Audiophilepure

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“For some audiophiles the highest praise that can be heaped upon a discrete solid-state or Class D amplifier is that is sounds “tube-like.” My position is different. I prefer a power amplifier that attempts to sound as invisible as possible—a straight wire with gain, to repeat that old audio cliché. The C-100S stereo amp provided more than enough power to drive all the loudspeakers I threw at it and did so in a way that allowed each loudspeaker’s unique personality to come to the fore. I suppose if you want an amplifier that has “personality” you should look elsewhere. But if you need a harmonically neutral power amplifier that you can attach to a wide variety of loudspeakers, the C-100S would be an excellent choice. And priced at $1500, the C-100S stereo power amplifier ranks as a “best buy” in my world.”

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Inviting the Legacy Powerbloc2 into my home was an educational and rewarding experience for this lover of tube gear. It is light weight, solid, well-built and very powerful. Frequency response is flat and tight across the entire audible spectrum. It is also very revealing of interconnects and power cords coming into it as well as speaker cables going out. It responded favorably to aftermarket footers and fuses. Its reasonable price will attract many who are looking for something above entry level to the high end and it will grow with you as you invest in better cables and a few tweaks.”

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The Chorus 5200 XD amplifier was able to drive my speakers effortlessly, like I rarely hear with any multichannel amplifier, delivering a level of control that matched that of my massively overpowered Crown I-Tech 8000 amplifier Simultaneously, it delivered reference quality sound that was well refined, balanced, and utterly articulate. While $9,500 is quite a substantial amount to spend on a home theater amplifier, the Krell Chorus 5200 XD is unsurpassed by competition in or near its price range, at least in my experience. If you are looking for a top-shelf home theater amplifier under $10,000, the Krell Chorus 5200 XD amplifier should be the first place you stop to listen.
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The Pictor and Taurus are also paradoxical in performance in that they at once reveal all the performance criteria in a loudspeaker while bringing out its musical enjoyment. This left me stumped, as these are typically polar opposites; an amplifier that’s ‘revealing’ is often musically barren, while an amplifier that turns every session into an entertaining jaunt through your collection is routinely masking the limitations inherent to the speaker design. The Constellation Audio duo are unique in they show you exactly what your equipment is doing honestly and accurately, and yet make that experience as musically satisfying as it can be. Meaning it is at once the perfect tool for the designer wanting to know where the next speaker can be improved and the salesperson wanting to make their speakers sound great – that is a first, and bespeaks of the quality and accuracy of the Constellation Audio sound.”

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Nothing I’ve ever had the privilege of lifting the cover on in the audio world is built to this standard. This is what gives Boulder products the highest secondary market value of anything going – if you can even find them used. I’m sure people that trade Boulder in for something else are out there, but every Boulder owner I’ve encountered has only traded up. It’s rarely if ever for sale used, and I’ve never heard of one that has malfunctioned. I don’t even recall seeing a service area when I visited the factory, but I’m sure it’s there somewhere.”

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‘I won’t load this review with more specs, and additional detail that’s already available regarding David Berning’s patented ZOTL circuits. Briefly, and at its most basic, the ZOTL circuit functions without the output transformers that the majority of classic tube amp circuits require. First, and somewhat like a radio transmitter and receiver, the audio signal rides a carrier signal, which is amplified by the tubes, then the carrier is dropped at the output. In place of output transformers, the ZOTL circuit utilizes impedance converters that handle the output and impedance matching for the amplifier/loudspeaker pairing. This allows LTA to avoid compromises to sonics that many output transformers present, and as I hear it, delivers more of the tube to listeners.”

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“During the evaluation period of a couple of months, I tried to find fault in the MC312, but I simply couldn’t. McIntosh has succeeded in engineering one of the finest stereo amplifiers for under $10k that you can purchase today. It is literally as much or more of an amplifier that one could ever want or need, and it may even be the last one that you’ll ever wish to buy!”