Most Respected Amplifier Designers

[Dimfer]

I might be biased because he is a friend..
Rod Teope... small time, old school, no direct access to internet to do research, very limited resources... but make beautiful sounding tube amps and pre amps.
his magic sauce is his transformers, which he winds according to the specific needs of any particular tube...

he is a legend among audiophiles in a budget in Manila... if you don’t care about the brand name of the amps in your audio room but you like good sound, he is a good option. I currently own his 6c33c-b OTL (120wpc) and GM70 PSET (60 wpc).

 

[Isotonic]

How about Charlie Hanson of Ayre?

 

[strapper211]

Vladimir Lamm
Come On

Robert

 

[DeYoung]

Frank McIntosh and Sidney Corderman

 

[AudioHR]

From my perspective:

J.C Verdier, some say best designs for 845 and 300B tubes.
Ken Shindo, unique musicality.
Jean Hiraga.

They all have built great amplifiers in 90's.

Mainly supporting your reference to Ken Shindo. I like the unique musicality qualifier.

Maybe not an innovator as far as design such as a David Berning but someone who respected the importance of circuitry and the synergy of superior sounding parts and tubes!

 

[rockhopper]

How about Graham Tricker of TRON.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Kosaku Kikuchi-Sansui
Whether tube or solid-state amps, fully restored models still sound like top league beautiful tone. Sounds right for me

 

[Audiohertz2]

Kosaku Kikuchi-Sansui
Whether tube or solid-state amps, fully restored models still sound like top league beautiful tone. Sounds right for me

Could you elaborate , Sansui ..?

 

[rob]

Tim de Paravicini, Sydney Corderman, Bruno Putzey, John Curl and even Alan Wright off the top of my head.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Could you elaborate , Sansui ..?

It should be known that, for example, the Sansui AU 111 is one of the best integrated amplifiers you can buy. To get better, you'd have to buy from Kondo, Vacuumstate, or Silvaweld.

Or a Sansui alpha 907 for exsample
Elna make a special series cappacitors for sansui with 10times lower esr.
If you find one used buy it , but theycost a leg or arm worth every penny.

The build quality is outstanding

 

[Lagonda]

It should be known that, for example, the Sansui AU 111 is one of the best integrated amplifiers you can buy. To get better, you'd have to buy from Kondo, Vacuumstate, or Silvaweld.

Or a Sansui alpha 907 for exsample
Elna make a special series cappacitors for sansui with 10times lower esr.
If you find one used buy it , but theycost a leg or arm worth every penny.View attachment 152232

The build quality is outstandingView attachment 152233

Stephan you are to WBF what Microstrip should have been, you have both theoretical and practical knowledge, there are always so many nuggets in your posts. Keep up the good work.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Stephan you are to WBF what Microstrip should have been, you have both theoretical and practical knowledge, there are always so many nuggets in your posts. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Milan.
I'm no longer up to date with today's super-expensive stuff. I guess I'm out of place here. That's why I'm always on the lookout for gems in the hi-fi cosmos that are affordable and sound good. So I think: Buy good old stuff, bring it technically up to date, and then just smile about today's really expensive stuff. The wheel isn't being reinvented.
One more thing about Sansui: who builds today haptic volume buttons that are as heavy as discus or device feet made of pure copper.
It is a real pleasure to operate such a device with your hands.

 

[Lagonda]

Thanks Milan.
I'm no longer up to date with today's super-expensive stuff. I guess I'm out of place here. That's why I'm always on the lookout for gems in the hi-fi cosmos that are affordable and sound good. So I think: Buy good old stuff, bring it technically up to date, and then just smile about today's really expensive stuff. The wheel isn't being reinvented.
One more thing about Sansui: who builds today haptic volume buttons that are as heavy as discus or device feet made of pure copper.
It is a real pleasure to operate such a device with your hands.
View attachment 152244

Yes my old Primare 928 preamp sounds better than almost everything else i have tried, and the volume dial feels like a old Swiss bank vault tumbler . Klick, klick klick engaging each set of high quality resistors. A tactile pleasure !

 

[DasguteOhr]

Yes my old Primare 928 preamp sounds better than almost everything else i have tried, and the volume dial feels like a old Swiss bank vault tumbler View attachment 152252. Klick, klick klick engaging each set of high quality resistors. A tactile pleasure !

I always thought Primare's logo, with its (MOSFET symbol+ LED), was very nice. I've seen the 900 series several times and wanted to buy it. Something always got in the way. Love that design.

 

[MRubey]

Jeff Day, whose audio credentials run deep but who was somebody in the real world as a retired senior scientist and administrator at (I believe) Hanford National Laboratory.
Day has written more than once that he sees this time as the golden age of solid state audio comparable to the golden age of tube amps in the 1920s. He has said this as a comment on the First Watt SIT amps. Nelson Pass has and is, a gift.

 

[chiily]

Dr A R Bailey and Arthur Radford - Radford amps.

 

[MAXPWR]

I own the SST Ambrosia 2000 Second Edition and SST Son of Ampzilla II amp. Best amp/preamp combo I have owned. Beats the ML 585 they replaced. Both SST products were designed by Mr. Bongiorno. After his death in 2016 Wyred4Sound bought the company. Thhe SST product line can be seen at http://sst.audio.

Some of James Bongiorno's early designs and his last achievements were:
Hadley Laboratories 622C Power Amplifier, contributing engineer
Marantz Model 15 Power Amplifier, contributing engineer
Dynaco Stereo 400 Power Amplifier, Designer
Dynaco AF-6 AM/FM Tuner, contributing engineer
SAE (Scientific Audio Engineering)
XXXIB Power Amplifier, Designer
IIIC/CM Power Amplifier, Designer
IVD/DM Power Amplfier, Designer
VIB Stereo Tuner, contributing engineer
IC Stereo Preamplifier, contributing engineer
GAS (The Great American Sound Co.) Chief Designer
Ampzilla Power Amplifier
Ampzilla II (World's first servo-controlled power amplifier)
Thaedra Preamplifier (World's first (and only) servo controlled preamp)
Thoebe Preamplifier
Son of Ampzilla Power Amplifier
Thalia Preamplifier
Grandson Power Amplfier
Sleeping Beauty Moving Coil Cartrdges
Sumo Electric Co. Ltd. Chief Designer
The Power, World's first 450 watt/channel fully balanced Bridge Power Amp
The Gold, World's first patented solid state Class A Power Amplifier
The Nine, World's first low cost solid state class A power amplifier
The Nine+, Ruggedized version
Electra Preamplifier
Charlie the Tuner, world's first premium low cost stereo tuner (The humor in the name is that US TV advertisements of the 80's had a cartoon tunafish named Charlie selling cans of his relatives . . . and the tuner had quite mixed reviews.)
The Half-power, stereo power amplifier
Andromeda, world's first low cost solid state class AB Balanced Power Amp
The Sumo I, Magnetic Phono Cartridge
The Sumo II, Moving coil Phono Cartridge
Harman-Kardon, Consultant, completely redesigned the Citation 23 Tuner
Crown Radio, Japan, 4 power amps, 2 preamps, a fully equalized (phase & amplitude) 3-way electronic crossover.
Spread Spectrum Technologies Inc.. Chief Designer
Ampzilla 2000, fully balanced monoblock power amplifier
Trinaural Processor

Add to this long list of achievements, Consultant for Constellation Audio. Per Constellation Audio, "The list of contributors includes, among others, John Curl, Bascom King, Demian Martin, and James Bongiorno.

 

[Porsche]

easy, senior engineering team at burmester

 

[Richard Austen]

I suppose the responses will be whoever designed the gear that you own and like the best. I mean, it makes sense. I listen and listen, and the gear that comes out on top tends to be the designers I like the best. And some may be very good but are compromised by their budget.

For me, the best amplifiers I have heard come from Audio Note Japan and Audio Note UK (Kondo-San and Andy Grove, respectively).

And then I wonder if you don't like the sound of say Krell or D'Agostino, then do you think he's a great designer? If you love it, you do, but if you think it is "meh," then you probably scratch your head as to his design ability, no?

I like Nelson Pass based on listening to First Watt - but Pass Labs amps? not for me.

 

[toronto416]

The senior engineering team at Accuphase