional for what you get.

Also you get a one month trial period and 2 year guarantee.

My amplifier will arrive mid May once I set it up I will give you a review.
 

Coll

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Well the new Ghent power amplifier arrived a few days ago and I quickly set it up using the Arcam FMJ A19 as the pre amp.

First I should tell you that the Arcam works well as a pre amplifier and the output matches the input of the Ghent power amplifier very well.

I don’t know if the Ghent power amp. Requires much burn in still as they test them at the factory for a long period to check all is well before despatch.

As I said the model I purchased is the GA-S500B which is 500watts x2 into 4 ohms and 250 watts x2 into 8 ohms and with this much power it has great authority driving the Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers. The bass is superbly well defined and controlled even at ear deafening levels.

As far as I am concerned the rest of the ranges are also handled very well the sound stage is spatial and is very detailed. I think I would describe the sound as neutral it is not over bright or dull. As usual some recordings sound better than others but overall the sound in my opinion is better than before, perhaps because of the power in reserve. I noticed on a USA audio site someone using the 500 watt Ghent monoblocks with some $6000 or so speakers and he said that it was a superb combination.

I understand that Ghent have sold many amplifiers to North America and quite a few to Europe but apparently not many in the UK. I suppose not many people are keen to take a chance but as I said in my previous post you do get a one month trial period and a 2 year guarantee.

The amplifier is not very big so you will not find it difficult to fit in, it is also well packed so damage in transit I think would be rare.

If you are interested have a look at the Ghent Audio website or email them they are very helpful.
 

Coll

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sublime said:
the cables on the Ghent Audio website look very nice - cheap too

They are I purchased an AO1 to connect the power amp to the Arcam it was very well made.

Also I noticed that a lot of people in the USA buy them.
 

Coll

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Vladimir said:
Do I get a discount if I write a review on a forum after I purchase a Ghent amp?

I dont know I paid the full price.

My review was given to try to introduce something new to the forum, just like the participants on the US sites did where I found out about the Ghent power amplifiers.
 

Vladimir

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Coll said:
Vladimir said:
Do I get a discount if I write a review on a forum after I purchase a Ghent amp?

I dont know I paid the full price.

My review was given to try to introduce something new to the forum, just like the participants on the US sites did where I found out about the Ghent power amplifiers.

All good. Thanks for your review and I'm a fan of B&O's ICE Power tech. :cheers:
 

Coll

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sublime said:
Coll said:
sublime said:
the cables on the Ghent Audio website look very nice - cheap too

They are I purchased an AO1 to connect the power amp to the Arcam it was very well made.

Also I noticed that a lot of people in the USA buy them.

how did you notice that?

As I said while looking at reviews and comments on the US sites a number of members said that they had purchased cables from Ghent because they were cheap and very good quality.
 

sublime

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Coll said:
sublime said:
Coll said:
sublime said:
the cables on the Ghent Audio website look very nice - cheap too

They are I purchased an AO1 to connect the power amp to the Arcam it was very well made.

Also I noticed that a lot of people in the USA buy them.

how did you notice that?

As I said while looking at reviews and comments on the US sites a number of members said that they had purchased cables from Ghent because they were cheap and very good quality.

They certainly look nice and well made too. Very good price
 

davedotco

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cannibal_ox77 said:
Hi Coll,

Are there any additional import charges to pay on these or is that price (with free postage included) the total cost?

Assuming they are being shipped from China you will have to pay import duty anf VAT.

Expect to pay around 30% of the invoice price on top.
 

davedotco

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cannibal_ox77 said:
Thanks Dave, thought so. Didn't think it'd be as much as 30% though...£800 still looks good value but not as tempting...

Remember, 20% of that will be VAT. A bit of import duty, maybe an admin charge and you could easily top 30%.

There are some internet retailers that offer chinese product from a base in the uk. These are usually duty paid (read the small print....... :read:) but tend to focus on the smaller items, dacs, headphone amps etc.

If you are looking for basic, good quality digital amplifiers, they are about, you just have to to look off the beaten track.

Cheap but good devices are available if you look around, the Pear Drop 50 watt stereo from Subwoofer specialists BK Electronics cost under £200 going up to the PMC DS 001 200watt monoblocks (voiced to mimic the Bryston amplifiers) for around £1200-1300.
 

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