Best warm sounding 100W+ power amplifier under £1200 ?

[fish fingers]

Decided to forego a tube preamp for new system, seeing as Lumin now use Leedh- drawing up a shortlist of best warm or rich sounding amps up to £1200 to power 86db/1w speakers

Audiophonics purifi is around that price, no idea of sound signature. Op amps can be rolled tho.

Below that are Vidar and Nuprime STA-9 ..

What else?

 

[kach22i]

This is in the UK?

Are you considering integrated tube amps as well?

 

[fish fingers]

Yes based in UK Wd consider but guessing I'd need a minimum 60 tube watts..

 

[kach22i]

New stuff only, right?

What size room are you going to warm up with this amp(s)?

Just thinking some of the Class-A stuff isn't well suited to small rooms.

Usual pattern is a bunch of suggestions, and replies of cannot get US product in UK or overpriced here because of import tax situation.

I'm told the older Conrad Johnson lines are warm and tube-like.

Could kind of take edginess out of early digital.

 

[Hear Here]

UK ba

Decided to forego a tube preamp for new system, seeing as Lumin now use Leedh- drawing up a shortlist of best warm or rich sounding amps up to £1200 to power 86db/1w speakers

Audiophonics purifi is around that price, no idea of sound signature. Op amps can be rolled tho.

Below that are Vidar and Nuprime STA-9 ..

What else?

Hi Mr Fingers

UK-based myself and also looking at changing my amp. I've tested numerous amps over the last 2 years from Sugden, Accuphase, Diavelet, Micromega, Quad, GamuT, Sanders, etc. but I've not found one better than the NAD M32 integrated.

This is shortly to be replaced by the M33 at £4000, but look what you get - a Purifi-based power amp, preamp, phono stage, DAC, streamer, headphone out and even Dirac room correction - all for £4K! Well beyond your £1200 budget, but possibly makes the Audiophonics power amp look costly. There'd be lots of stuff you could sell if you went for an all-in-one and think of all those cables you wouldn't need! And no cable has ever actually improved sound quality.

The NAD M32 is a brilliant DirectDigital amp and offers all the M33 does apart from built-in streamer (it's an optional plug-in module) and Dirac. There may be very good ones around when the M33 becomes available - including my own - PM me if interested!

Warm? Well you're welcome to come and take a listen in Portsmouth and judge for yourself - I certainly much prefer it to my 845-based mono SETs. Peter

 

[DSkip]

I'm not sure if they are available in your area or how close to budget (should be close), but the Dayens Ecstasy III is a fine piece that scales well in higher end systems. They work closely with Trafomatic and use some of their transformers in the Dayens products.

 

[Jono]

The Usher R1.5 is a very warm,rich and weighty sounding power amp.You could buy a second hand one of them for a bit less than your budget.They need a high gain active preamp though.

 

[Elberoth]

I second Usher R1.5. The older Krell FPB-200 should also fit the bill.

Neither Purifi and nor N-Core based designs are warm sounding. In fact, they are anything but warm - they are super fast, detailed and transparent. Rolling Op-Amps doesn't change much (I own both N-Core and Purifi based Nord monos, with two sets of op-ams).

If you want sth new, XINDAK XA6950 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER is warm sounding and is £1,295.00 :

https://www.audioemotion.co.uk/xindak-xa6950-integrated-amplifier-8614-p.asp

 

[DSkip]

The Usher R1.5 is a very warm,rich and weighty sounding power amp.You could buy a second hand one of them for a bit less than your budget.They need a high gain active preamp though.

Being an Usher dealer, I find the R1.5 to be more neutral with maybe slight warmth to it - not really rich and weighty. It does 'warm up' though after 24-48 hours of continuous power.

 

[kach22i]

Solid state as warm amps?

Then what is the classic tube sound called?

 

[Jono]

Being an Usher dealer, I find the R1.5 to be more neutral with maybe slight warmth to it - not really rich and weighty. It does 'warm up' though after 24-48 hours of continuous power.

Depends n the preamp I guess.The Usher preamp is neutral and not a very good match with the Usher power amp but with some other power amps [like an Audio Flight Strumento] is actually very good.
I have a Musical Fidelity A5 as well as the Usher and would describe that as neutral /slightly warm and the Usher is much richer and warmer than that.

 

[fish fingers]

Solid state as warm amps?

Then what is the classic tube sound called?

Most of it is 2nd harmonic. I have a SET system, so I guess prefer a warmer presentation

 

[kach22i]

Decided to forego a tube preamp for new system, seeing as Lumin now use Leedh- drawing up a shortlist of best warm or rich sounding amps up to £1200 to power 86db/1w speakers

Audiophonics purifi is around that price, no idea of sound signature. Op amps can be rolled tho.

Below that are Vidar and Nuprime STA-9 ..

What else?

I admit that I read over a few names/terms I was unfamiliar with in your opening post.

Finally took the time to look it up, very interesting.

http://www.luminmusic.com/support-leedh-processing.html


I do not stream music or play computer files, so I had no idea.

 

[Hear Here]

After using tube amps for 10+ years, I decided to move to SS if I could find an equally good and satisfying sound. It took the purchase or loan of a dozen amps, but I'm very happy I perserverred. Some were too warm and some too soft sounding and others were too fierce or hard, but I'm very happy that I've been through this process and found a most satisfying SS amp and I'm certainly now listening to far more music than ever before. There is so much range in SS amps, you can always (eventually) find an amp that offers what you really like - you don't have to stick with tubes. No going back to valves! Peter

 

[fish fingers]

Which amp did you decide on?

 

[Hear Here]

Which amp did you decide on?

See my posting above - dated Wednesday 10.06. I'm using the NAD M32