[grsimmon]

I have a confession to make, something that will make some people on this site cringe, cry , snicker, etc.....I have never heard a Class A amplifier before. 

So I'm curious what's out there and don't really know where to start. I have read that they are generally expensive, heavy, and energy wasters.  I've also read that they sound freakin' awesome so I at least want to get aquainted in the beginning.

Your Class A recommendations?  Amps or integrateds, new or used is fine.  It's true that (generally speaking) a 50 watt Class A amp can drive most "normal" speakers?  Any other info. that you think a Class A newbie should know, would be welcomed - thank you.   

[TONEPUB]

Luxman L-590A II...   One of my all time favorites.

[timind]

Monarchy Audio SM70 pro is a good place to start. Get a pair of them to run as monoblocs. If used is ok, should be less than a grand.

[ecramer]

Luxman L-590A II...   One of my all time favorites.

Nice looking piece.

Since the first time i heard the pass labs x200.2 i've been in love

[Ericus Rex]

Monarchy Audio SM70 pro is a good place to start. Get a pair of them to run as monoblocs. If used is ok, should be less than a grand.

The first iteration of that amp ran very hot and sounded awesome!!!!  They then changed something in the design so the amp wouldn't run hot at all and all the magic was gone.  I personally would search for one of the earlier ones that ran very hot.

Another great sounding Class A is the Aleph series from Pass Labs.  I had an Aleph 0s for a few years and enjoyed it quite a bit.  Sold it only b/c I was enjoying my tube amps more and it was taking up too much space.

[DTB300]

I would also give Plinius a listen if you can.  Nice thing about some of their amps is the user gets to choose when to run in Class A/B and when to run in Class A (heat).

[jtwrace]

Clayton Audio

[SlushPuppy]

If you're concerned about heat and energy consumption you could look for an A/B model that runs Class A for the first 10-20 watts and then switches to Class B above that.

[rollo]

 What speakers would you be mateing with the Intergrated ? Many good choices out there. Synergy.


charles

[audiobat]

With class A you get low power and higher than normal heat, so consider that into any purchase.
Thus the correct question from rollo, what speakers indeed?

[DTB300]

With class A you get low power and higher than normal heat, so consider that into any purchase.

Do you consider 220 watts low power?

Thus the correct question from rollo, what speakers indeed?

Yepper....that is the best question and what you should base your purchase on.  What sounds good with the speakers and you other equipment and room - synergy.

[grsimmon]

My current speakers are Mirage OMD-15.   Specs are listed as:

91 db efficiency
6 ohms nominal,  4 ohms minimum
recommended amp.  25 - 250 watts

Other speakers I'm considering down the road would be Duevels or Morrison Audio.

I guess one thing I'm confused about is......I see some of the Class A solid state offerings are around 30 watts;  I saw one monster out there that was 100 watts and weighted like 200 pounds! wtf.  That one was way too expensive and heavy for me.   So is 20-40 watts of Class A enough juice for speakers I've listed above?   

[mcgsxr]

Depends how loud you listen.

Love the Sugden A21 integrated. 

[macrojack]

Always advantageous to seek out high efficiency speakers that you like and can afford. Your amplifier dollars will buy you some combination of size and refinement. The less size you need, the more refinement you can buy at your budget point. BEL 1001, if you can find one for sale, is an excellent sounding 50 watt Class A design. It was a one man operation and the man is deceased but I've heard rumors that the brand is still serviced by another party. $900 is a pretty typical used price.

A further point that you touched on is physical size and weight. Less power needs means less weight, smaller dimensions and more options to choose from. Why isn't this obvious to everyone?

[ecramer]

Threshold amps are usually reasonably priced on the used market, and sound great

[JLM]

Jack, your wrote: "A further point that you touched on is physical size and weight. Less power needs means less weight, smaller dimensions and more options to choose from. Why isn't this obvious to everyone?"

Yes, but the smaller the amp, the more efficient the speakers must be.  And more efficient speakers tend to be larger with fewer alternatives.  For instance, when higher powered solid state amps came on the scene speakers got smaller and people were free to move from "exotic" drivers/horn loadings/etc. 

Now with tiny digital amps speakers can get even smaller and still give similar results.

[avahifi]

The bad news is that general a Class A amplifier will generate twice as much heat at idle as its 8 ohm power rating, and four times full power heat into 4 ohms.  In other words, you are looking for an inefficient space heater if you need much power.

The good news is that your 91 dB efficient speakers only need 25 watts per channel or so to go VERY LOUD.  A three dB increase in efficiency requires only half as much power to drive to the same output level.  For example if you needed 100 watts per channel to run an 86 dB efficient loudspeaker as loud as you want, them your 91 dB efficient speakers would need 25 watts as you have cut the power needs in half twice.

Finally, consider the overall musical quality of the amp first, not the class of operation.  Class A, Class AB (which run much cooler) and Class D (which run really cool) all can be designed to be either really good or really bad.  Don't limit yourself to one technology, expand your search for simply a really good amplifier within your price budget.

Best regards,

Frank Van Alstine

[Freo-1]

I have a confession to make, something that will make some people on this site cringe, cry , snicker, etc.....I have never heard a Class A amplifier before. 

So I'm curious what's out there and don't really know where to start. I have read that they are generally expensive, heavy, and energy wasters.  I've also read that they sound freakin' awesome so I at least want to get aquainted in the beginning.

Your Class A recommendations?  Amps or integrateds, new or used is fine.  It's true that (generally speaking) a 50 watt Class A amp can drive most "normal" speakers?  Any other info. that you think a Class A newbie should know, would be welcomed - thank you.   

Threshold SA/3.  At 50 wpc, it can push most speakers as loud and clean as you want.   Just make sure it gets a recap, new rectifier, and maybe new emitter resistors.  It sounds incredible, and should last a long time to come once refreshed. 

I've listened to more powerful and expensive amps that did not sound near as good.

[ecramer]

Barry_NJ had / has a Threshold STASIS 3 that he brought to several NY Rave. really nice sounding amp. He was looking to sell it a while a go and it may be long gone. thats one i wish i had some spare cash for.

[Levi]

+1

If money is not an object and you want a reference quality sound, Plinius gets my vote!

The Plinius SA-250 is a beast!  You can run it in class A.  There is also a Class AB switch if you wish to put it in standby or use it for background music. 

I would also give Plinius a listen if you can.  Nice thing about some of their amps is the user gets to choose when to run in Class A/B and when to run in Class A (heat).