What amp(s) would you buy under $1500

[DaveCan]

If you were to buy, instead of making your own, what amp or integrated amp etc would you put your money down on, for say under $1500 and why(question mark not working) .. Dave

Tube amp or variation, of course..

[kmaier]

That's a tough call, at least from my end. In general, every piece of gear I've looked at the past few decades always caused me to build custom. The causes were multiple that ranged from poor quality construction, substandard parts and circuit design choices that I don't agree with, i.e., compromises which I found cheesy or just design topologies I don't like (SRPP comes to mind as does hybrid stuff). But again, personal likes/dislikes here.

If I were to be forced to buy something, I would probably look for a good kit and do a few substitutions on parts and wire it to my liking. However, there do seem to be some well done gear that many folks agree on, like a Carina (recently heralded on Audiocircles, though I can't comment except to say the outward appearance is very nicely done). Don Garber at Fi does some nice gear... and it's a nice neat layout underneath, good parts too... so he gets kudos.... but it's not cheap stuff.

But.... in your price range you have fewer choices of course. Tough to say here but perhaps pick up something used and revamp it, or commission someone to build you something you like. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Regards, KM

[jduffy]

I'd buy a kit and build it.

You get way more value for your money that way. Plus in building it you can trouble shoot the thing and know how to fix it within minutes.

[Wavebourn]

I would buy a half of Wavebourn Pyramid-V amp

Edit: No, I would add $1500 more and bought a whole thingy...

[DaveCan]

Thanks Km and Jd.. I was thinking more if you couldn't build a kit or your own amp and had to buy something etc..

Will be neat to see the next few offerings come out that he's working on besides the Carina.. I bought my first tube amp 2 years ago now, a Decware Taboo SEP. Pretty happy with it and it sounds nice, some minor fit and finish issue's, but all in all I'm happy. Dave

[DaveCan]

Originally posted by Wavebourn
I would buy a half of Wavebourn Pyramid-V amp

Edit: No, I would add $1500 more and bought a whole thingy...

I believe you know what your talkin about Dave

[vinylkid58]

I'd buy some vintage mono-blocks, or maybe an HK Citation II.

Jeff

[Wavebourn]

Originally posted by DaveCan


I believe you know what your talkin about Dave

Yep.

Stereo, 2xGU-50 output per channel, 80W 20Hz-20KHz per channel, optical anti-clipping compressors. Tested last weekends with my line arrays on a big venue in a park, one lady liked to lick a microphone (it was a large diaphragm condenser, the frequency response was flat so sensitivity was great on couple of feet), but the amp never clipped.

Edit: well, one channel did not clip at all, while another one did: the optical compressor was not properly adjusted on a bench.

[kenpeter]

Original design ST-70, just to have a well
known benchmark for comparison sake.

And maybe a Crown K series or whatever
their top model these days to power a sub.

Could probably afford both, and an active
crossover of some sort on that ticket.

[HollowState]

Originally posted by DaveCan
I was thinking more if you couldn't build a kit or your own amp and had to buy something etc..

Given your price constraint, you can't get much that isn't made in China these days. So I might consider a Cayin A-50T, one of the Prima Lunas or perhaps one of the Ming Da's.