APT Holman Amplifier 1Opinion

snow

Hi everyone I would like to hear thoughts on the APT Holman Amplifier 1 from those who have either listened to one or have owned one. Either negative or positive both are desired. I have owned the APT Holman preamp before and just purchased another and am now looking to purchase an amp or amps but hate to spend the money if they are not worth the expense so am looking for opinions before I bite the bullet.

Regards Snow

snow

Wow crickets. I suppose I will just have to take the plunge buy one and listen for myself, I know they are scarce none for sale except for one on CL in Massachusetts and a pair plus the preamp on Ebay untested other then to power on and from looking at the packing job does not inspire confidence. There is a fellow on Audiokarma that says he has a pair that he would sell for $845.00 each plus shipping and PayPal fees once he has restored them but no reply back as of yet.

SeleniumFalcon

One of the great things about the APT Corporation was their service manuals, they are by a wide margin the most informative sources of general audio information ever. They explain the overall concept of the device, how to measure any of its parameters, including suggestions of what specific test gear to use and what to look for while testing. The manual explains that the amplifier uses a differential input, no capacitors in the audio path, a well thought out power supply, careful attention to making sure the performance is maintained with any speaker load and plenty of protection. While it's hard to judge how something sounds based on looking at the schematic and reading the service manual it does give an insight on what the designer felt was important and from that standpoint the APT should be a winner.
With that said, I can also endorse the British made Quad 405 amplifier, the Audio Research D100.2, the McCormack amp and the conrad johnson solid state amps.

snow

Thanks Ken I like Quad gear and of course Audio Research Conrad Johnson made some fine gear. I suppose the APT stuff is rare enough that most have not heard anything so cant comment one way or the other. I have owned the preamp before and sold it and have regretted it every since. The reviews I have read seem to be either very positive or negative on the amps, the overwhelming majority seems to be positive. I went ahead and bought one of the fellows amps today for $845.00 pus shipping and paypal fees from Peter at Quirk Audio it should be ready sometime next month and I will post my thoughts on it after I listen to it for a few days and compare it to other gear I have at home.

Regards Snow