Has anyone heard of Dan D'agostino Relentless Power Amplifier compared to Boulder 3050?

[LL21]

Thats not a fair comparison Lloyd what you did
A prerequisite is off course that the amp can drive the speakers well .
You took the smallest power amp from the FM line up and wanna compare it to the massive top of the product line Memphisto or Boulder 3000 series.

Put a FM 1811 in the mix

We'd all love to have every amp in the mix at home to try...but it was not available, and I was not going to ask someone to ship it in from Switzerland just for me when there was a perfectly good proxy (still well into the 5 figures by the way so comparable to the Gryphons price-wise) to at least see. They were very special but not for me, not at that pricepoint.

 

[LL21]

That said, you are speaking about reference to reference, and your point is well taken. I did not hear the 1811 or 811 monos, and was certainly not going to ask for them either. Nevertheless, my sense of the FM is that they are not designed as all-out powerhouses the way the Boulders are. And that all-out power is also a part of the music that matters to me...the effortlessness of music is marvelous and it can really help free up the music and bring it into the room.

All said, the choice I have made represents probably something more akin to FM than Boulder in that it is powerful 230 watts Class A into 4ohms but I doubt as unassailably so as the Boulder. But with the XLFs, they are a choice I have made because their organic qualities across the spectrum are a magic for me.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Have you heard the Gyphon Apex yet ??
Thats a very good sounding powerhouse , im sure you ll love it being a long term Gryphon Fan .

 

[LL21]

Have you heard the Gyphon Apex yet ??
Thats a very good sounding powerhouse , im sure you ll love it being a long term Gryphon Fan .

I have not...would love to someday but surprisingly not on my radar. I know you like them a lot, and that is a big check in the box for me given the listening notes we have traded over the years.

 

[Amir]

From that list i d buy FM Acoustics

+1

 

[Amir]

I have heard only 2 of those in systems I knew/was familiar with in rooms I knew...Naim Statement, ML33...and then Boulder 2060 (much older), D'Agostino Momeumtum (not in same class presumably), much older Goldmund and earlier Krell References but not the MRA...and also FM monos (not 1811, let alone 118 monos) in our system.

Picking blind, probably would go with either with FM Acoustics or Boulder 3050...depending on load. I would imagine (again blind) that the Boulders would outdrive the FMAs in an all-out test.

For true test and comparison between high power amplifiers we need a low impedance AC power.

FM Acoustics 1000w/ch (rms power) needs AC supply with over 120A linear current.

 

[CKKeung]