New Amplifier

I'm thinking of buying a new amp. I've sold most of my vintage amplification--just dont' have the skills to open them up and replace old caps, clean old pots, and give them all the TLC they deserve (and they were starting to get more noisy and less clean sounding with age). I know, sacrilege, but it was getting really frustrating having them gradually deteriorate and not knowing how to refurbish them. Does anyone out there know if the new Marantz amps (and receivers) are still "good"? Or, are there any other solid state amps that are currently being manufactured that anyone cares to recommend that would work well with high efficiency Altecs? I'm currently considering integrated amplifiers and haven't ruled out receivers (I know, a "funny" move to make after SO many years of separate pre-amps, power amps, and tuners)..... Any suggestions would be appreciated--both "affordable" (like Marantz?) and not?

Before buying new, you may want to check these people out. They may be in your neck of the woods. If you have any vintage pieces left that need repair/modding, these are the guys. Now & again they have units available for resale, also.
They've done wonders with a couple NAD amps I use.
Stereo Repair - In House Service Company

I went here and from his feedback It looks like I won't be sorry.
IRebuildMarantz: Service and Policies

Click on the blue Marantz top left of page takes you to the homepage then go to feedback in the tabs at the top.
Go Marantz Buddy and I bet you won't be sorry. my little 16 watter practically lifted the house off it's foundation.
It's a sound like no other. although I've never heard a tube amp If I had to describe the Marantz sound I'd say it's tube like.

He's got a nice 2238 coming up soon. I got the super mod listed at the bottom of the listing too.
http://www.irebuildmarantz.com/catal...roducts_id=136

Thanks both of you for the advice. I actually have a friend who has worked at Ashly Audio here in Rochester for years and years and he has refurbished vintage amps for me since the 90's -- stuff like Dynaco PAS-3x, Dynaco Stereo 70, Dynaco Stereo 120, PAT 5 and other various Dyanco's---Phase Linear 4000 Pre Amp and Phase Linear 400 Power Amp, Crown pre amp and power amp etc. etc. etc. But with three Altec systems in the house, I just don't have the patience any more. He'll refurbish something for me, and a few years later something else on it will go or pots will be noisy again or I'll hear a new hum or noise or eventually notice it doesn't sound as clean as it once did etc. etc. and I just don't have the patience to keep up with all of these vintage pieces even if a refurb. on one of them lasts several years--with separate components in three separate systems it was a lot of vintage gear to "stay ahead of" (and I don't know how to do it myself) so I sold most of it and I really want to try something brand new to see how long it lasts before I start swearing at it! So, back to my original question, anyone have any recommendations as far as who still makes "good" solid state amplifiers or receivers--is the current Marantz stuff still good for example? Should I stay away from what they're pushing at my local Stereo Shop--stuff like Onkyo and Yamaha? I'm afraid that stuff might not be up there with what I'm used to hearing but there's no way to know by auditioning them on their NON ALTEC speakers that they sell there! (I don't like Denon by the way--tried one once several years ago...... )

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I actually have a friend who has worked at Ashly Audio here in Rochester for years and years and he has refurbished vintage amps for me since the 90's

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Any reason you haven't gone with an Ashly amp?

I love FET's, i own several, including examples of the FET-200, FET-500, FET-1000M, and FET-2000M.

If fan noise is a worry, hunt yourself down a CFT-1800.

The company your friend works for builds excellent product, and offers excellent customer service long after the sale.

The problem with vintage equipment is that if you keep putting off fixing stuff that breaks, eventually, it's all dead. You might want to consider doing what I have done waiting to find someone to fix my vintage broken junk. Rat Shack $100 100 wpc receivers and $60 15 band equalizers. I have bought two pairs, they sound fine playing my Fusion electric music threw my Peavey T300's or little Jensen towers with Optimus passive sub, and when they die, oh well.:)

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Originally Posted by voice of the theater

Thanks both of you for the advice. I actually have a friend who has worked at Ashly Audio here in Rochester for years and years and he has refurbished vintage amps for me since the 90's -- stuff like Dynaco PAS-3x, Dynaco Stereo 70, Dynaco Stereo 120, PAT 5 and other various Dyanco's---Phase Linear 4000 Pre Amp and Phase Linear 400 Power Amp, Crown pre amp and power amp etc. etc. etc. But with three Altec systems in the house, I just don't have the patience any more. He'll refurbish something for me, and a few years later something else on it will go or pots will be noisy again or I'll hear a new hum or noise or eventually notice it doesn't sound as clean as it once did etc. etc. and I just don't have the patience to keep up with all of these vintage pieces even if a refurb. on one of them lasts several years--with separate components in three separate systems it was a lot of vintage gear to "stay ahead of" (and I don't know how to do it myself) so I sold most of it and I really want to try something brand new to see how long it lasts before I start swearing at it! So, back to my original question, anyone have any recommendations as far as who still makes "good" solid state amplifiers or receivers--is the current Marantz stuff still good for example? Should I stay away from what they're pushing at my local Stereo Shop--stuff like Onkyo and Yamaha? I'm afraid that stuff might not be up there with what I'm used to hearing but there's no way to know by auditioning them on their NON ALTEC speakers that they sell there! (I don't like Denon by the way--tried one once several years ago...... )

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I read somewhere that at one point Marantz changed up and it wasn't as good, but that was just some internet conjecture so I wouldn't put a lot of beliefe in it. Like I've been saying that Harmon Kardon I bought seems gutless compared to my Marantz so if anything else I'd stay away from HK's too.
Wishing you luck with what ever you go with....I've heard good things about Onkyo's but their prices reflect that opinion. And I was on a receiver review site and there was a Yamaha with 5 stars 10 out of 10 rating.

Here I found the site I was on with all the ratings.
http://www.testfreaks.com/a-v-receivers/

I feel your pain.

I was in the same boat a few months ago. It was nearly impossible to find a stereo amp and nothing satisfied me.

People are not into audio like they were in the 70's. They go to Best Buy now. Most of these new amps are geared for surround sound, tiny speakers and a sub.

Cradeldorf hit it on the head, the new amps are gutless, they have no soul. The only thing I could hear in person that came close was a McIntosh MA-7000. I liked it but I cannot bring myself to paying $7,000.00 for an amp, especially when I only thought it sounded "as good" and those knobs felt like crap. I know, they explained why, but I love the ultra smooth feel of the old ones. The weight on the back of my tuning knob weighs more than some of the new amps.

I did some research, found a good shop and told them "Do whatever it takes." and gave the guy a $50 tip up front.

I'm glad I did! Couldn't be happier. I love the old beast and so do my Altecs.

I sure do miss all the audio speciality shops we had in the 70's. :Broken heart:

Good luck with your search!

I suspect like everything else the quality has dropped in exchange for corporate greed. The scumbags buy up the name and get rich buy exploiting it with inferior products.

Now if you'd like a "If you have to ask you can't afford it" type of amp try this.
( Caution) Just for drooling purposes only.

http://www.krellonline.com/

There was a pair of the 900E's on ebay a while back for 30 grand. :/
yep still there.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...All-Categories
Each 900e is 175 lbs....wow!!!

OK, a friend of mine just recommended that I check out an NAD integrated amp.

C 326BEE Stereo Integrated Amplifier - NAD Electronics

I downloaded the manual on this webpage and the specs are impressive:
.004% THD
Signal/Noise Ratio IHF > 100dB A weighted
Frequency Response +/- .1 dB 20-20,000
Yeah, the specs are nice but anyone ever heard one of these or have an opinion on NAD in general?

How important is .0000005% amp distortion? Let's see, Distortion; microphone; 10% LP's; 10%. speakers; 10%. Human hearing; 10%. I'm just throwing out #'s but what the heck, how bad can .1% be for an amp?

the pass labs designs work well with 'west-coast' speakers.

something like this -

Pass/Thagard A75 (Class A Amplifier) | eBay

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Originally Posted by voice of the theater

Yeah, the specs are nice but anyone ever heard one of these or have an opinion on NAD in general?

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i have an early NAD preamp.

the 1020.

works rather well.

better than mid-fi

The NAD stuff is pretty good. If it's in your budget, and you can find it, check out the Luxman brand. It's a small Japanese brand of almost affordable quality.

Someday someone here will check into the Odyssey Audio. Call us (317) 299 5578. IN, USA. line of solid state amps.
I've had mine for ~three years and they are fantastic. Klaus Bunge is the owner and when I lived in Indy
he stopped by...helped me set em up...very hard woking guy. I love tube amps, but I like these amps a lot
and they ALWAYS sound the same. ;)

Taking the NAD as indicative of your budget I did a little web searching. This post, even though it is a year old, could steer you in the right direction. Some of the models mentioned may now be available at clearance prices.

Newb needs a new amp in the $500 range. - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums

Cheers, Marshall.

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Originally Posted by voice of the theater

OK, a friend of mine just recommended that I check out an NAD integrated amp.

C 326BEE Stereo Integrated Amplifier - NAD Electronics

I downloaded the manual on this webpage and the specs are impressive:
.004% THD
Signal/Noise Ratio IHF > 100dB A weighted
Frequency Response +/- .1 dB 20-20,000
Yeah, the specs are nice but anyone ever heard one of these or have an opinion on NAD in general?

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I'm kinda a firm believer in you get what you pay for and when I look at the prices of the NAD stuff on ebay.....: /

FIRST WATT HOME

GM

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Originally Posted by GM

FIRST WATT HOME

GM

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I agree....find yourself a good valve amp & you'll really hear what Altecs can do!!!
If you can run to a Conrad Johnson you won't do better & it'll be the last amp you ever buy.

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Originally Posted by VolvoHeretic

How important is .0000005% amp distortion? Let's see, Distortion; microphone; 10% LP's; 10%. speakers; 10%. Human hearing; 10%. I'm just throwing out #'s but what the heck, how bad can .1% be for an amp?

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Depends if you want to hear distortion or music.

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Originally Posted by cradeldorf

I'm kinda a firm believer in you get what you pay for

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i tend to agree, and yet -

Look what was in the dumpster.... <link

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and when I look at the prices of the NAD stuff on ebay.....: /

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new acoustic dimension/nad stuff was voiced for the British market,

and not advertised in the usa as much ...



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and these too -

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...of-the-century

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better than mid-fi

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I'll admit that i really liked the sound of the 5 or 6 NAD components i've owned.

But, NAD probably has about the worst track record for reliability and longevity of any vintage mid-fi gear i've owned. Upper end of mid-fi, but it's mid-fi based on original MSRP alone.

My .02 is that the build quality is well below par compared to the sound quality, especially with the earlier stuff. Sadly, it's the earlier stuff that i think sounds best.

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If you can run to a Conrad Johnson you won't do better & it'll be the last amp you ever buy.

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Maybe for some. My CJ's are long gone. The Mac and Krell won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Nor will the very mid-fi Hitachi mosfets as they shine above several amplifiers costing thousands more.

Firstwatt, now that's another story, you can be sure there's an F5 on my short list.

Now if y'all want a sobering laugh, check out the Lepai LP2020A+ tripath amp at less than 25 bucks new. I took one out of the box about 3 weeks ago and haven't really listened to anything else since, it's first few watts are "that" good. Never before have my ears been in such conflict with the rest of my sensibilities. It sounds better than many of the amplifiers i've owned, solid or variable state. This isn't a recommendation for the amp so much as just another suggestion to shop around and use your ears to form your own opinions.

Some of my biggest disappointments in audio have been with blind(on my part) purchases of gear that is coveted, raved about, and highly recommended by the masses. HPM100's anyone?

I'll say it again. Luxman, if it's in the budget. New it's very pricey but there are some deals to be had on slightly used. Good stuff, very solid.

Yeah, Luxman was the 'poor' man's McIntosh way back when, but my ears found reconditioned Mac gear of similar price the better choice overall. Wonder if that's still the case...........

GM

Hard to say, GM. I haven't A/B'd them. The new McIntosh stuff is very nice, what I've heard at shows. $$$ tho. But so is the Luxman stuff.

Yeah, both are now probably forever well beyond this retiree's budget like so many others that didn't plan for the incredible increase in high level corruption in the past decade or so.

GM

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Originally Posted by bowtie427ss

I'll admit that i really liked the sound of the 5 or 6 NAD components i've owned.

But, NAD probably has about the worst track record for reliability and longevity of any vintage mid-fi gear i've owned. Upper end of mid-fi, but it's mid-fi based on original MSRP alone.

My .02 is that the build quality is well below par compared to the sound quality, especially with the earlier stuff. Sadly, it's the earlier stuff that i think sounds best.

Maybe for some. My CJ's are long gone. The Mac and Krell won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Nor will the very mid-fi Hitachi mosfets as they shine above several amplifiers costing thousands more.

Firstwatt, now that's another story, you can be sure there's an F5 on my short list.

Now if y'all want a sobering laugh, check out the Lepai LP2020A+ tripath amp at less than 25 bucks new. I took one out of the box about 3 weeks ago and haven't really listened to anything else since, it's first few watts are "that" good. Never before have my ears been in such conflict with the rest of my sensibilities. It sounds better than many of the amplifiers i've owned, solid or variable state. This isn't a recommendation for the amp so much as just another suggestion to shop around and use your ears to form your own opinions.

Some of my biggest disappointments in audio have been with blind(on my part) purchases of gear that is coveted, raved about, and highly recommended by the masses. HPM100's anyone?

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Thanks Bowtie..... I really enjoy reading your posts.
Good to see someone has the guts to tell it like it is without concern for what the "audiophiles" and magazines say.

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Originally Posted by GM

Yeah, both are now probably forever well beyond this retiree's budget like so many others that didn't plan for the incredible increase in high level corruption in the past decade or so.

GM

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So true and no end in sight.

Pano, I purchased a new Luxman R 1050 receiver in the early '80s. I still have it and won't part with it. A very smooth sounding amp. I see that Luxman are back into tube gear with one model openly paying due to the Mullard design which it emulates.

If you're looking for just a replacement amplifying device, your connection with Ashley seems the best bet. Assuming you have a preamp available, the First Watt stuff is a good choice. I have one F5 on my CD's and am building another for the woofers. In fact, last week, I finished building an F5 for a buddy and had two of these amps in the system at one point. Really a nice sounding amp.

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Originally Posted by mah

Pano, I purchased a new Luxman R 1050 receiver in the early '80s. I still have it and won't part with it.

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Cool! I've always found it to be carefully designed, well built and good sounding gear. Nice to know that it lasts.

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If you're looking for just a replacement amplifying device, your connection with Ashley seems the best bet.

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I don't think this can be over-emphasized. Nearly any of their entries will hold it's own against many "hifi" amplifiers.

ASHLY MOSFETS CFT-1800 STEREO BALANCED AND BRIDGEABLE POWER AMP | eBay

Remember when searching, they don't spell it with an "E".

Very nice amp, but I have to ask - how much power do you really need?

With my A5s I need 5 watts (RMS) to get all the average and peak level I want. Really, I've measured it. In a much bigger room the power requirements would go way up, of course.

Wow! Lots of great info/recommendations/links here! Thanks all--I'll have to do some serious research/surfing/and listening when possible (some of this stuff is available for me to demo locally).......

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Originally Posted by Panomaniac

Very nice amp, but I have to ask - how much power do you really need?

With my A5s I need 5 watts (RMS) to get all the average and peak level I want. Really, I've measured it. In a much bigger room the power requirements would go way up, of course.

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Good question. With my Model 19's, they are deafening at well under 10 watts per channel. So, I don't really need much more than that--although (more just for peace of mind than anything else) I want to stay with something at least 50 to 75 watts per channel for headroom--again, I'm sure I don't really even need that much but that's what I'm used to these days (75 wpc currently).....

I want to avoid a situation I was in back in the 90's. I had a (decent sized) studio apartment with all original A7's (factory cabs and stock drivers) for my stereo speakers (and I cranked my keyboards, vocals, guitars etc. through them when mixing band recordings and doing overdubs at home). I still remember the girl across the hall banging on my door at 2 a.m. saying something like "I can't believe you're singing at 2 am!!!!". I was really young and really oblivious I guess... My older brother had turned me on to Altecs over 10 years earlier--there was a bar in Brockport NY that had A7's for PA and they were like a beacon of light/holy grail to me (and him)--the set up (soundboard etc.) was amazing and it was the clearest, most detailed sound I'd heard in my life--even when played loudly. Anyways, back in my studio apartment I had a Phase Linear 4000 pre-amp (which I LOVED) connected to a Phase Linear 400 power amp. It would have been appropriate amplification for much less efficient speakers in a much larger room, but in that apartment, I could barely even touch the volume control and it was deafening. My friend as Ashly had to put a new (differently calibrated?) volume pot on the Phase 4000 so I could turn the volume up at least to 1/4 volume without blowing the windows out of the place. He explained (and I could hear) that the original preamp pot wouldn't track accurately (I think that's the term he used) if I had it set at it's VERY lowest range. Of course there were no numbers on it, but if the preamp volume had been numbered 1 to 10, I had it set at .1 (one tenth! barely above 0) and it was deafening until he put the new pot in for me. Not to mention, even when the pre-amp was turned all the way down, there was hiss from the power missmatch (using a 400 watt amp with speakers that need one watt to be very loud). I know Ashly and many other manufacturers now have volume (sensitivity?) controls on their power amps (which I'm sure would help with the noise floor in my situation), but I'm leery of buying another 400 watt monster for home hi fi use. Been there, done that........ Again, thanks everyone for all the input--I can see I've got my work cut out for me. I'm not going to settle for mid or lo fi--that would be an insult to my Altecs....

Are you set on Solid State, or would tube gear be acceptable? Sounds like you want to stay as trouble free as possible, so tubes may not be the way to go. But a nice EL34 push-pull would sound very nice and have all the power you need. ;)

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Originally Posted by bowtie427ss

HPM100's anyone?

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component interaction makes a large contribution to the resulting sound.

like this -

AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Hpm 100

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component interaction makes a large contribution to the resulting sound.

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Agreed, this could be said for most loudspeakers excepting the ones that sound like crap regardless, and there is no shortage of those.

An interesting and enlightening post, i always appreciate what John has to offer.

Consider that i may from time to time exaggerate and bloat my dislike for the 100's:D much like others proclaim their universal love for them while having very limited exposure to other loudspeakers. I've been exposed to many loudspeakers and still, my lack of love for the 100's exists. Pioneer made better, IMO. I could much more easily be "sold" on the virtues of the HPM-200 or even 1100.

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Originally Posted by Panomaniac

Are you set on Solid State, or would tube gear be acceptable? Sounds like you want to stay as trouble free as possible, so tubes may not be the way to go. But a nice EL34 push-pull would sound very nice and have all the power you need. ;)

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I may consider tube gear -- I've owned some before and liked it. I can't say I prefer tubes however, I like "good" solid state too. I've owned a Dynaco PAS 3X and Stereo 70--that's the extent of my experience with tubes. Not state of the art, but that little combo sounded great and had plenty of punch to drive my Altecs. I used them to drive the Model 9's I owned at the time---3 way Altecs--same woofer as Model 15's, with a cone midrange and a tweeter. They actually were nice sounding Altecs--but everything sounded good on them--they weren't very revealing. Everything sounded good on them, but nothing sounded "amazing" if you know what I mean so they probably weren't the best speakers to make a critical evaluation of the tube Dynacos or to compare them to solid state...... I'm leaning toward solid state, but replacing tubes every several years is not a big deal for me--I've done it before and I do know how to plug in a tube! ;)

I'm pretty happy with my little 4 watt 6V6 amp. Of course I have to fool with, put in a different input tube, screw with the bias and power supply, etc. But that's for fun. Some day soon I'll build a KT88 singled ended. Should really sing on the Altecs.

In about a week I can give you a review on a totally rebuilt marantz. ; )

Don't wait to tell us what you bought.