[Armaegis]

At roughly $100 new, the Topping amps are great little boxes and take up practically no space.

Around $400-500 used, the Bryston 2B is fantastic. The B60 is the integrated version and is my last remaining Bryston piece after I've gone through a ton of their amps.

At $1k new the NuPrime IDA-8 is another great all-in one.

At $3k new the Benchmark AHB2 is one of the finest I've heard.

[ctsooner]

I heard the Belles years ago and was blown away for the cost. Then Johnny at Audio Connections in NJ started to carry them and holy cow are they a great buy.  To me, dollar for dollar, they are of the best you can buy.  I have always loved the top NAD and even some of the Rotel's, but the Belles is worlds better and for not much more at all.  That integrated is listed around 1800 or so I think.  What a value in high end audio.  More money for the speakers, lol.

[bluemeanies]

I believe that all ingredients are necessary for a good or adequate 2channel system.
Room, receiver or pre amp, amplifier and speakers...lastly room acoustics.
The room I must say is the least ingredient that we can change in MOST cases.
We are stuck with what we have.
Many homes were not built with the audio enthusiast in mind and unless you are handy, have money to spare you make do with what you have and make adjustments with speaker placement and acoustics.
No shame in that arrangement.
The main purpose besides the above mentioned is being satisfied with your listening experience.
The sound YOU hear should be enjoyable to you.
You are the main ingredient when it comes to YOUR SYSTEM!
BTW some nice pieces posted!

[sonicboom]

All suggestions so far have been of solid state amplifiers as I'll assume that the OP although he didn't explicitly state it, is really looking for a SS amp. That's fine of course, but to change things up a bit, i'll throw in a modern derivative of the trusted old dynaco ST-70. It's the VTA ST70 which can be had either as a kit or fully assembled. This is one sweet sounding amp without any trace of the vintage slow/syrupy sound that we tend to associate with amps of that era.


OOPS! just noticed that this is posted under the 'All Solid State' circle... Duh!

[rollo]

I heard the Belles years ago and was blown away for the cost. Then Johnny at Audio Connections in NJ started to carry them and holy cow are they a great buy.  To me, dollar for dollar, they are of the best you can buy.  I have always loved the top NAD and even some of the Rotel's, but the Belles is worlds better and for not much more at all.  That integrated is listed around 1800 or so I think.  What a value in high end audio.  More money for the speakers, lol.

   Great product overall. Especially with Vandersteen.


charles

[restrav]

At roughly $100 new, the Topping amps are great little boxes and take up practically no space.

Around $400-500 used, the Bryston 2B is fantastic. The B60 is the integrated version and is my last remaining Bryston piece after I've gone through a ton of their amps.

At $1k new the NuPrime IDA-8 is another great all-in one.

At $3k new the Benchmark AHB2 is one of the finest I've heard.

If someone would do a direct comparison between the benchmark amp and the odyssey I would read that. I believe both are class ab designs

[Freo-1]

The Benchmark is actually closer to Class H, in that it has multiple rails with a switched mode power supply. 

[twitch54]

what is your personal favorite stereo amplifier

Plinius SA-102

why

because it's what I own ........

and what is it's average cost used on ebay or an audio site? 

less than 3k

[poseidonsvoice]

The Benchmark is actually closer to Class H, in that it has multiple rails with a switched mode power supply.

Nice!

And before somebody asks...here is a nice synopsis of the different classes without getting into too much technical detail:

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/amplifier-classes

Best,
Anand.

[rollo]

  For highly efficient speakers Lamm ML2.2 and for everything else Arion HS500 hybrid class"D". Planar owners will love this amp.


charles

[Randy]

Son of Ampzilla II - one great amp, Class A up to 10 watts. Built like a tank. Great sound.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews2/sst/5.html

[Russell Dawkins]

Over the years, a Dynaco SCA 35 and ST 70, a Quad 303, a Mission Cyrus One, a Musical Fidelity A-1, Carver Silver Seven, and my current amp, a Yamaha B-2, which gives me for the first time a convenient way to play my AKG 1000s.

[Wind Chaser]

Quad 303

I remember seeing that one on display at Sounds of Music in Edmonton back in the late 70's... seemed pretty reasonably priced for a power amp at the time.

[Russell Dawkins]

I remember seeing that one on display at Sounds of Music in Edmonton back in the late 70's... seemed pretty reasonably priced for a power amp at the time.

I love this amp. This is the first amp that showed me in no uncertain terms that amplifiers do differ significantly in sound, beyond the obvious power rating.

I was trying to help my father simplify his home stereo setup by replacing his Quad preamp and power amp (33/303) with an all in one receiver. This was back around 1977. I thought any old thing would work, so I bought him a Sony of some kind and hooked it up. Both my brother and I looked at each other with the same realization—"Oh shit, what have we done?". The music suddenly had no life—sounded hollowed out.

Around the same time I was in a high end store in Vancouver and the salesman who also loved this amp demonstrated its low impedance load capability by switching on all the speakers in the store which were hooked up to his comparator board, one by one. The speakers were all in parallel, yet the overall volume stayed about the same as he did this, and there was no indication of distress from the amp. I had to go around and listen to confirm that they all were playing, and they were.

One other time I was so impressed with the sound of the top end from the PA system a band was using, in the break I asked them what they were using to drive the high horns, and I never query bands about their amplifiers. A Quad 303.

My case rests.

Quad came to market with solid state amplifer years after all the other manufacturers jumped on the solid state (transistor) bandwagon, because they didn't want to present an amp that to them sounded inferior to their tube amp (the Quad II), so they plugged away until they came up with the 303.

[twitch54]

Ok, now that we are all 'waxing nostalgic' I'll chime in with a great from over thirty years ago.......... my Threshold S400, it drove my Maggie IIIa's at the time to pure sonic bliss !

[Wind Chaser]

Quad came to market with solid state amplifer years after all the other manufacturers jumped on the solid state (transistor) bandwagon, because they didn't want to present an amp that to them sounded inferior to their tube amp (the Quad II), so they plugged away until they came up with the 303.

According to Home Theather Review... Quad sold 94000 units between 1967 - 1985.

If I am not mistaken I think the reason why I dismissed it at the time was because the model I saw at Sounds of Music required a DIN connection. I had no idea what that was and I didn't want to stray from convention.

[Russell Dawkins]

According to Home Theather Review... Quad sold 94000 units between 1967 - 1985.

If I am not mistaken I think the reason why I dismissed it at the time was because the model I saw at Sounds of Music required a DIN connection. I had no idea what that was and I didn't want to stray from convention.

Yes, that slowed me down, too, although the dealer was willing to provide a 2 RCA to DIN adapter, and some units were retrofitted with RCS ins.

[jpm]

... Mission Cyrus One, ...

I miss my Mission Cyrus One sometimes - it was such a great jump up from the NAD 3020a it replaced, but then I remind myself the sale of it funded the Naim Nait 2 that I still have to this day.

[Russell Dawkins]

I miss my Mission Cyrus One sometimes - it was such a great jump up from the NAD 3020a it replaced, but then I remind myself the sale of it funded the Naim Nait 2 that I still have to this day.

I wanted more power, so I bought a Cyrus Two, but the Cyrus One is what sold me on those Mission amps.
I often wondered whether I should have copied what the employees at Mission did for themselves in their personal systems; in preference to the Cyrus Two, use two Cyrus Ones in a vertical bi-amp configuration. This is my favorite way to get the most from a bi-amp situation with two identical amps, since the power supply of each amp is fully available for the bass duties in one channel.

[paul79]

I have a real soft spot for the big Sansui receivers from years gone by.  I have the G8000 playing right now.  Great big power supply anchored by a massive toroidal transformer.  With 120W available to drive my 8" two-way monitors, I have all the SPL I need.  Clean, clear, quiet and beautiful to look at.

I recently had all the electrolytic caps replaced and the lights fitted with LEDs.  It was completely worth it.

Here's a decent picture of one from the web.  I can't seem to get a decent shot of mine.

Very cool choice Pete! I run the Sansui BA-F1 and the CA-F1 preamp currently, which is the separates version of your receiver, basically. DD/DC topology. Stuff like this makes you wonder just what has been accomplished in audio in the last 30 years? With regards to amplification, not much...