What Mono Blocks or amp would you get ?

beardog03

Thanks Jesse...

Now that`s something different...

I like the Para mono`s and the Cary -05 combo, but the JE would be something to check out...

reeltrouble1

while your at it, the JC-2 preamp from parasound is born of the BlowTorch......just a thought for ss.

RT1

janmike

Audio Research Reference 210 Monos.

Solid company, lots of power, smooth tube sound, reference material and they look good.
Getting them used for $12 may be a bit of a stretch. Good luck Robert.

woofiepaws

I'm getting acquainted with a Krell FPB that I got off the 'gon for about half your maximum budget. I'm not very good at describing how things sound but to me, it's very detailed. And has tons of power!

beardog03

Jesse,

I looked at the only JE set on Audiogon...WOW !

I looked at A R also Janmike.....much more than I thought


RT1....all Parasound , all the Time bro....an all JC system !
Just maybe.....me likey !


I thought about Krell....I have heard thier name alot, buit not thier products....I need to get out and hear some of this stuff....


I love this hobby !
It`s more of a life staple, but I like to call it a hobby !!

disneyjoe7

beardog03 wrote: »

I say again...!

Well I like it, but right now feel that is about a F&cking Dream for me. Doro hooked me on those Halo's from Parasound so you know I like those, the Cary pre well someday I get one. It's been on my short list for a while now. The Mcinlosh's built like a tank, and believe they would sound like a dream but never heard them myself. All I can say is this... they look cold to me and for 12k I better have a Woodie just sitting there looking at them.

beardog03

Steve...I agree

for that kind of grip, I want a constant woody...


Allthouigh the SOUND is very important....so is a SEXY LOOK....

disneyjoe7

Of cause I wonder why someone would they to sell them with only 400hrs on them if they sounded like a dream.

Heck they either are out of the range of anyone who ever host's a PF or they don't compare to some others at that price range since I never seen them in person.

beardog03

I have to sell my Cary F1 integrated and it has about 200-250 hrs on it....financial problems

I am looking into the (hopefully) near future....I may be able to pull out of this nose dive sooner than expected, and if thats the case....


I love my Cary F1 pre amp....very much !

I have the volume at 10-11 o`clock, and each channel has it`s own gain knob, so I have them way down....I get all the full power at low volumes for early morning and late night listening...

I LOVE MY SYSTEM !!!

I just want MORE
don`t need it, just want some sexy amps

My HCA-3500 is a sexy beast though, IMO


THe Cary SLP-05 is calling my name..!!

Ricardo

The Belles MB-01 Monoblocks. I have no idea how much they cost though.



http://www.powermodules.com/Monoblock.html

disneyjoe7

Well then those JC's are hard to beat either in sound or look, I would buy them if I had the $$.

beardog03

Steve,

I agree...

Ricardo,
That`s a sexy block o power !


Check this little guy out...

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1200949787

unc2701

http://sixmoons.com/audioreviews/bryston/28.html

DarqueKnight

beardog03 wrote: »

I just want MORE don`t need it, just want some sexy amps

Me too!

Here's what I want: Pass Labs x600.5, 600 watts @ 8 ohms. They can be found used, in mint condition, for under 10 grand. However, this is somewhat of an audio fantasy since the Pass X series amps are non-common ground designs, and unfortunately, are incompatible with my SDA's. I haven't gotten to the point where I want to experiment with an AI-1 interface cable since they actually go against the design principle of the SDA's and I want my SRS 1.2TL's to stay "pure".:)

beardog03

yeah man..!

That is one sweetset of mono`s

I keep lookin at this one...

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1200769125

PFKMan23

Not the most advanced or most powerful but I'd get these and pocket the rest:

http://www.d-sonic.net/

Serendipity

I'd go with Parasound JC1 monos.

VR3

My Dad has monos very similar to thatr

F1nut

Raife, you're worrying about nothing, absolutely nothing.

DarqueKnight

Yeah, maybe...but I'll never know for sure until I go ahead and build that AI-1 with the big beefy toroidal transformer. I think I'll go ahead and do it sometime next month.

jm1

beardog03 wrote: »

maybe..!!

I`m just Polk-in around right now...

I like the manley Neo 500`s !!


I really want to raise the bar way , way up !!

If you want to “raise the bar way , way up”, I would suggest evaluating the need of upgrading your current monitors. I can not foresee an amplifier change making the magnitude of difference you would like to achieve.

If the proposed budget is available, I would start creating a short list of speakers which satisfy your desires. Once the short list is complete, find amps which bring forth the speaker’s best characteristics and find cables which will integrate the pairs together for the best possible performance. If you continue to use monitor speakers, I also question the necessity of kilowatts of power.

If you use the PCU for two-channel listening, at the very least, get an active crossover to insert between the pre and power amps. You mention sub cables in the system components; if you already utilize an active crossover, my apologies as I am unaware of which component it would be.

If you ever plan to realize this, I hope this gives you some food for thought.


Your system:

• Cary SLP-98 F1 DC Pre Amp
• Parasound HCA-3500 Amp
• Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself)
• AH! 4000 CDP (fully Modded) (7308 tubes)
• Jolida JD-100 CDP (NOS 12ax7 Siemens)
• Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
• SVS PC-Ultra Sub
• AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
• MIT Shotgun S1-S3 I/C`s
• AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
• PS Plus Power Cords
• Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands

DarqueKnight

appadv wrote: »

I'd go with Parasound JC1 monos.

The attached sheet shows how my JC 1's compare spec-wise with the Pass x600.5's.

People who have heard the x600.5's and the JC 1's in the same system say that the JC 1's have the edge in speed and transparency. The x600.5's have the edge in soundstage size and weight. I have read reports of some people dumping much more expensive amps in favor of the JC 1. That gives some credence to the JC 1's designer's statements that it was built to compete sonically with amps in the $14,000 to $25,000 range.

Costs were kept low by using a manufacturing facilty in Taiwan and using machine, rather than hand, assembly. According to JC 1 design team member Bob Crump:

"It is probably a first to machine make a high end product for the perfectionist market. Accordingly, pricing is about one third what these would run to hand build here....The amplifiers are the best we can do in a very powerful machine made unit."

For practical reasons, my dream amp would be the JC 1's circuits with the cosmetic styling and chassis build quality of the x600.5's. The x600.5's have a case temperature of 140 degrees F at idle and they each suck 600 watts from the wall when idling. For me, the x600.5's might turn out be somewhat of a high maintenance mistress. But I want 'em anyway.:)

beardog03

Cool comparison !

Thanks !



JM1,

As far as using a computer to play music....never have , never will....I have a 2ch rig for that !

I realize te speaks I run now will go the way of the dodo when I take the giant leap into the abyss, but They sound great and will stay in this house forever..

I have my eye on a couple different speaker choices, but that`s a different thread !


I am leaning towards the JC1 mono`s though...I just read the comparrison, and I`m not sure what to think..!!

I kinda want to go into uncharted territory, so to speak (at least for me)...
And I have wanted Mono Blocks for a long time

I keep looking at this Krell amp that I like....5600 used

Not sure about CS with krell, or how thier amps sound....but no matter which way I go, it will be an adventure....it always is !

jm1

beardog03 wrote: »

JM1,

As far as using a computer to play music....never have , never will....I have a 2ch rig for that !

Not sure where I gave the impression I was ever discussing source components? I wouldn't recommend it anyways.

beardog03 wrote: »

I realize te speaks I run now will go the way of the dodo when I take the giant leap into the abyss, but They sound great and will stay in this house forever..

That's funny as this is what I thought when I purchased my first pair of Dynaudio (Contour S1.4) speakers. Once the next pair arrived (Confidence C1), the wife wanted the 9's to hit the road and kept the S1.4 speakers for herself. Through all this, two PCU's with an active crossover stayed put.

The next best issue I addressed was room acoustics. But that's a story in another thread.


Happy hunting.


PS. I wonder if a used Dartzeel is within budget?

beardog03

THE speaks I want ?
a mere 27k...!!!
Sonus faber ... WOW !

Dartzeel ?
now where did I see that before ?

Back to the `Gon !!!

TroyD

Bear,

Look before you leap with the Krell, bro. Not saying it's bad or anything but if you are used to tube sound...it's 180 degrees.

BDT

beardog03

Thanks for the heads up .....

DarqueKnight

beardog03 wrote: »

I am leaning towards the JC1 mono`s though...I just read the comparrison, and I`m not sure what to think..!!

OK...let's add more confusion to the fire. The following quotes are from Michael Fremer's review of the JC 1's in the Feb. 2003 issue of Stereophile.


"The overall lack of smear helped create an impressively coherent, transparent, and detailed soundstage, with the kind of air and reverberant presentation I usually associate with tubes. Reverberant trails emanating from centrally placed vocals radiated away in space farther toward the side of the stage than I remembered hearing them with my reference amp."


"I usually find solid-state amps too bright and hard on top, or—when designers go overboard in their attempt to cure this problem—too soft and unfocused. The JC 1 was just about right: neither etched nor softened, but just far enough on the right side of "silky-smooth" to sound tonally natural and texturally complex. Good tube designs have a much easier time in this region, but, as the JC 1 proved, it is possible to get the balance just right with transistors. I've reviewed a tube amp that was brighter and harder."

"When I reviewed the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 in November 1999, I thought its midrange was slightly cool. Over time, I've decided it was the midbass that was a bit pronounced, which gave me the mistaken impression that the mids were somewhat recessed. The JC 1 struck me as being tonally more neutral and somewhat more supple and detailed in the midrange. Its rendering of a mint RCA Living Stereo LP of Jascha Heifetz's recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto (LSC-2435) demonstrated to me that the JC 1's midband purity and delicacy left little to be desired. Still, if you prefer a typical tube amp's midband lyricism, you might respect the JC 1 in this regard without falling in love with it."

Keep us updated on how the hunt is progressing.:)

tonyb

Im alittle biased...but would give these a whirl for sure.Others have posted some great ones also.

del44

When I was amp shopping, the JC-1's looked mighty inviting. About $3500 used is a great deal. The ML 436 monoblocks used would be a great pick also. Or, if the budget was a little more, the ML 33 or 33h monos used.:D