You Favorite Stereo Amplifier

[jenson]

well, pretty cheesy title..pardon me if this has been done before.

The aim is to create a thread where users here can post their gear related details with a brief back ground on their musical taste and the amp's auditioned before they zeroed in on current set up.

Would be great if we could comply with the following format

Stereo Amplifier in use:
Speakers it's paired with:
Cables:
Musical Preferences:
Any other Gear that you use which contributes in a significant manner:
Best Amplifier you auditioned but couldn't go for it because of high rate:

would be even great if you could post the current price or the price you paid for your gear. the intent is to get an idea and not a materialistic view..

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I'm fond of the one that I've got, and will be happy to keep it while it lives. It is a Cyrus III (there might be an 'i' after that; I forget) and was a happy half-price ex-demo bargain (GBP300: I could not have dreamt of spending the full GBP600 on an amp!) nearly ten years ago. When and if the worst happens, I'd buy another Cyrus without even listening to it, if I had to. Customer satisfaction.

Speakers are another British make: Castle Severn II. I'd been auditioning amps a year or so before buying the Cyrus, and bought the speakers instead!

Cables, I don't give priority, Entry level stuff, but not the cheapo wires that come with 'ordinary' kit. Speaker cables: just... thick enough. Bi-wired, in fact, joined at the speaker end. Richer Sounds slightly-above-entry-level. Terminated, free, for me by the place where I bought the Cyrus, as it needs a specific plug --- which was nice of them.

Musical taste: clean sound, but not too cold, balanced not bassy... carnatic classical, western classical, grateful dead!

 

[moktan]

speakers- audire callisto- rear loaded horns with fostex 166e drivers- price about 30K (the company has since stopped making these speakers)
amp- red wine signature 30.2 (bought here in this forum for 60K, i think)
source - lap top + musica int NOS dac (with tiny tubes) ..price about 15K ..
interconnects - TCI Viper bought in this forum at 4K
speaker cable - from Designer Audio about 12 feet each with spade termination which came with the speaker
music-mostly jazz.....
(i am extremely happy with the above configuration but keeping my options open for Rethm Trishna speakers. would like to upgrade on the DAC too. however. the upgrades aren't in the pipeline. they more in the realm of pipe dreams.)

for the little rock i listen to i have...

source - marantz 6002 (bought from dubai at about 11K INR)
amplifier- nad 325 bee (lakozy at about 22k i think)
speakers- mordaunt short avant 902i (bought from some bloke in Bombay, but i forget the price..could be 16K? i don't remember exactly)
IC- cambridge audio pacific (i think 2K...or something like that)
speaker cable- thick copper strand with no name bought by a friend from SKS traders Kolkata and borrowed by me and never bothered to return ....

 

[jenson]

ill go with mine.. pretty basic, but tight set up within reasonable budget..

Amplifier: Pulz RS 250 (60+60), Pulz Pre Amp (got it for under 15k combined from Pulz)
Cables: basic..
Speakers: Pandam Satellites (two way) + Pandam passive subwoofer which has 2 speakers of the same dimension as the satellites mid driver.. (i think i paid INR 6500 for the subs and INR 7000 for the satellites..
source: pretty basic dvd player

total cost: 28300

Music: Yes, Duran Duran, Pink Floyd, Tool, Dream Theater, Radiohead, erykah badu, BEP, panic at the disco, the killers, franz ferdinand, lee ritenour, paco de lucia, George Michael, van halen, A-ha...et al..

this has been my setup for the last 7 years..and it still serves me wonderfully. i believe it's one the best combinations to start up with. may not be the best for Jazz and Symphonies...but is definitely very much the type of system for "club" like or pop feel. extremely good for trance to pop to metal to progressive metal.

on the plus side, watching movies too is a delight..

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I've mentioned what I have, and remain very happy with (and I still remember the unmistakable change in sound quality when I took the Sherwood out and connected up the Cyrus) but then, there's (within my limited hifi experience) what I've always fancied.

Off the top of my head, two things come to mind: the massive stuff from Chord Electronics, and some of the stuff from Musical Fidelity Since they introduced the budget V series, I'm actually able to own an MF phono pre-amp!

Then there's the crazy thing I'm yearning after at the moment: a $2,000 headphone amp: the http://spl.info/hardware/kopfhoererverstaerker/phonitor/kurzinfo.html!

 

[reubensm]

Stereo Amplifier in use: Nad 106 Preamp + NAD 216thx Poweramp
Speakers it's paired with: BPL 700T floorstanders
Cables: Stock OEM cables, that came with the speakers
Source: Marantz CD63SE, Nakamichi DR3, Technics SL3200 with Shure M44-7, NAD 402
Musical Preferences: Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, Country

This has been my setup for nearly 4 years now and it sounds quite musical. I've come across other NAD amplifiers but have always decided to stay with this setup. The BPL Speakers, although pretty much unheard off are damn good and can match some of the big brands.

On the wish list, its always been the NAD 3020 (could have easily bought one over the years but somehow decided against it and stuck with my NAD 106/216thx combo)

 

[ranjeetrain]

It's funny how things can go in your life. After shuffling through a lot of expensive amps and speakers now I have settled for a low profile affair. Please don't laugh, but out of six odd different setups I have right now my favorite rig is my semi portable rig. It comprises of a no brand China made 25 wpc SET amp and Avance Labs Omega 23 loudspeakers. Cables are all 4Ns low key affair. I use this rig to listen to light music, viz Pop, Country, Reggae, Folk and Bollywood. The best sound I ever heard from system under INR 50k. It scales pretty well with any source I hook it up to. Heck, it sounds decent even hooked to a Samsung Galaxy Note as source.

 

[Shivam]

Stereo Amplifier : NAD C 375BEE integrated.
Speakers : Wharfedale 10.7, Wharfedale 10.1 (Second room)

I tried out the NAD pre/power combination, NAD's C 326BEE, Musical Fidelity A3.5 integrated and from HK, Marantz, Arcam FMJ and a few others. Unfortunately I could not try them all out at one place and with the similar speakers.

I obviously liked the NAD C375BEE and that's why I bought it. Initially when I heard it, I felt it to be quite bloated in the lower frequencies. It was connected to a pair of KEF then. I tried the same amp with a few other speakers too but the best sound I got was from the Wharfedale Diamonds. Wharfedales needed a very specific placement in the room but thankfully no problems from my wife and I could place them well into the room and away from walls.
Now that bloated sound is gone and instead I have a very low extension of the frequency band and the bass is varied according to the note being played. A very detailed and large soundstage and every musical piece being played becomes more involving than the other.

I first thought of opting for pre and power combination but the sound difference between them and integrated was minimal and I actually liked the sound of integrated more.

I listen to jazz, blues, western classical and sometimes classic rock.

My test CD's were a few Bill Evans XRCD, 2L sampler, Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Session.
flac files : various titles (24/96) from B&W Society of Sound.

Another addition to amplifier has been a DAC module provided by NAD that fits into the amplifier and is a true value for money. Very inexpensive and sounds as good as another of my DACs costing three times as much.

If anyone is planning to buy this amplifier then my suggestion is to think of a big room first where to use it and then match the speakers to it. A lot speakers tend to sound boomy with this amp and so the amp needs a careful pairing. I found Wharfedale Diamonds very good closely followed by PSB (which is owned by the same company as NAD).

 

[Shivam]

I forgot to add in the above post -

I wanted to try with B&W floorstanders too but could not find a person who had both the NAD C 375BEE amp and B&W floorstanders.

 

[bhagwan]

Would be great if we could comply with the following format
Stereo Amplifier in use:
Speakers it's paired with:
Cables:
Musical Preferences:
Any other Gear that you use which contributes in a significant manner:
Best Amplifier you auditioned but couldn't go for it because of high rate:

Sure;

a]
Cadence Canasya - Power Amplifier

b]
Tidal Amea Diacera - TAD [as I call them]

c]
Mix Bag - Bertran Audio - Denmark + Echole [Turkey & USA] + Silencable [Germany] + Acoustic Revive [Japan] + Siltech [Netherlands]

d]
Music Preference - Western & Indian Classical [mostly] Female Vocal [Jazz] & some Male Vocal [soft rock]

e]
The Amplifier that I like a lot & could not buy - The Lars - Sweden [cost]


The 'other component' that contributes to good sound - imho is Power Supply - Spend time & Money on this....

 

[Shivam]

e]
The Amplifier that I like a lot & could not buy - The Lars - Sweden [cost]

That is something I also dream about but never got a chance to hear it.

 

[bhagwan]

That is something I also dream about but never got a chance to hear it.

Well it was @ home & I did listen to it - in my room - but 'we' just could not come to a price understanding - sad - I wish I could have got it - nice amplifier it is - I am sure the web site gives most details about it;





Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The pic of the amp in my room !! lovely memories...

:clapping:

 

[bhagwan]

Another pic - this was in September, 2010...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[sunder]

Another pic - this was in September, 2010...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

bhagwan, I show my respect to your system. Looks Divine! Really!! I am staring at the photo.
Cheers.
sunder.

 

[entsurgeon]

Best Amplifier you auditioned but couldn't go for it because of high rate:

hahaha. how true. no one ever let go his/her favorite affordable amp just because his hall was too small and like.

the best sound I got was from the Wharfedale Diamonds.

. I found Wharfedale Diamonds very good closely followed by PSB (which is owned by the same company as NAD).

economies of scale dear. wharfedale diamond series is the longest and best selling speakers in production across the globe. diamonds in general are a match for speakers ten times their cost. most understated stuff of hifi realms i claim.

 

[Santy]

diamonds in general are a match for speakers ten times their cost..

wow that's quite a bold statement.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk

 

[atozguy]

My stereo setup is hardly 6 months old.

Amplifier: Onkyo TX8522 Stereo Receiver paired with Wharfedale diamond 9.5.
Source: Denon DCD 510AE, which is a entry level CDP, but has excellent value for its price. It plays CDA, MP3 & WMA formats.

Interconnects: Monster 400 MKI and QED Professional

I am not an audiophile, but certainly able to enjoy the sound stage and nuances of music with this set up.

I listen rock, pop, Hindi, Tamil songs. My collection contains mostly FLAC files converted into audioCD format.

Favourites: A.R. Rahman, Ilayaraja, Himesh Reshamiah, Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Justin bieber, The Beatles, Eagles, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Shakira, etc

I am desirous of upgrading to a hi-end integrated amplifier like NAD C375BEE, Advance Acoustic MAP-105, etc, which may materialise next year. Thanks guys for your time.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

Amplifier: Prima Luna Prologue One with Silvania 6L6 tubes
Phono pre-Yaqin MS-12B
Speakers: Original KLH Model 5
Cable:Chord reference
Turntables: Garrard 301,AR the turntable,Denon DP-60L,Thorens Jubilee.Thorens 125,150,Lenco L-235,Sony PS-6075,Gemini-PT-2000, Technics.SL-1200(1972).
kuruvilajacob

 

[Tanoj]

Great to see so many permutations and combinations

My setup :

Philips AF 834 TT
Altec Lancing 5.1
iam using compaq laptop as preamp

sounding amazingly good

very detailed sound,

the bass of my turntable is very rich and the Altec lancing sub is not that great to manage after a certian point , so i reduce the bass a bit

today i auditioned Mordaunt-Short floor standing towers, amazing sound quality, very detailed sound, beides them were jamo, yahama.. they failed b4 mordaunt short ,

tuesday iam planing to take my tt to theor store to do A & B

chreers

Tanoj

 

[koushik]

Great to know good setup, but a bit disappointed to see that none uses Sonodyne :sad:.

My setup:
Amp: Sonodyne Stereo Integrated Amp SiA 102R - Rs. 12.5K
FS: Sonodyne 306A - Rs. 14K/pair
DVDP: Philips DVP 3007 (pretty basic) - Rs. 4K
Tape Deck - Technics - Rs. 4.5K (bought used)
Basic Cables: But not cheap local cable. Bundled with my speaker pack.

So, a 35K setup ... using since '99. Only upgraded the Amp from Sonodyne SA6000 to this one.

Music: Hindi, Selected Western, Bengali
Music Dir: Rahman, Nadeem-Shravan, Rajesh Roshan, Modan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan (many more)
Singer: Kishore, Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Sonu, Sanu, Shreya, Lata, Asha (many more)