What's so special in Hi-End/Hi Current Amplifier

[Audio_Freek]

Hi All,
I am fan of Japanese and US Amplifier all these days,probably never had opportunity to listen to so called Hi-end\Hi Power amplifiers.Recently I heard Arcam Amplifier which is Hiend category , But the Clean and power from such a small box really made me speechless. When SS Amplifier had to be build with muscled Transformers,Capacitors ,many transistors and heatsinks ,How its possible for Brands like Naim,Arcam,AVM,LFD etc could delivery the equal quality of music and power aganist beast Luxman\accuphase\Parasound etc (Though all these brands share similar Price tags).

Also I see Hi-end amps were able to delivery best even with Low impedance speakers like Dynaudio\Proac\ATC etc

What is the secret behind such design and output?

Also share if you have heard such compact design HI-end amplifiers from Other (Probably not much marketted ) Manufactures with some reasonable pricing,So people could try them as upgrade.

 

[Sandip Das]

very good question.. i am not a technical guy but its always in my mind that jappo amp are lots of hevy parts and many uk brand have less parts.. uk theory imo less parts less complication but one thing the relibility issue. my vintage luxman have still sound so good and still deliver music without any major parts change (except power cap), my technician told me this amplifier have 1981 make and all the other parts are still original and intact condition. in my opitnion uk amp have reliblity isssue for its less parts. recently some chinise company have great built their amp section but not marketing for the same.

 

[Selvin]

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

 

[Kannan]

One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

Sorry for off topic, this does not always mean poor bass control. Some of the finest Sansui amps for example had damping factor under 150

 

[mpw]

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

U must compare price ranges..

The lower prices amps are good but the real story starts at higher levels IMO

 

[firearm12]

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

If bass was only thing to be cared about in music then companies like naim would have shut down long ago. If companies with products having big VU meters and multitude of buttons and their physical size and built are able to convince people that they are better then surely its working for them.

 

[Mukul77]

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

Sir, bass on Audiolab 8200MB/8300MB is quite good with enough driving force for any FS speaker (I am using Dynaudio Audience 72 FS with them) with 4ohm load. OP: Sir, I think the incorporation/selection of electronics parts for any amp depends on the design and price range (completely dependent) of the amp. So, we should compare them by their price range.

 

[z@m]

Do Schiit amps have a place in this conversation?

I have no first hand knowledge but from what I'm reading their products offer excellent performance and the pricing is attractive.

 

[mpw]

If bass was only thing to be cared about in music then companies like naim would have shut down long ago. If companies with products having big VU meters and multitude of buttons and their physical size and built are able to convince people that they are better then surely its working for them.

agree

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

damping factor is to be associated with what damping factor is good for a speaker - that depends of speaker materials also and not only the amp

so if a speaker does not need a high damping factor - its better off with a low / lower damping factor amp and vice versa is my reading..

There is also a view that too much damping factor leads to too much control on the cone movement and depletes the naturalness of sound

Hi All,
I am fan of Japanese and US Amplifier all these days,probably never had opportunity to listen to so called Hi-end\Hi Power amplifiers.Recently I heard Arcam Amplifier which is Hiend category , But the Clean and power from such a small box really made me speechless. When SS Amplifier had to be build with muscled Transformers,Capacitors ,many transistors and heatsinks ,How its possible for Brands like Naim,Arcam,AVM,LFD etc could delivery the equal quality of music and power aganist beast Luxman\accuphase\Parasound etc (Though all these brands share similar Price tags).

Also I see Hi-end amps were able to delivery best even with Low impedance speakers like Dynaudio\Proac\ATC etc

What is the secret behind such design and output?

Also share if you have heard such compact design HI-end amplifiers from Other (Probably not much marketted ) Manufactures with some reasonable pricing,So people could try them as upgrade.

other makes

dayens
sonneteer - i like the alabaster

but i notice your speakers - Yamaha NS-1000 - they will need quality juice to sing IMO - 12 inch drivers in a sealed box

have you read this in detail ?

Yamaha-NS1000

www.troelsgravesen.dk

 

[Audio_Freek]

very good question.. i am not a technical guy but its always in my mind that jappo amp are lots of hevy parts and many uk brand have less parts.. uk theory imo less parts less complication but one thing the relibility issue. my vintage luxman have still sound so good and still deliver music without any major parts change (except power cap), my technician told me this amplifier have 1981 make and all the other parts are still original and intact condition. in my opitnion uk amp have reliblity isssue for its less parts. recently some chinise company have great built their amp section but not marketing for the same.

True, The reliability issue we could expect from Small boxed Hiend amps. Yes Japan amps still run decent after 30+ years and when it comes to British hi-end amps get into issues on Knobs,switches etc quick compared to 70\80s system of Japan

 

[Audio_Freek]

other makes

dayens
sonneteer - i like the alabaster

but i notice your speakers - Yamaha NS-1000 - they will need quality juice to sing IMO - 12 inch drivers in a sealed box

have you read this in detail ?

Yamaha-NS1000

www.troelsgravesen.dk

Yes, I have checked the Article,I do understand I am justifying Yamahas space in my room, as I could get hold of nice Amp until now. However the Yamaha are sounding and sounded decent with Sansui 719 and Yamaha AX900.

Probably now these combo is not entertaining me like before, So in search of some matching amplifier and buy them once I have the funds and Choice ready.

 

[Audio_Freek]

Do Schiit amps have a place in this conversation?

I have no first hand knowledge but from what I'm reading their products offer excellent performance and the pricing is attractive.

For me anything within $500 Mark is Entry level brands and way till $2000 is Mid-fi and anything above is Hiend (when you to categorize one price)
So yes contribution from Schiit could be made as well.

 

[Audio_Freek]

Somehow I am not convinced Naim, Arcam are as high end amps... They are decent mid priced amps in 1 - 1.5L budget and they never close to Luxman, Accuphase... One thing I noticed with these UK amps is less damping factor and poor bass control.

True,
But if I consider Dynaudio,ATC etc are Hi end then Accuphase also Naim are driving them and equally good ( Impression from reviews).Even Hegel is tiny when compared to Luxman and Accuphase.

 

[mpw]

Yes, I have checked the Article,I do understand I am justifying Yamahas space in my room, as I could get hold of nice Amp until now. However the Yamaha are sounding and sounded decent with Sansui 719 and Yamaha AX900.

Probably now these combo is not entertaining me like before, So in search of some matching amplifier and buy them once I have the funds and Choice ready.

If you like the Yamaha amp...Maybe u might consider the AS 3000 I think...supposed to be a good amp and lots of juice

The 2000 series amps were good too from what I remember reading

But whatever you buy please audition with your speakers in your room.

Your speakers are a bit special / demanding ...feed them what they deserve and the rewards will follow.

 

[mpw]

True,
But if I consider Dynaudio,ATC etc are Hi end then Accuphase also Naim are driving them and equally good ( Impression from reviews).Even Hegel is tiny when compared to Luxman and Accuphase.

Stereophile reccos tube amps over SS for your speakers

Or maybe a tube pre...

Rogue audio comes to mind

Bass n Treble Delhi is the dealer I guess.

 

[keith_correa]

Damping factor declared by amplifier manufacturers are just a number and have no meaning in isolation. They begin to start to have a minuscule effect in conjunction with everything downstream of it.

 

[Selvin]

damping factor is to be associated with what damping factor is good for a speaker - that depends of speaker materials also and not only the amp

so if a speaker does not need a high damping factor - its better off with a low / lower damping factor amp and vice versa is my reading..

There is also a view that too much damping factor leads to too much control on the cone movement and depletes the naturalness of sound

+1.

 

[Selvin]

Sorry for off topic, this does not always mean poor bass control. Some of the finest Sansui amps for example had damping factor under 150

Any amp which have damping factor above 100 is good enough. But for many British amps this figure around 50 - 60.

 

[jmascreen]

Any amp which have damping factor above 100 is good enough. But for many British amps this figure around 50 - 60.

I read somewhere that Quad 306 has damping factor around 160.

 

[surfatwork]

Any amp which have damping factor above 100 is good enough. But for many British amps this figure around 50 - 60.

Why 100? What is the significance of this number?