Recommended Power/Int Amp

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powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#1 erstellt: 05. Jan 2006, 13:30
Hi there,

My brother is upgrading his stereo set up & short listed the below power amp & int amps on various points. Now my rqst is among below which one would be best over all quality wise. Music genre..Pop, techno, Jazz & soft rock.

Power amps: (Pre 'll be some valve, name I forgot)
1.Parasound Halo A21 power
2.McCormack DNA125
3.Quad 909

Integrates:
1.Plinius 9200
2.Musical Fidelity A5

Your recommendations are highly appreciated,

rgds
Arj
Inventar
#2 erstellt: 05. Jan 2006, 20:19
which speakers is he using ?
Prithvi
Stammgast
#3 erstellt: 06. Jan 2006, 05:01
Which speakers is he going for?
What is his room size?
Whats his taste of music?
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#4 erstellt: 06. Jan 2006, 06:36
He would be moving to new house & room size apprx 23x15x11.

Present speakers are Paradigm Floors (model I've to check), this is a temporary arrangement. This is one of his freind's who is abroad presently. By next X'mas this freind 'll be back & my bro 'll buy new speakers depending upon the electronics. Likes all music from Indian classical to Rock. However more in to Soft Rock, Pop, Jazz, Techno..

Rgds
Manek
Inventar
#5 erstellt: 06. Jan 2006, 08:46
I'm currently leaning towards Quad 909, McCormack 125 and parasound...in that order...to be honest I dont like the parasound too much.

Manek
abhi.pani
Inventar
#6 erstellt: 06. Jan 2006, 08:52
Plinius should be a good option for all round performance. I havent heard the McCormack and Parasound though. QUAD was quite inclined towards vocals and the MF was somewhat thin sounding.....all of them are quite musical though.
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#7 erstellt: 06. Jan 2006, 13:48
good observations by Abhi & Manek. Though primarily he wished to 've Plimius, as per one of his friend's suggestion auditioned to Quad. As mentioned by Abhi, I came to know that mids/vocals were extraordinaty, but the bottom end wasn't that strong & not that convincing & he got confused totally. Hence I thought of taking the advises from this forum.

rgds
bhagwan69
Inventar
#8 erstellt: 09. Jan 2006, 11:44

Manek schrieb:
I'm currently leaning towards Quad 909, McCormack 125 and parasound...in that order...to be honest I dont like the parasound too much.

Manek


I may beg to disagree;

I like the Parasound the best of the 3.

The Parasound JC-1 is a very very good power amplifier.

I would recommend it very highly.

There is also the option of Primare.
I would like to include this in the list, since it is available in India.

I am currently only suggesting what ever is there in India.

BHAGWAN69
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#9 erstellt: 09. Jan 2006, 12:32
Hi Bhagwan,

Are these Primare comparable to Plinius, McCormack etc or better than these. I've no knowledge about these Primare.
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#10 erstellt: 09. Jan 2006, 12:40
Bhagwan, Also what I understand now is Quads are good in mids & highs but suffers in bottom end. McCormack - it appears even new eqmnts needs tweaks & people after buying straight take it to Steve for his tweaks/upgrades. Some how this is not correct. Plinius - as Abhi mentioned looks like all round performer. Primare - I'm not sure, may be good for Jazz, Vocals? B'cos my brother likes some soft/progressive rock, Pop too..Any advises from your side Sir?
Amp_Nut
Inventar
#11 erstellt: 10. Jan 2006, 10:18
Sorry to churn the water.

You have already short listed the Power Amps.

I am not familiar with the efficiency of the speakers.

Also no mention of what your Stereo priorities are ?
Kick Ass Bass ? Silky mid range ? Fine deatil ? Imaging ? Sound stage and depth ?

If you are willing to compromise just a TOUCH on the 'Kick Ass bass' try a Valve power amp or a Valve integrated.

You could save a pile... and spend it on buying more music, or some lovely single malts,
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#12 erstellt: 10. Jan 2006, 11:58
Hey Amp Nut, Any Valve make you can ref to?
Amp_Nut
Inventar
#13 erstellt: 10. Jan 2006, 16:28
Prima Luna.

If U R in Mumbai, U R welcome for a drink and a listen.

Amp_Nut
Inventar
#14 erstellt: 10. Jan 2006, 17:42
Hey ! I just remembered ...

You are planning to marry a Valve Pre with a Solid State Power Amp.

CAREFUL.

These mixed marriages dont always work

So Listen to the components TOGETHER before putting down any serious money.
Arj
Inventar
#15 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 03:41
for the current speakers do you feel most of these amps might be an overkill ?
Paradigm, for their budget make very goos speakers, but the amps you have mentioned appear to perform to a speakers much higher on the value chain..

so if you have an idea as to what speakers he is going to buy, recommending an amp for that may make more sense.. OR else save this budget and upgrade the amp along with the speakers

All IMHO , of course...

what cdp does he use/plan to use ?
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#16 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 07:48
Dear Amp Nut> you are right, one option was valve pre + SS power. Now after advises from knowledgeable people like you, he wants to try a valve integrated. Though my bro is not a bass junkie, he likes the deep well defined bass. In his opinion, this deep well defined bass is the foundation of the music

Dear ARJ> the speakers he liked (presently) Dyna & ProAc floors. Even my sugestion was to buy the amp & speakers together, so that he 'll get the right match. Though individually eqmnts are of good make, still how do they gell is imp & we 've to try practically. His source is NAD 542. Really valuable advises from you & AmpNut, my sincere thanks to you.

rgds
Amp_Nut
Inventar
#17 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 08:32
Hi Power Supply,

I concur with your brother, Deep and well DEFINED bass is VERY important.

New generation Valve amps DO deliver that. Check out with Patricia Barber or other well recorded discs.

Unfortunately, I feel most audio enthusiasts mistake LOTS of bass as deep bass. Also, more often than not, the lots of bass has little resolution. Can you differentiate different deep bass notes ? That is what I listen to, not just the loudness of the bass note.

Another mistake quite often made ( IMHO ) is that the speakers are often too Large for the room used, resulting in a boomy and ill-resolved bass.

High quality stand mounted speakers, often provide Excellent results in medium ( Typically Indian ? ) rooms.
Manek
Inventar
#18 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 09:26

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Another mistake quite often made ( IMHO ) is that the speakers are often too Large for the room used, resulting in a boomy and ill-resolved bass.

High quality stand mounted speakers, often provide Excellent results in medium ( Typically Indian ? ) rooms.


Couldnt agree with you more....! spot on friend.
benkenobi_redux
Schaut ab und zu mal vorbei
#19 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 09:35
Not quite..if u know room acoustics..u can make it work.
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#20 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 10:03
Hi Amp Nut, I remember he has Paticia's Cafe Blue, some 24 karat gold HDCD disc & he use the tracks like Yellow car, Ode to Billy Joe etc & also use some Chinese drums discs, beside some XRCDs like Mark Knoopler etc..

If new generation valve amps provides the deep & clean bass, then it might be worth auditioning & adding.
ani
Stammgast
#21 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 10:34
Hi Powersupply,

It is interestiing that you hav ementioned of Mark Knopfler XRCD, can you tell me which of his album was it of?

Regards
Anil
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#22 erstellt: 11. Jan 2006, 11:35
"Brothers in Arms" & he also has Dire Straits Sultan of Swings, I think this one is HDCD. He all got it from abroad.
Arj
Inventar
#23 erstellt: 13. Jan 2006, 15:36

powersupply schrieb:

Dear ARJ> the speakers he liked (presently) Dyna & ProAc floors. Even my sugestion was to buy the amp & speakers together, so that he 'll get the right match. Though individually eqmnts are of good make, still how do they gell is imp & we 've to try practically. His source is NAD 542. Really valuable advises from you & AmpNut, my sincere thanks to you.

rgds


If he plans to go the integrates way then I would anyday recomend the plinius. they definitely will do well with the Dyns and the Proacs ! (Or for that matter any other resonable Box speakers as they can handle most loads)

I am not a great fan of Musical Fidelity, not due to sound quality, but due to that fact that they keep changing their models every year..can be pretty confusing.

since you are at that price range, you could also check out the Sugden A21SE as well.
benkenobi_redux
Schaut ab und zu mal vorbei
#24 erstellt: 13. Jan 2006, 16:13

Arj schrieb:

since you are at that price range, you could also check out the Sugden A21SE as well.


I would prefer the Sugden over the Plinius.
benkenobi_redux
Schaut ab und zu mal vorbei
#25 erstellt: 13. Jan 2006, 16:15

Arj schrieb:




I am not a great fan of Musical Fidelity, not due to sound quality, but due to that fact that they keep changing their models every year..can be pretty confusing.


Its my opinion that MF is a lot of hocus pocus.
More of placebos than anything.
bhagwan69
Inventar
#26 erstellt: 22. Feb 2006, 05:53
[quote="benkenobi_redux"][quote="Arj"]

Its my opinion that MF is a lot of hocus pocus.
More of placebos than anything.[/quote]

I would tend to agree;

No MF for me.

However, the prices of MF products in India are very very good and competative. The only thing from their stable I like is their [MF] CD Player.
Audio People sell MF. The Aragon Palladium is a good amplifier to consider - Mid Fi.

BHAGWAN69
Arj
Inventar
#27 erstellt: 22. Feb 2006, 07:54

bhagwan69 schrieb:
The only thing from their stable I like is their [MF] CD Player.


BHAGWAN69


my experience is also very similiar.. in fact IMHO their dacS ARE IMHO very much in the top league at their respective price points. very smooth and detailed as a DAc should be..
bhagwan69
Inventar
#28 erstellt: 22. Feb 2006, 15:55

powersupply schrieb:
Hi Bhagwan,

Are these Primare comparable to Plinius, McCormack etc or better than these. I've no knowledge about these Primare.


Cannot compare the 2.

It is not right to even put them in the same sentence.

The Primare is way way ahead of the McCormack.

The Plinus too is good. But not worth the money !!

The Primare is very very good value for money amplifier.

BHAGWAN69

P.S. I have a close friend of mine that has a Legacy Audio Power Amplifier for sale @ 70/- K. If you are interested, do PM me.
square_wave
Inventar
#29 erstellt: 23. Feb 2006, 13:04

bhagwan69 schrieb:

powersupply schrieb:
Hi Bhagwan,

Are these Primare comparable to Plinius, McCormack etc or better than these. I've no knowledge about these Primare.


Cannot compare the 2.

It is not right to even put them in the same sentence.

The Primare is way way ahead of the McCormack.

The Plinus too is good. But not worth the money !!

The Primare is very very good value for money amplifier.

BHAGWAN69

P.S. I have a close friend of mine that has a Legacy Audio Power Amplifier for sale @ 70/- K. If you are interested, do PM me.


Hi Bhagwan,
Why do you rate Mc-cormacks so low compared to Primare ? I have heard one Primare integrated amp and it sounded pretty good. Very refined, warm, detailed and musical. I have not heard Mc Cormacks. Just curious.
bhagwan69
Inventar
#30 erstellt: 23. Feb 2006, 15:22
Well Square Wave - fortunately for you, both those products are being distributed by the same person - Sound Smiths. I strongly suggest you pay their Showroom - Ritz Hotel - a visit & do an 'A' / 'B' for your self.
Things will really get very very clear !! Trust me;
square_wave
Inventar
#31 erstellt: 24. Feb 2006, 06:38
I am in Bangalore Bhagwan. I don’t think I’ll be traveling to Mumbai anytime soon. I was just curious to know about your observations.
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#32 erstellt: 24. Feb 2006, 08:23
let it be any brand, always it's better to audition/AB it & decide according to the taste.
powersupply
Ist häufiger hier
#33 erstellt: 25. Feb 2006, 07:51
How is Legacy Audio power amp? Has any one in the forum listened to it? I heard they are very very powerful but sonically & musicality wise is it comparable to like McCormack, Plinius, Quad etc..
Arj
Inventar
#34 erstellt: 25. Feb 2006, 10:47
if you ignore the brqnd name, there are thousands of amps out there which will meet your sound ideals. one reason folks recomend branded names is because of the "house sound" and hence easy to recommend.
If the brand name is not that common, you would definitely need to audition it....
I have heard of legacy audio, but have never heard one (arent they US based ?)
bhagwan69
Inventar
#35 erstellt: 26. Feb 2006, 14:59

powersupply schrieb:
How is Legacy Audio power amp? Has any one in the forum listened to it? I heard they are very very powerful but sonically & musicality wise is it comparable to like McCormack, Plinius, Quad etc..


Legacy's Power Amplifiers are good VFM Power Amplifiers - Mid-Fi.
http://www.legacy-audio.com/2004/front.html
They are primarily a speaker manufacturer.
However, they also made power amplifiers.
One of their electronics person [I forget his name now] was an ex Coda Continium person. He had made the power amplifiers & pre amplifiers.

I have heard them.

I prefer them [Legacy] to Quad [Solid State] & to McCormack. But the Plinius is a better amplifier.
It is not right to talk about the 4 brands in the same breath.

I would put them in this order :-

1] McCormack
2] Quad
3] Legacy
4] Plinius



Regards,

BHAGWAN69
stevieboy
Stammgast
#36 erstellt: 27. Feb 2006, 06:56

#29 created: Feb 23. 2006, 13:04        quote    PM    Mail  




bhagwan69 wrote:




powersupply wrote:

Hi Bhagwan,

Are these Primare comparable to Plinius, McCormack etc or better than these. I've no knowledge about these Primare.


Cannot compare the 2.

It is not right to even put them in the same sentence.

The Primare is way way ahead of the McCormack.

The Plinus too is good. But not worth the money !!

The Primare is very very good value for money amplifier.

BHAGWAN69

P.S. I have a close friend of mine that has a Legacy Audio Power Amplifier for sale @ 70/- K. If you are interested, do PM me.


Hi Bhagwan,
Why do you rate Mc-cormacks so low compared to Primare ? I have heard one Primare integrated amp and it sounded pretty good. Very refined, warm, detailed and musical. I have not heard Mc Cormacks. Just curious


hi square wave,

there's a lot more 'curious' stuff afoot. read my latest post. come to your own conclusions.
square_wave
Inventar
#37 erstellt: 28. Feb 2006, 07:28
Yup stevieboy, things are looking a bit fishy………I guess I should come to my own conclusions.
Suche:
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