Solid State amp recomendatiom

sugbob21 · « **on:** 10 Jan 2011, 02:48 pm »

owner of super 6 alnico monitors and deephemp sub. May be forced to switch to solid state from tube integrated (dont ask : WAF). looking at Luxman L505u, Creek Destiny, LFD Mk iv. but not sure how they would mate with the speakers.
Can anyone suggest or recomend an amp that sounds good? $3000 max(give or take )
thanks

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 03:23 pm »

Slightly out of budget but something that I know sounds good with Omega Speakers is the Pass XA-30.5

While it didn't make me think I was listening to my tube amps (Atma-Sphere), it is one of the handful of ss amps I really liked.

I would also look at some of the First Watt amps.

George

woodsyi · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 03:30 pm »

I was assuming the OP wanted an integrated amp judging from the list of candidates he posted. Super 6 AlNiCo shouldn't need much power, right?

Edit: That would be Pass Int 30A but I doubt it has hit the used market yet and it may take a few years before it gets down to $3k.

zybar · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 03:36 pm »

Quote from: woodsyi on 10 Jan 2011, 03:30 pm

I was assuming the OP wanted an integrated amp judging from the list of candidates he posted. Super 6 AlNiCo shouldn't need much power, right?

Didn't catch that Rim - thanks.

Not a lot of experience with integrated amps.

You are correct that the speakers wouldn't need much power.

George

ZLS · « **Reply #4 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 03:51 pm »

A killer little int. amp that sounds wonderful with Omega's (based on personal experience) is the Rega Brio 3. It retails for around $700, and it is a match made in heaven with Omegas.

You can carry it one step further, and trick it out with a Furtech IEC and upgraded binding posts and IC's (I use WBT's).

It does not have a remote, but there are ways around that.

It was Louis who originally turned me on the synergy between the two.

sugbob21 · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 04:25 pm »

i like that Rega rec. read up on the Mira and it has a preamp out to connect my sub. assume its also a good match as the Brio

groovybassist · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 04:44 pm »

I don't have any experience with Omega speakers, but I do have the LFD Zero Mk III and can tell you it's a fabulous amp. I use it with Harbeth Compact 7ES3s. It's easily the best sounding amp I've had in my system - comparable even to the Modwright KWA100SE when I auditioned it, although the Modwright was running through a W4S STI-500 Integrated's preamp stage, so it may have been hamstrung a bit. Still, I'm willing to bet the LFD isn't far behind the Modwright, even in a setting optimized for the Modwright. The differences at this level of performance are getting pretty small.

geowak · « **Reply #7 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 05:13 pm »

I would think about the McCormack DNA-500 or DNA-225. I have the DNA-125 and I really think it's a sweet sounding ss amp. I have not had that many different amps as some here, but had Marantz and Odyssey gear, some tube stuff but still like the neutral sound of the McCormack. Here is a link to a used DNA-500. (You would have to look at the one that would match your speakers well.)

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1297194271&/Mccormack-DNA-500-Reference-st

ZLS · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 05:22 pm »

Quote from: sugbob21 on 10 Jan 2011, 02:48 pm

owner of super 6 alnico monitors and deephemp sub. May be forced to switch to solid state from tube integrated (dont ask : WAF). looking at Luxman L505u, Creek Destiny, LFD Mk iv. but not sure how they would mate with the speakers.
Can anyone suggest or recomend an amp that sounds good? $3000 max(give or take )
thanks

Another suggestion based on personal experience is wire your sub directly to your main speakers, and not through the amp.
It would require another pair of speaker cables (with bananas on the speaker end) but once again in my opinion, there is a significant improvement in sound this way.
As always, the ability to talk to the man himself, is one of the great benefits (beside he sound of course) of owning Omega Speakers.

rodge827 · « **Reply #9 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 06:46 pm »

Look into the Red Wine Audio amps and pre amp. When I first auditioned Omega, Louis was using Vinnies 2nd generation amp. Sounded so good that I ordered a pair of Compact Hemps. There is a lot of info over on the Red Wine forum.
Good Luck,
Chris

pardales · « **Reply #10 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 07:25 pm »

I have the Dayens Ampino driving my Hornshoppe Model 1's and the sound is fantastic. This little amp has more than enough power for efficient speakers and is as good as what is written about it.

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #11 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 08:48 pm »

If you want to save a little money, the Parasound Halo A21 is a giant killer at about $2200.

http://parasound.com/halo/a21.php

Tons of clean neutral sounding power, true balanced xlr's. It's very dynamic and fast. I have one driving my Magnepan 1.6's. I've compared it to some more expensive amps like Bryston, Luxman and Classe and it holds its own.

You can pick one up from audioadvisor with a 30 day money back guarantee if you don't like it.

Sorry, I just realized that you are probably looking for an integrated amp. You may still want to consider the Parasound and buy a preamp to go with it on a $3K budget.

dburna · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 09:01 pm »

Quote from: pardales on 10 Jan 2011, 07:25 pm

I have the Dayens Ampino driving my Hornshoppe Model 1's and the sound is fantastic. This little amp as more than enough power for efficient speakers and is as good as what is written about it.

+1 on the Ampino. I am driving Omega Aperiodic 8's (now discontinued) and the sound is lovely. I'm still trying to get my head around how good this sounds for the money. It gets a ton "right" and very, very little "wrong". Personally, I think it is an ideal match for the Omegas. FWIW, I tend to find fault with many SS amps (I believe I am a tube guy at heart), but not this one. It may in fact be better than the hype surrounding it, if possible. Maybe a tad light in the bass, but that may be implementation-specific. Other than that, I cannot complain....at all. Makes me wonder if the higher models of Dayens integrateds are better than this, or if this is truly the sweet spot of the line (has been debated by other folks, but I don't recall that there was any clear consensus on this point).

Unless you WANT to spend more money on an amp, you don't have to. Spending more money may get a more "accurate" amp (maybe), but most will be less "musical". Anyway, that's my take on why most SS ultimately leave me cold -- I can "hear them working" and I find that distracting. Only drawbacks of the Ampino I can see are convenience factors: only two inputs and no remote. However, I am so smitten with this that I don't care. Your mileage may differ.

-dB

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #13 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 10:12 pm »

+2 on the Ampino. Don't under estimate this little wonder on account of it's price. If you feel compelled to spend more, Dayens makes more expensive amps. To get an idea of what these amps are like read...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=84799.0

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70917

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=86805.0

bronal · « **Reply #14 on:** 10 Jan 2011, 11:06 pm »

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 10 Jan 2011, 10:12 pm

+2 on the Ampino. Don't under estimate this little wonder on account of it's price. If you feel compelled to spend more, Dayens makes more expensive amps. To get an idea of what these amps are like read...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=84799.0

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70917

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=86805.0

+3 on the Ampino. I use one with my Hoyt-Bedfords. Mine has the caps upgrade. As others have said, I don't see why you should assume you have to spend $3 000. The Ampino is everything the reviews say it is - a real giant-killer. In particular, its speed and treble extension are astonishing.

sugbob21 · « **Reply #15 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 04:10 am »

who sells this Dayens Amp . sounds interesting but dont know how to go about getting one.

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #16 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 04:44 am »

Try... http://www.arteformaaudio.com/

or... http://www.cryo-parts.com/index.php/dayens/dayens-ampino

4Musica · « **Reply #17 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 05:23 am »

I am using a Bedini 25/25 (pure class A) with a Quicksilver linestage for my Omega 8's and the musical result continues to astonish me. If you want to stick with a SS integrated, the Luxman that is class A at 20 watts per side is a superb integrated with an excellent phono section and could likely be had used at the upper limit of your price limit. There are of course many other great options, some of which have already been mentioned by other respondents. For the amps that I have tried with my Omegas thus far, it has been clear to me that class A is the way to go. YMMV. Good luck!

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #18 on:** 11 Jan 2011, 08:38 am »

Quote from: 4Musica on 11 Jan 2011, 05:23 am

For the amps that I have tried with my Omegas thus far, it has been clear to me that class A is the way to go. YMMV.

I bet your Bedini 25/25 is a sweet little amp. I remember when I was really young how badly I wanted one but couldn't afford it. Having said that I have heard some less than stellar Class A amps.

alecdraxx · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Feb 2011, 02:00 am »

Hi, I don't know if you have found an amp that suit your need yet, But I own a pair of Omega Super 5 XRS since last fall. I use to drive my sources with a Bewitch 6550, but when I paired this amp with the Omegas, it immediately revealed it's weaknesses, so the need to chenge the amp. I bought a Audio Zone Amp STi (50 watts) and the result is absolutely amazing. Not tubes, not resistors, but chips. Great sound, dead quiet, perfect match (as far as I'm concerned). Audio Zone do not advertise this amp anymore on their site, but you can always email them. One level above is the Amp 1 selling for 1995$. All canadian amps. Check this out:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audiozone2/zone.html
http://www.audio-zone.ca/
Pierre.