Been ages since I got any hifi, got pcb boards here for some pass f5 turbos and the jfets and transistors. However they are just gathering dust and I don’t get the time (worked 14 days in the last 16!).
I have pass aleph borg cubes, but these need new capacitors and again I don’t have the time. Plus at the moment, if I used them I would literally melt due to the heat they put out.
System at the moment is Snell A’s, Audio Note 2.1X Balanced DAC. Using an Audio Innovations Alto I had in the loft at the moment to drive it all.
Ideally a single box integrated but if it works I can just use the digital volume so could maybe live without a pre and just use a power dunno, not tried it yet.
Budget £1.00-£1500.00, weirdly I have no idea at all what I want. So I haven’t already decided and just need validation.
From previous amp bake offs and your own experience the Snells seem to need a few watts up 'em to get them singing properly. To save people suggesting 5W SET amps what do you think you should be looking at? >50Wpc?
There is a Gato DIA250 on PFM that is £950. Very decent amp for the £££, although I can’t say how it would go with Snells. I used one with ART Alnico 8s to get really nice results.
Snell A’s - these were on the end of my favourite system (by a country mile) at the last Wam show. Forum member known as Lostwin, see below. Obviously the opposite of the brief, but sounded so bloody good.
Couple of things, been offered the loan of a Leema Acoustics Tucana integrated amplifier. I remember hearing some Leema Acoustic speakers and amps which sounded good but that was probably the early 2000s.
I have also been offered an Ayre Acoustics ax-7 at an attractive price, but never heard one or anything from the brand before.
Finally I remember have a really good Beard integrated amp a while back, and have seen some of their power amps which are kt88 based. But don’t think I have any experience of this valve and it’s ‘sound’
dunno, not tried it yet.
