Total agreement with that one ... the NAD 3020 was my first " proper" amp linked to a pair of Heybrook HB 1's and a Pioneer turntable.... followed by my first " upgrade " the Cyrus One another amp that deserves a place in the Hall of Fame.
Do modules count? (They're commercial, after all). The most I've been impressed by a non-DIY amp is a Hypex 180 running with their 200W switching supply. I got the modules for some distortion measuring/null cancelling work. I expected all kinds of uglies, being the dreaded "class D", but the amps never ever do anything wrong, no matter what kind of dumb fumblefingered things I've done with them connected. Also they did the best of the amps I tested with DiffMaker, basically nothing but some low-level noise after the null.
Not necessarily in order of preference:
Marantz 8B,5 and 2.
HK Citation II output transformer (2 per channel) based DIY balanced tube amps.
DIY Plitron specialist series based CFB balanced tube amps with zero global NFB.
ML No. 331 recapped power supply electrolytics.
ML No. 434
Bryston 2B SST2 and 4B SST2
Marantz 8B,5 and 2.
HK Citation II output transformer (2 per channel) based DIY balanced tube amps.
DIY Plitron specialist series based CFB balanced tube amps with zero global NFB.
ML No. 331 recapped power supply electrolytics.
ML No. 434
Bryston 2B SST2 and 4B SST2
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Are you kidding ??
I don't sell any amps.
I have had 3K$ genesis stealth Class A amps , various Harmon Kardon's right up to
the $2K HK-990 .....many $200 - 1K japanese amps and a few Parasound unit's.
BUT , Vzaichenko's amps and the Slewmaster/Badger projects here in the forums
have more "grunt" .... can be abused more and sound just one "notch" better than all
those OEM's.
If these forum amps are overbuilt and attention is paid to their construction - we
beat all these OEM's - without a doubt. Not even in the same realm.
PS - the "sound" is mainly subjective ... The HK680 I own - it's like it is not even
there. At >100W my Slewmaster walks all over it ("GRUNT").
The HK990 I repaired is close (transparent) , but still falls short. To even compare
a tiny NAD3020 is a joke - to an amp that can pop out 500W peaks. Evan C. (with his 5 pair Sanken 500W slewmaster) - has a 1KW 30 part per million "alien amp".
These present Forum amps have anything Y'all buy in a store shamed BIG TIME !!
OS
OS
I don't sell any amps.
I have had 3K$ genesis stealth Class A amps , various Harmon Kardon's right up to
the $2K HK-990 .....many $200 - 1K japanese amps and a few Parasound unit's.
BUT , Vzaichenko's amps and the Slewmaster/Badger projects here in the forums
have more "grunt" .... can be abused more and sound just one "notch" better than all
those OEM's.
If these forum amps are overbuilt and attention is paid to their construction - we
beat all these OEM's - without a doubt. Not even in the same realm.
PS - the "sound" is mainly subjective ... The HK680 I own - it's like it is not even
there. At >100W my Slewmaster walks all over it ("GRUNT").
The HK990 I repaired is close (transparent) , but still falls short. To even compare
a tiny NAD3020 is a joke - to an amp that can pop out 500W peaks. Evan C. (with his 5 pair Sanken 500W slewmaster) - has a 1KW 30 part per million "alien amp".
These present Forum amps have anything Y'all buy in a store shamed BIG TIME !!
OS
OS
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