[zybar]

Many thanks for all the feedback.

Recommendations have included:
 
McCormack DNA-500
Modwright KWA150
Moscode 401HR
Parasound (model?)
CI Audio D-200
Clayton S-40
Spectron Musician III SE mk2
TRL Samson monoblocks

I haven't ruled out AVA, actually the Ultra Double 550 is my mental reference.

My auditions so far have all been free loaners (hence the small number). Looks like the buy-to-try approach is the remaining option, at least for vendors with a satisfaction guarantee.

For what its worth, TRL told me its so hard to keep up with demand for Samson monoblocks that they "no longer have the time to offer a return policy."

Pretty decent price on a pair of used JC-1's:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1247094717&/Parasound-Bob-Crump%27S-Halo-

I am not affiliated with the seller in any way.

George

[jermmd]

I like Parasound and I've always wanted to try the JC1's with my HT3's. Unfortunateley, that's too much money to spend on a whim. I'm pretty damn satisfied with my Cal Audio amp as it is. I like it better than my old Parasound, Sherbourne, and McCormack amps.

[zybar]

Another good amp deal:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1246999095&/Clayton-M200-Monoblocks-Price-

[boatschool02]

Has anyone heard the Clayton's with HT-3's?  (Before the release of the KWA, I was talking with Dan at MW and he had good things to say about them.)

I've been eyeing that listing as well, but have nothing to go on but a few reviews.

Thanks,

Luke

[JP78]

well you've certainly been recommended a lot of very good amplifiers, so i won't add to your list. i would like to +1 the moscode. i think it's an extraordinary amplifier as well. i've owned the spectron musican iii and while i loved it in my personal experience the bass portion didn't have quite the impact i was looking for...i've been told this is because the ridiculous damping factor of the amplifier overdamped my speakers. whether or not there's any truth to that i have no idea...but when i biamped the spectron it certianly sounded wonderful with a tubed pre.

best,

[earsfirst]

See if you can find a used Spectron Musician III SE mk2. on Audiogon.That amp mates wonderful with the Salks especially with a tube pre-amp, which you have. It really controls those woofers with an iron fist. The sound is fast, detailed,transparent, smooth with a deep,wide, soundstage. The highs are open,delicate,with nice decay.

 It won't give you added warm or bloom, but will be true to the source, IMHO.

Joe

Joe,

I've read nothing but praise for this amp, I'd love to try it.  My budget dictates stereo not monoblocks. Which do you have?

I may consider the upgrades but its a stretch.  Did you get V-Cap or Bybee options?  Were you able to compare with and without?  Do you consider either one essential?

[audiotom]

I have the moscode 401hr and it's fabulous
bare in mind, my $10,000 SRA Craz rack helps to extract every last ounce of bass out of the amp - and for those of you with digital sources - you are also missing a lot of low end found on well integrated analog

I play upright so I know low end pretty damn well



that given

I'm always trying to extract more passion out of the music
I would consider the BAT and the wyred for sound amps

I may buy some magnepan 1.6's for my bedroom (arc ls5 mkii pre sitting idle) and try various balanced input amps in that settings  - any suggestions?

pete (bigredmachine) told me when I bought his v3s that the wyred amps were the best he ran with the HT3's
hopefully he will post here


george's comments are on high end killer amps
costing much more than an ava amp
he's tried a lot of combos in search of audio synergy
so take his recommendations to the bank

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

[bahorn1]

I have the moscode 401hr and it's fabulous
bare in mind, my $10,000 SRA Craz rack helps to extract every last ounce of bass out of the amp - and for those of you with digital sources - you are also missing a lot of low end found on well integrated analog

I play upright so I know low end pretty damn well



that given

I'm always trying to extract more passion out of the music
I would consider the BAT and the wyred for sound amps

I may buy some magnepan 1.6's for my bedroom (arc ls5 mkii pre sitting idle) and try various balanced input amps in that settings  - any suggestions?

pete (bigredmachine) told me when I bought his v3s that the wyred amps were the best he ran with the HT3's
hopefully he will post here


george's comments are on high end killer amps
costing much more than an ava amp
he's tried a lot of combos in search of audio synergy
so take his recommendations to the bank

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

Great setup!  And great to hear about the Moscode 401HR from you and others (Zybar, AliG) that have or have tried it.  I recently picked one up from Agon.  Unfortunately, the top half of one of the tube ceramic bases came unglued during the shipping process.  So I sent it back to George Kaye for repair and have yet to hear it.

--Doug

[earsfirst]

I have the moscode 401hr and it's fabulous
bare in mind, my $10,000 SRA Craz rack helps to extract every last ounce of bass out of the amp - and for those of you with digital sources - you are also missing a lot of low end found on well integrated analog

I play upright so I know low end pretty damn well

I've heard a couple of different audio setups that IMO give great reproduction of acoustic bass like Yo-Yo Ma and Leo Kottke, but don't measure up for amplified bass in rock music or for Bach's Tocatta & Fugue in D minor and Saint-Saens organ concerto. Does your system do all of that? 
Do you have any recordings of yourself so that you can play a duet or counterpoint or jam or whatever?

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

But sometimes you're lucky and get more than you paid for, like with the HT3's for example. I keep wishing for that kind of luck with an amp that fits my budget.

[Rocket]

Hi Guys,

Realistically how would a 100 watt good quality audiophile amplifier sound with these speakers?  83db shouldn't be that hard to drive?

I'd consider a pair in the next few years but my amplifers range from 88watt - 150watts/8ohm.

Regards

Rod

[zybar]

Hi Guys,

Realistically how would an 100 watt good quality audiophile amplifier sound with these speakers?  83db shouldn't be that hard to drive?

I'd consider a pair in the next few years but my amplifers range from 88watt - 150watts/8ohm.

Regards

Rod

Rod,

Depends on many factors.

Size of the room.

Type of music played.

SPL level the listener is trying to obtain.

Characteristics or quality of those 100 watts.

For example, when I tried the Bella Extreme 100 amps or Dodd 120 amps with the HT3's, on some music they sounded excellent and I could listen all day long (i.e. small scale jazz, folk, acoustic rock), but when I wanted to crank it and listen to other music (rock, orchestra, big jazz bands) it simply fell apart and couldn't deliver what I was looking for.

I don't think it is a coincident that the best overall amps I tried with the HT3's had at least 200 watts (and in some cases much more) into 8 ohms on tap.

George

[Philistine]

Hi Guys,

Realistically how would an 100 watt good quality audiophile amplifier sound with these speakers?  83db shouldn't be that hard to drive?

I'd consider a pair in the next few years but my amplifers range from 88watt - 150watts/8ohm.

Regards

Rod

Rod,
I've been driving my HT3's with a Musical Fidelity 500 watt amp - as expected it has no problem driving the speakers.  When I had the MF away for modification I used a Butler 3150, 150 watts, as a replacement - similar to George's findings the Butler was a nice amp but couldn't give me high volume levels with rock music.  Now I'm running a Modwright KWA150, this is amp is a bit of an enigma as it has the deepest most controlled bass I've generated from my HT3's and is still able to simultaneously deliver smooth and sweet high end performance.  The KWA is more than adequate for the HT3's.

My practical conclusion also confirms that the characteristics and quality of the amp is critical and, as 100-150 watts is borderline for the HT3's, then your caution is justified.  I would recommend you get specific feedback on the amps you intend to use.

Phil

[audiotom]

[

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

But sometimes you're lucky and get more than you paid for, like with the HT3's for example. I keep wishing for that kind of luck with an amp that fits my budget.
[/quote]

I was waiting for someone to take the bait

the moscode is a big amp for a small price
the ht3 - you could pay three times as much and not get the same engaging resolution

[zybar]

[

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

But sometimes you're lucky and get more than you paid for, like with the HT3's for example. I keep wishing for that kind of luck with an amp that fits my budget.

I was waiting for someone to take the bait

the moscode is a big amp for a small price
the ht3 - you could pay three times as much and not get the same engaging resolution
[/quote]

Unfortunately, I never found a cheaper amp than the Moscode that I felt was better on the HT3's.

It certainly must exist, but I didn't find it.   

George

[carusoracer]

Great thread, I luv to hear the replies!

I heard several of the amps named above in my rig and while I do not get into ranking I simply like synergy. With that said from what I heard at Akfest the Modwright with the HT3's I suspect is very,very good.

I played with my buddies McIntosh 402 this weekend. Unlimited power in reserve and great control over the TC sounds woofer. The head room was very nice. OTH, we needed to dial it in with a different PC and Isolation platform or devices to get the most out of it. We just could not get enough air out of the top end, but sweet lower mids.
There is no best amp for the HT's only your best preference in sound.
I have had tube.class D, Hybrid and SS. Let your own tastes determine which amp you prefer It's all about the music!

[BrianM]

george's comments are on high end killer amps
costing much more than an ava amp
he's tried a lot of combos in search of audio synergy
so take his recommendations to the bank

Leaving aside the amps and ears in question, all due respect etc, this is frankly just bad advice. The only thing following it seems guaranteed to accomplish is to spend tons of money on an amp. George can have golden ears and all that, but as carusoracer wisely notes it still comes down to your personal preference, not someone else's.  Never take anyone's recommendations to the bank when that kind of money is involved. I've heard differences between components in one listening environment that I did not hear between the same components in a different listening environment.

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

I've heard enough 'high end killer amps' to know that diminishing returns becomes a real factor.  $10000+ amps are almost never twice, or half-again, or 10-20%, better than amps costing half or a third as much. From that point of view, you actually don't get what you pay for.

[zybar]

george's comments are on high end killer amps
costing much more than an ava amp
he's tried a lot of combos in search of audio synergy
so take his recommendations to the bank

Leaving aside the amps and ears in question, all due respect etc, this is frankly just bad advice. The only thing following it seems guaranteed to accomplish is to spend tons of money on an amp. George can have golden ears and all that, but as carusoracer wisely notes it still comes down to your personal preference, not someone else's.  Never take anyone's recommendations to the bank when that kind of money is involved. I've heard differences between components in one listening environment that I did not hear between the same components in a different listening environment.

sorry guys but in many cases
you do get what you pay for

I've heard enough 'high end killer amps' to know that diminishing returns becomes a real factor.  $10000+ amps are almost never twice, or half-again, or 10-20%, better than amps costing half or a third as much. From that point of view, you actually don't get what you pay for.

Brian,

If you read my posts, I have always suggested that people try things for themselves and make decisions based on auditions if at all possible.  Carusoracer knows that very well as we have talked and exchanged e-mails around amplification for the HT3's more times than either of us can remember or probably want to admit.   

I disagree that you can't take somebody's recommendations to the bank.  If you can be confident that the person making the recommendation shares your same likes/dislikes (either by hearing their system, talking to them, etc...), their opinion can be valuable in helping to reduce possible candidates to audition or even buy.  The key is understanding the person's viewpoints and likes/dislikes so you can put everything into the proper context.

We all know that a $10k amp is probably not twice as good as a $5k amp, etc...  what good does it do to continually beat that drum?  For example, I don't believe Audiotom is asking is asking for what we perceive to be the best value...he is asking for opinions around what could be better than his Moscode.  It is up to Audiotom or any other person to apply their own thoughts and criteria to determine the "value" question and whether any amp is worth what it costs.

If people like tvad, arthurs, and alig (all people whose opinion I trust and is meaningful to me) didn't post their thoughts and opinions on the Moscode, I might not have tried it and enjoyed it with my HT3's.

George

[BrianM]

If people like tvad, arthurs, and alig (all people whose opinion I trust and is meaningful to me) didn't post their thoughts and opinions on the Moscode, I might not have tried it and enjoyed it with my HT3's.

Right. That's not what "take it to the bank" means, though.

[BrianM]

The Moscode 401 is a worthy example by the way. I've heard people rave about it, and I've heard of others expressing bewilderment that it costs as much as it does. We agree everyone should listen for themselves. (I have never auditioned it.) My opinion is that unless your room is a very good listening environment, many of the subtleties between expensive amplifiers don't amount to a hill of beans.

[DMurphy]

I've never heard any of these amps, but speaking as an economist...............I know I could get an amp for 1k or a little over that I would be happy with driving the HT3's.  If I really had the option of spending an extra $9000 on something, it would be a better speaker.  I can think of one that Jim makes, or will make shortly,  but there may be others out there as well.