All time Amplifier - what say you?
A question posed to me this morning. Got me thinking, what could qualify as possibly the best amplifier ever? That would have to include a lot of criteria, obviously, right? McIntosh 30's or 60's? Conrad Johnson MV-75a1? Bedini 25/25? Gas Ampzilla? Manley Ref 150's? Golden Tube Audio SE-40? This list could go on forever.
Then I thought about what makes an amp great. A lot of things. Affordable. Reliable. Parts / tweeks readily available. Clean output. Good sound. Decent power and headroom.
My vote for the all time Amplifier - The Dynaco ST70. Why maybe not best in any of the criteria above, I feel it excells in all catagories. It's been around for ages, parts are everywhere (you can even buy new kits now), tons of mods, easy to tube and bias, will drive most speakers to a reasonable level, and you can pick them up for a song.
Discuss.....
Cheers,
Russ
Other favorites include: The Nelson Pass First Watt amps, McIntosh MC30, MC275, Conrad Johnson MV-50 and Premier 350, Threshold 400A and 4000A. This new Devialet looks to be pretty special too....
http://www.tom-morrow-land.com/tests/ampchall/index.htm
Kevin
Among the amps that left a lasting impression on me over the years include:
Marantz 9s
cj Premier 1
Amber 70
ARC M100
Jadis JA80
Rowland Model 12
VAC Rennaissance 140
WAVAC 833 (with right speakers)
I don't think this is the place to discuss the ABX Clark crapola. It's been beaten to death like dead horse.
Also was thinking more of "classic amplifiers" being of the older variety gear. But yes, the cj ART may go down as a cj "classic" just like their ART preamp (while I haven't heard it in my system, I've also been equally impressed with the ARC 610T). The ART amp does an amazing job driving the new ML Summit Xs, in fact far better than I ever expected.
That's why I said the best tend to be the one we own ;)
AudioNote Onganku
Art Audio Jota
McIntosh MC275s
Mark Levinson Monoblock Towers (I don't remember the model number but it was in the mid to late 90s)
