I'm unsure we should be calling 20-30k amps as sleepers. Sleepers in car terms I know of is basically a car that doesn't look fast but goes like hell once you try to race it. a BMW M5 doesn't qualify as a sleeper since it's expected and looks like it goes fast, a BMW 340i however without any sports pack still goes very fast but doesn't look like it..just like the above amp, I expected way more from 30k lol. Sleepers should be relatively high value(not cheap), with built quality based on the price it's sold at and outperforms many of these higher end(good sounding but horrible value amps). Hypex Class D amps like the NC500 module would be a sleeper, sounds fantastic(no house sound), make your own through the DAC and Pre-Amp of your choice, built to last, super power efficient with 1200W power Supply, very low temperatures(Again extending the life of the equipment) and distortion levels to dream of. 2K would get you two monoblocks that walks past the above. Maybe the above will give you a House sound that you prefer, that's subjective. So it may be a Sleeper...for the ultra rich...not for common folks ;)
@@PDXGTP Given the size of the power supply , this would be a high current amplifier , capable of driving very low impedance speakers -like the Infinity Kappa 9's ( Impedance drops below 1 ohm !) Current Capability: High-current amplifiers are designed to provide substantial current output, allowing them to handle complex and dynamic audio signals without distortion or loss of fidelity. Speaker Control: With their ability to deliver ample current, high-current amplifiers offer better control over speakers, resulting in improved accuracy, tighter bass response, and reduced distortion, especially at higher volumes. Efficiency: These amplifiers are engineered to efficiently convert electrical energy into amplified audio power, minimizing wasted energy as heat. Stability: High-current amplifiers are designed to remain stable even when driving difficult speaker loads, ensuring that they can handle various speaker impedance variations without compromising performance. Dynamic Performance: These amplifiers excel at reproducing sudden changes in audio dynamics, such as quick transients and peaks in music or sound effects. High-current power amplifiers are commonly used in home audio systems, professional audio setups, and high-quality home theater systems. They are often found in applications where accurate and powerful audio reproduction is desired, such as live sound reinforcement, studio monitoring, and audiophile-grade audio systems.
Damn that's gorgeous. I remember buying a Velodyne ULD 18 2 and seeing a Mark Levinson 23.5 on the floor for basically the same money. been kicking myself in the ass ever since.
Just found your channel. You’re so obviously a music lover and broadly educated. Thanks so much for sharing. I got into all of this back in the late ‘70’s, before I could really afford anything much beyond Sansui, Hafler and Carver, and was beginning to learn to play. Now, I am way too deep in, but have combined my avocation (music) with my vocation of computers and AI.
Absolutely beautiful amp, especially with a choke input PSU. I actually took a screenshot of that stunning PSU. Fantastic design. I’ve moved from tube power amps for the most part to SS, but I still gotta have my tubes in my pre and phono pre. Luckily, those tubes last for many, many years unlike power tubes. Thanks Mikey. Again, beautiful amp! 🔊🎶😊
What is the frequency response (bandwith) slew rate,power delevery,single differential inputs or double diffrential inputs,stages configuration (emitter follower or cascode) ?? then ill decide if its worth anything ! Bye. Lucien
I was gifted an old Marantz 7.1 amplifier/receiver that was heavy and well built. The flagship model of 2006 or so. A good amp with accurate signal amplification. Source is the important thing, and speaker system is the important thing too, but the amp is the backbone.
I understand that the app without it there is no sound OK speakers have a lot to do with that, but I believe that your room is the most important part of your Soundsystem and the Grand Central Station, which is called the preamplifier has a lot to do with that
In most cases people waste money on source and neglect their speakers. I had a friend when I was a child that spent insane amounts of money on new tape decks, cd-players and amps without upgrading his bookshelf speakers. I noticed nearly zero gains from spending considerable sums of money to front end. If he had spent all the money for high end speakers (and as I later learned, room acoustics), he would have had significant improvements in sound.
Military products are like that: basic, over engineered and 100 times the market rate with every certification it is possible to have. The certifiers will be impressed by the expensive nuts holding the case together. Nothing bad hidden under the bonnet, but taxpayer footing the bill so price no object.
Hey Mikey and chat. One thing you did not catch about the build is they are using CDE capacitors. CDE is Cornel Dubilier Electronics. They are American made, very high quality capacitors. The audio world is all the rage about Mundorf and the like. CDE is an OG of caps. You will often find them in very demanding applications like industrial equipment. It says a lot about how good the amp design is.
Have you ever seen and heard the MA-70 class ab amplifier made by High Fidelity cables? They go for about 100 grand anyways the internal power supply uses 2 4.5lb 100000uf 100v nichicon capacitors in it these things are 8" tall 4" wife hands down be physically biggest caps ive ever seen Anyways when they went out of business I just happen to live local to them and managed to get my hands on eight of these capacitors for 15 bucks each LOL one day I will make one mega amplifier with them
@@KnowName33 i have not heard of that amp, but those caps sound insane. Crazy deal you got. I would be scared to safety discharge them. That's a lot of juice. I wonder what the tertiary specs are on them. Ripple, ESR, etc?
Such an informative video.... I really loved this video.... At first I was fooled by those twobig huge components .... I thought it was a capicator and then I thought it might be a transformer.... But wanted to see if it's a huge daddy sized capicator😜unfortunately I got other stats of latest tech👍🏻
I don't see two large power supply chokes, which is what is needed for the two power transformers. If you had a choke on each rail there would be four chokes needed in this amp. Plus the heat sinks look small which means not much standing current and this can cause higher crossover distortion. But it does look nice and well made.
LOL. I guess you can design an amp better than Viola just because you think you can tell what's happening in the amp. The 2 chokes are inductor type. Don't get me started, man. You have no freaking idea about this company clearly or you'd shut up and just admit you don't understand the circuit. Tom fucking Colangelo... Google him bro...
@@OCDHIFiGuy I can't identify anything that looks like 100Hz power supply chokes either (choke/inductor - same thing). Maybe there are some RF choke/inductors hiding there somewhere to reduce the switching spikes from the power supply rectifiers., hardly a choke input power supply. Then again I am getting old and frequently put my foot in it...
@@OCDHIFiGuy This is just basic amp design, if you want a true choke input power supply you need a big chunk of iron and copper for each rail, I do not see that in your video. Then you need enough standing current so the choke does not "run dry". Choke input power supplies need constant current thru the chokes or they will then act like capacitor input power supplies. They most likely have common-mode chokes in the power supply that help with high frequency noise, but don't work at the 120cy ripple frequency. As far a Colangelo, he was brought onboard because John Curl left ML after Mark refused to pay him for his work, so to get back at Mark John published the ML designs that he developed in the magazine "The Audio Amateur" in 1977 for all to see. Question, who is more revered now, Colangelo or Curl? I think you know the answer but won't admit it. Take a deep breath Mike and chill, this is all just audio, not life support equipment.
@adambrown8867, I also have a Hafler 9505. It’s my first separate amp and pre. It’s the best thing I’ve owned so far and sounds truly amazing to my ears. I have it matched with a Hafler Class A Series 915 preamp. I’m running it single ended but I’m curious to see what a balanced signal from source to output would do. I think it’s a total sleeper amp too. Tons of capacitance, 4x20,000 mf, I could go on and on. Thanks for the look at the amp in video too Mikey. I think the closest true dual mono I could afford right now would be a Bryston 4b sst one day. Keep the videos coming mikey. I enjoy the channel and the conversation style you use. Cheers. Edit: Adam brown, what preamp are you using? Ever tried a balanced tube pre with the 9505?
@kodiak2053 I only have 2 preamps & both are Chinese made headphone amps. One is a Singxer SA-1 which is the one I've been using for a long time. The other is a Xduoo TA-26, but I haven't even set it up yet. It's still in the box. Actually I've got 2 of each.
@@kodiak2053 ... Having worked for Hafler in the late '80s and early ''90s the Trans-Nova model 9505 design as it was known,,, was pretty damn good .. I own a few NIB Hafler Class A Series 915 preamps... thinking of the day I'd use them.. Cheers, M/S ... Subscribed.
That is a Monster ! Love it ! Mike you keep going, I have seen equipment on your channel that I never knew existed ! Viola screams Quality ! Maybe I’ll hit the lottery ! It’s nice to dream anyway ! Thank you !
Absolutely a Beast of an amp. I can just imagine what it would cost to build today. (considering everything is not even made in Japan or definitely in the US (it's an audio Masterpiece. but I bet it draws a lot of power. really nice work.
I have a Heath kit power amp from the late 70's. I built it and has it tested by a lab at over 300 watts per channel. It looks like this cello amp. It is heavy,very. It does not require a fan for cooling, massive heat sinks. . I built it and now it just sits, only 2 channel and I need 5.1 for sound.
35K is outrageous. You would have to be on drugs to pay that much for that amp. Yes, the build quality is outstanding, but it's still just a bunch of electronics components that would cost a tiny fraction of that to purchase. And the review actually proclaims that the architecture isn't a reinvention of the wheel. Standard legacy design executed nicely. Possibly the transformers are wound with platinum or gold perhaps.
You don't understand luxury product. Nothing will sound like this amp. Regardless if it's made with bicycle parts. May I ask how old you are ? I'm wondering if younger people don't understand luxury bespoke handmade products and the premium they carry.. it's possible you were brought up on disposable items and don't get stuff like this..I'd say 25K would make it a strong value... I get 35K is a premium, but so is a Rolex and look how many of those are sold in a year.
@@OCDHIFiGuy I'm 65 years old. The Rolex analogy is actually partially strengthening my position somewhat. While the Rolex is a very well made watch, you can know what time it is with a $20.00 Timex just as well. People purchase the Rolex primarily as an attention seeking mechanism / status symbol. My background is pro audio (3 decades of design and installation) utilizing Crown, Lab Grupen, etc. A lot of this is now going multi channel with DSP with the current trend of line arrays vs point and shoot, but I have also dabbled in the restoration of some vintage audio gear as a hobby, mainly early Hafler power amps and preamps, some Spectro stuff, etc. There is a distinction between that kind of amplifier designed for home use and pro audio amplifiers, but after hearing some high end home stuff such as 'MOON", Macintosh, Krell, etc. I'd be more than happy (probably happier) with a Bryston 4B in my home. The Spectro amps are kind of less musical sounding in some ways which concurs that an amp can provide a distinguishable sonic footprint, but the Haflers (after complete rebuild and calibration) get very close to the Bryston which really boils down to subjectivity. Beyond a certain degree, it's a matter of preference. Yes, most disposable consumer amps and receivers (with the exception of the Yamaha RX-V1 (probably a few others) don't have the weight or depth of a hi fi separate, but I'd be willing to bet that a blind test of your amp and some of the amps I mentioned above would likely not result in people picking out the 35K amp every time (or even most of the time). Additionally, there is a lot to consider other than the power amplifier in any scenario in terms of sonic result. The transducers are probably the most important and noticeable factor, the source input signal is also a significant contributor. Possibly you can help enlighten me as to what it is that's going on with that amp (other than being hand assembled with premium components) that renders it so far ahead of anything else. Feel free to describe the special circuitry design innovations (if any) that contribute.
@@magnustorque5528 I did not design it. I listen to it. A Porsche will not go any faster in traffic than a Honda Accord. Honda Accord is probably more reliable and lasts longer. Its a fraction of the cost. I'd buy a Porsche every time over the Honda... I'm aware of small subtleties. The ride is different between the 2, even with both at 30mph. Bryston is dry sounding to me. It's a pro amp. Needs to work and not ever break. That's the goal. I'd rather not have an audio system than to be relegated to Bryston. That's just me. I ride a Ducati.. Yamaha much less expensive but I'd rather not ride at all than ride a Yamaha... it's called personal taste my man. Has nothing to do with cost. I have my clothing tailored and made in USA. My leather riding jackets are custom made for me... it's the way I buy and it's the way my customers buy. No big deal. I don't need to prove to you why I or my clients do this. You do you, I'll do me. I'm into experiential living. Once I'm dead, thats it. So I style while I'm alive...
I don't understand the intricacies of amplifier design. But I do understand the concept of marginal utility and the law of diminishing returns. And I do understand that 35 grand can buy me many things that bring me joy, including numerous tickets to a live music event. I paid much much less for my amplifier, which also happens to be a dual mono design (but from a less known maker). It appears to be well made, and delivers more than enough power to my floorstanders in a 5m x 4m room. I suspect most people, including well informed hifi enthusiasts, would rather pocket the difference or spend it on other components that make a difference.
I am 60 years old and I have spent more money in my lifetime on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol that if I did not spend the money I could’ve Owned. 4/5 Of Mikey sleeper think about it
Wow that is a beauty! Good looking build quality, just needs at least a gold power switch lol! Maybe a couple more benefits when mentioning things about the innards be nice, thanks!
My idea of a sleeper amplifier would be a QSC USA 850. It's a name that nobody pays attention too because they are normally used in PA, DJ or Club applications. They are absolutely bulletproof and if you put a clean source signal in what you get out will put a huge smile on your face. It's simple design is what makes it so good. Specifications on paper are not what your ears will actually hear.
You're right, I used the USA 900 with Klipsch speakers and I have heard a lot of state of the art systems including being in a pro studio so I know sound. Although I discovered even 1 amp better than the qsc USA 900. It's the Crest vs 900. Got it for $100 450watts per side damping factor of 100. I owned 4, but had to downsize. The only negative is the loud cooling fan. But that's an easy fix. I put the sound quality equal to a Krell. Many pro audio people say it's the best of both worlds, the dynamics and power of solid state but smooth clean and neutral like a tube amp. I will never part with them. It sounds crazy but everyone I have challenged has lost my bet.
Mikey that looks like a great amp but I wouldn't praise the Levinson lineage too much due to the Red Rose chapter. I'm sure you know what I am talking about. I don't consider the Levinson line today to compete with the top brands anymore. Always enjoy your videos.
Those are PEM nuts that get pressed into the chassis - we used to use these in military power supplies that had to be certified for harsh use. The wiring harness is over built and sized so it can easily handle whatever currents it has to. Quality like this has not been built for DECADES, all they want to do is use the cheapest parts and construct it quick and dirty now. That is a true boat anchor!
These are not PEM brother.. that was my point. I owned an amp manufacturer and we used PEM. these are actual loose nuts held captive... but yes, nowadays they just thread the sheet metal...
So weird to see PEM mentioned in an audiophile post. I worked for that company from 1995-2000. It was a great family owned business that literally printed money.
@@PersonalTriumph We used PEM's' from the early 70's till that power supply house closed in the mid 90's - i went into consulting and the rest of the workforce scattered to the four winds.. I still have some down the cellar in my parts cabinet
Nice recall - I played the early ML range - even their battery powered head amp and later their Class A's - yes I agree ML made the best - thanks for this video
OCD Mikey will not steer you wrong I have been into Audio 53 plus years I have Large Money Back in the day ML Krell AR & So on Purchased The PBN LIBERTY Speakers from mickey which was his Sleeper Speakers Gave Me A Killer Deal & Will Will EAT 10k Speakers 4 Lunch Bottom Line You Can TRUST This Guy he's not A SalesMen Thank you Brother Grego
Not just luxury, legacy. You want something you can pass on down the line? Buy something Mark Levinson made. Heard Cello driving Martin Logan and it was very memorable indeed. Great gear
I am from New Haven, CT. and have had the pleasure of meeting Mark Levinsohn and listening to his products which are among the best made Amps and Preamps available!!
Speaking of 'sleepers,' Madrigal took over the Mark Levinson trademark and one of the amps produced was engineered by Steve Mantz for the last Hi-Fi hurrah of the Harman/Kardon Citation 5.1-7.1 THX line. Steve Mantz still uses and services the Citations at his ZED labs in Los Angeles. At over twenty-years old, there are 60 capacitors to replace. I bridge my 5.1 for 300wpc to drive Dahlquist DQ-10's.
@@OCDHIFiGuy "We did design and build the Citation 7.1 and the smaller 5.1. We built a lot of these for Harman International. The amplifiers are flat from DC to 270KHz where the response is about 1dB down. Harman wanted this silly specification, why I do not know because we are not bats and cannot hear that high. The original specification was that they wanted the amplifier to go out to 600KHz, but the first prototypes were NOT happy out there and so we 'compromised' at just under 300KHz. Each channel uses 10 Toshiba 20MHz output devices with a theoretical dissipation of 1,500 watts. The circuitry is fully complementary from input to output and it has some very unique features. Each channel has 6 power supplies which are separate from the other channels. The only common item between channels is the power transformer, which is a 2.2Kw toroid. This 2.2Kw rating is at 25 deg C and it can put out upwards of 3Kw at higher temperatures. The input complementary differential pairs are driven by temperature compensated constant current sources, which ensure almost zero drift of the DC conditions with each channel. These are also cascode connected for maximum bandwidth. The main gain stage is also cascoded for increased bandwidth and is also Darlington configured for high current gain. The output stage is a triple Darlington with ultra fast turn off delay. The main power emitter resistors are non inductive types. No coils are used in the speaker circuit and the amplifier is stable into reactive loads with a phase angle of over 45 degrees. It has the usual plethora of protection circuits which by the way are not in the audio path. The amplifier can be turned on with a remote trigger or by the rocker switch on the rear. It can be changed to run from 100v to 240 AC 50/60Hz. I have the last two production amplifiers at home, one of which I use in my own system for the subs. I run it in bridge mode into a 2 ohm load, and I get out 1Kw per pair of bridged channels. I did modify the protection circuit to allow me to run each channel into 1 ohm! I have used the amplifier for 8 years now and it has run flawlessly." - Steve Mantz
Im curious on Mikey’s view on the brand Soulnote especially the A-2 integrated. Coming from tubes I would like to try transistor again, wish me good luck!
I couldn’t remember if I’d left a reply because I’d completely forgotten this video, but man I swear! if I ever get my hands on $132 grand, I want three of these amps in my system…. you heard right! That power ⚡️is galactically amazing!
HiFi gear now is like Tiffany Jewelry. They jack the prices way up and put $1,000 of electronics in a fancy Star Trek looking machined Aluminum box and sell you the box for an addition $20,000. So out of control. I would like to ask these over-priced bloated sellers of fancy boxes at inflated prices if I can just get the amp boards and parts from them and I will just put it in my own $100 aluminum box and save $20,000 for the same amp.
Differences between amps are so small that most people can't tell the difference between a working condition 1000 eur amp and a 100 000 eur amp in a blind test. This has been tested numerous times and most audiophiles even refuse to be tested not to lose face.
@@dingdong2103 That is so true. Amp circuit designs have been around since the 1950's and not much has changed but the boxes and the introduction of LEDs and small phone screens. I am extremely blown away by amps that are simple Nelson Pass designed Class A amps with only 5 or 10 watts and get sold in the Audiophile marketplace for some insane price like $10,000. You can build one exactly the same yourself in an afternoon with minimal skills and about $400 in parts.
@@OCDHIFiGuy If you want to splash money just for fun it's your right to do naturally. Just don't spew hyperbole afterwards how magical the sound is lol.
I'm gradually upgrading my hifi setup but it is pretty cheap. I wish I had a class A amp. Currently using a class D (Aiyima A07) with Sparkos 3602 opamps in it. I've decided to upgrade my DAC. Going from a $200 DAC to a $900 one. Hoping I can tell the difference.
You’re talking about super expensive amplifiers! They’re absolutely off-the-wall incredible! I am not sure if Mark had that much to do with this company and Tom Colangelo had passed away.
I'm shure that these will give my McIntosh M-601's a run for their money. The one thing that I personally feel is missing from this amp is power meters. I am a huge proponent of big power meters, Yes, they are I (eye) candy, but they do serve a purpose, especially in helping you understand how power amplifiers and power in general work. I think that if they had put meters on the front, their sales would most definitely improve and increase.
Absolutely no reason why manufacturers can’t use floating captive nuts for all bolt connections. Can’t cost more than a measly $200 to use such captive nuts. Any manufacturer who doesn’t use captive nuts in their chassis designs are stiffing their customers. They lack integrity.
Don't forget John Curl and the JC-2! Used to sell MLAS in the 70's. Mark's infatuation with LEMO connectors seemed an attempt to create an ecosystem. A friend's store in Boston (Alan Goodwin) had the full HQD system on display...it was a real Golden Age for audio and I'm glad to have been part of it! To think of how many prestige brands like Levinson are now owned by Samsung or are nameplates for sale or lease (Nakamichi retro Bluetooth speakers???). Yet, there's never been a better time in terms of value for money than now, though it's more than a bit sad that it's come at the cost of losing places to audition that equipment. The audio system used to be ubiquitous in living rooms, now to see one is a rarity.
Yes, this is what's become of it. This amp is like a vintage AC Cobra but made today. It's for those with extra means, not the mainstream. I know those connectors well. Mark is a friend. (I interviewed him on this channel) I'm sure you've got great stories. I don't mean to assume, but I'm guessing you are female and your history of selling HiFi in the 70s is quite interesting !! Would love to have you on the show for a short interview about how u got into hifi. Call me at my number on 11stereo.com . Would love to meet you, either way !
No wonder! these Swiss connectors are used in the most demanding professional applications, and are wonderfully machined. Mark was not the only in love with them. In the time of Ethernet starting to be implemented, the Autonomous Government of Andalusia, decided that for their 10BASE2 network the prescribed BNC connectors where too mundane, so they forced the installer to adapt it with LEMOs. This extravaganza made it probably an unique network then in the world.
$35K?! Maybe I’m being too closed-minded but I’ve yet to hear an SS amp that sounds as musically and emotionally engaging. darTZeel came close but it still didn't have the three-dimensional quality of tubes. At least it’s not an SS preamp. That would be blasphemy. LOL
@@OCDHIFiGuy Maybe…but you didn’t say anything about the sound, just the build quality. So does it impart the same sense of dimensionality, air, and musicality as a $35K tube amp?
@@LorenzoNW this is not the listening video in case you missed the lack of music... talk is cheap. Yes this is a world class SS amp which has the sonic attributes of a tube amp with better control and speed.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Well, that's pretty damn impressive if it can match the dimensionality and musicality reproduced by a good tube amp. But I'll stick with my 300B SET integrated amp, given my budget and level of satisfaction with what I've got.
@@OCDHIFiGuy I'm more of a Casio Guy .. But I could list several amps that would compete sonically with the silly expensive at a fraction of the price that would be my idea of a sleeper
@@turbomustang84 That's great. My clients are not interested in those brands however. I've got luxury buyers. I also sell amps under $5K for the budget conscious, as I don't ignore music lovers on a budget. ;-)
Nice Inside look--- When I started pondering on Designing/Building and Selling High-End Audio.. I met Roy Johnson(Green Mountain Audio) and Jeff Rowland with his cat... After seeing Jeff's Shop,he told me that Roy died of cancer and then Jeff(Rowland) gave me a pair of the original "Green Mountain Audio" Time Coherent Speakers-- Both Roy and Jeff are not easy to reach but,they knew me from a Local Radio Station that focused on Local musicians and making quality recordings... I was always poor and could NEVER afford to but High-End Audio... Then,I decided to Design/Build and Sell my own systems for one/tenth the cost(with on/tenth the Power)... A sound wave is NOT square so,therefore, I use "Round" Enclosures for ALL of my Speaker designs... I started using Class-D Designs,after looking at a few of Jeff's designs
Funny you Mentioned Mark Levinson. He Built the ML2 wich is rare very rarely Seen. He sold to Madrigal labs years ago I believe. Then the Cello Line which was top Line Stuff. I seen a pair of Cello Performance Amps with Clear Tops on both Power Supplies and Amp section. It was Audio Jewelry Like I never seen the Wire Routing Terminations and Neat Perfection was something I will Never Forget. I tried to buy a used Pair after selling my Rowland Research 7s and never was able to finish the Deal. But I had the Fortune to Meet Mark in his NY cello Demo StudioYears ago. Unbelievable Perfection in build !!!
I’m sure you carry this too, right? All of your stuff is top notch, the best of the best, no matter if nobody has ever heard it, we are supposed to believe you? You are no different than the other dealers you bash, and some of those guys have damn good equipment, some made for 50-60 years here in America
Then get lost ....lol. don't buy from me... easy... I bash assholes with no integrity that give our industry a shit name. Go pick your boy. nobody gives a crap who you buy from..
Personally, I would go for a JRDG amp over this unit. Jeff has incredible and elegant builds and when the reviewer flipped the amp over and saw all those wires, I was like, hell no. I'm sure it sounds great, but it certainly should at this price point. I bought an amp from an Australian manufacture the Vajra from OAD Ultrafidelity and it looks and sounds fantastic with innovative tech and is about 10K USD. There are a lot of independent manufacturers who are not well known but are pushing the envelope with what is possible.
Probably not!! I really have no idea. I know it’s a helluva set a monoblocks for $3,000. I want to give them a spin, but I keep looking for something else.
My favorite "sleeper amp" is another Levinson product, the Cello performance amp. And the Audio suite preamp. The most uncolored and neutral amp/preamp I've ever heard. You literally couldn't assign a signature to the sound. Nothing stood out at all. The most transparent equipment I've ever heard. I posted this before I watched the vid. Nice to hear the praise for Cello.
A Hafler DH-500 w/225W/Ch. won't win any beauty contests but sonically its among the best. High current 2-ohm load stabile. And when with upgraded caps throughout is even better than it was new. They can be had for about $500-$600 these days on eBay. Now THAT's a Sleeper!
The best value power amp I have ever come across in my 50+ years as an music loving audiophile is the GamuT D200 Mk 3. Designed by the legendary Ole Lund Christensen, the D200 was not expensive when new and can now be picked up for $2,000. A single MOSFET per channel delivers 200W into 8 Ohms and 400W into 4 Ohms, while high current capability enables it to drive difficult loads like Magnepan 2.7 or 3.6 speakers with ease. It has holographic imaging with no audible signature of its own, and if you need even more power then look for the GamuT M250 monoblocks, which have the added advantage of a larger power supply. I pair my D200 Mk 3 with a '90s Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 Signature pre-amp, which is over-engineered compared to period rivals and most of today's pre-amps. I visit Munich High-End every year and have yet to hear new amps at any price that would make me consider changing over 20 years down the line. Newer and more expensive does not mean better! Forget the hype and reviews and use your ears!
Hey Mike, love your videos. This is gentleman from Mass Massachusetts wants to buy that amplifier from you. I understand what you mean about it being a sleeper AMP. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE AN AMPLIFIER 24 YEARS AGO I PURCHASED A PLINUS SA-100 i’m sure Mike the Familia with that amplifier that looks has The look of an amplifier well built, massive, Heat sinks Beautiful design well constructed that amplifier caught my eye because it had to look and it also sounded very well at that time $4500. I had to sell it over a financial . I had a choice of three solid state amplifiers that I could buy from this dealer. I chose to buy the Plinuis, Over the balanced audio technology amplifier or the classa Amplifier, even though both of the other manufacturers had better ratings as far as the output, The Plinuis Had to look, had the heat sinks, big chunk of aluminum beautiful I didn’t even try to listen to the other two amplifiers. Where the other amplifiers better , I’ll never know I missed that app. Hey Mike, watched a video of you trying out some Maggie, And I believe that you were driving them with an amplifier from China called kinky studio. I was impressed and also were you with the sound? Would you recommend that AMP. IT LOOKED GOOD. IT LOOKED WELL-MADE. GIVE ME YOUR OPINION. APPRECIATE IT. D FROM MASSACHUSETTS FALL RIVER HOME OF LIZZIE BORDEN CHOP CHOP LOL MIKE, I NEED YOU TO Sell me that app I gotta have it
Very nice talk on this amp. It is certainly worth having though I consider it overpriced for a sleeper if asking prices mean anything, and due to its age may require capacitors at some point, indeed a thorough exam to stop any small issues that could become major ones, so that's a good question to ask, and don't be shy about asking to look inside (bringing your own technician to put eyes on it) when paying so much for an older piece of gear. Just like one would bring a mechanic to look at a classic vehicle of similar worth. In the day when shopping for amps in hi-fi stores, I would judge amplifier and receiver quality and robustness by their weight -vs- power rating (Using the time-honored "Watts RMS into n Ohms, from 20-20000Hz @ x% distortion, both channels driven"). This one seems to be using the old and proper rating system, and is made in the USA. I believe it's a good example of best engineering. The video @3:50.. says "Choke Input power supplies" while talking about the power transformers. That would be a plus to keep good voltage regulation, and something few amps have (found mostly in older vacuum tube types) Where are the chokes which would follow the rectifiers? I did not see any DC filter chokes (reactors) in the video shots of the amp. Chokes large enough for that would be large and plainly visible, unless they have been hidden somewhere like in the cans, in which case the cans are oversized (they look it) to fit a 1.25KVA transformer -and- a filter choke in each one. I could see a toroidal transformer and choke stacked in each can, possibly. Please comment if possible. 😸
@@OCDHIFiGuy Thank you. I don't dispute it, but rather I just like to see things and try to relate them to my own experiences. They are certainly beautifully made. That sort of no-expense-spared attention to detail is unheard of today.
Thanks for giving us a look into this amp. It's good to know of amps outside of the high profile ones. But $35,000.00 for a 2ch. amp?!? It better be made of gold (or LEAST put some giant meters on the front panel) or it proves the proverb by P.T. Barnum.
Quality and design look decent but even from what is shown in the video I can see where corners were cut. They could have for example made each section inside a Faraday cage but they did not. They could have shielded the cables and used grounded connectors between sections inside. They could have put each output device on their own heatsink and made them removable for service with a connector for each. I am sure I could find many other things they could have done better for the price point but I am sure the amplifier sounds wonderful and anyone would be happy with the sound. I am just going to be picky about the details when the price is that high.
A Faraday cage also holds emissions INSIDE and is not always the best idea. Especially in an amplifier. Balanced/Differential amps don't need shielded cables because the circuit design inherently rejects noise. Hey, luxury product is not for everyone and not everyone understands what's important in an amp build. Thanks for your response.
@@OCDHIFiGuy yes in a well designed product with filters and shielding in the right places inside is where you want to keep any noise. I have been working with RF amplifiers for over 3 decades where it actually does matter. I don’t expect it would make any difference in the audio domain but if I am paying for a luxury product I want overkill in the design. Not everyone understands RF and that is ok. I am sure the sound is wonderful either way.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE if you like my content !!
Just-did.
Thx !
already done , since i saw your first video
cutiön devveice knöt ´änn ämp vFv
No blower cooling fan ❓
I'm unsure we should be calling 20-30k amps as sleepers. Sleepers in car terms I know of is basically a car that doesn't look fast but goes like hell once you try to race it. a BMW M5 doesn't qualify as a sleeper since it's expected and looks like it goes fast, a BMW 340i however without any sports pack still goes very fast but doesn't look like it..just like the above amp, I expected way more from 30k lol. Sleepers should be relatively high value(not cheap), with built quality based on the price it's sold at and outperforms many of these higher end(good sounding but horrible value amps). Hypex Class D amps like the NC500 module would be a sleeper, sounds fantastic(no house sound), make your own through the DAC and Pre-Amp of your choice, built to last, super power efficient with 1200W power Supply, very low temperatures(Again extending the life of the equipment) and distortion levels to dream of. 2K would get you two monoblocks that walks past the above. Maybe the above will give you a House sound that you prefer, that's subjective. So it may be a Sleeper...for the ultra rich...not for common folks ;)
The price is ridiculous.
He said $35k in the video. For that price, this amp is garbage.
34,000 and it's 200 watts per channel. That's it! You can buy a car with more amplifier power for the sound system for 34,000.
@@PDXGTP Given the size of the power supply , this would be a high current amplifier , capable of driving very low impedance speakers -like the Infinity Kappa 9's ( Impedance drops below 1 ohm !)
Current Capability: High-current amplifiers are designed to provide substantial current output, allowing them to handle complex and dynamic audio signals without distortion or loss of fidelity.
Speaker Control: With their ability to deliver ample current, high-current amplifiers offer better control over speakers, resulting in improved accuracy, tighter bass response, and reduced distortion, especially at higher volumes.
Efficiency: These amplifiers are engineered to efficiently convert electrical energy into amplified audio power, minimizing wasted energy as heat.
Stability: High-current amplifiers are designed to remain stable even when driving difficult speaker loads, ensuring that they can handle various speaker impedance variations without compromising performance.
Dynamic Performance: These amplifiers excel at reproducing sudden changes in audio dynamics, such as quick transients and peaks in music or sound effects.
High-current power amplifiers are commonly used in home audio systems, professional audio setups, and high-quality home theater systems. They are often found in applications where accurate and powerful audio reproduction is desired, such as live sound reinforcement, studio monitoring, and audiophile-grade audio systems.
Couldnt agree more
Damn that's gorgeous.
I remember buying a Velodyne ULD 18 2 and seeing a Mark Levinson 23.5 on the floor for basically the same money.
been kicking myself in the ass ever since.
Just found your channel. You’re so obviously a music lover and broadly educated. Thanks so much for sharing. I got into all of this back in the late ‘70’s, before I could really afford anything much beyond Sansui, Hafler and Carver, and was beginning to learn to play. Now, I am way too deep in, but have combined my avocation (music) with my vocation of computers and AI.
Cool Andrew, welcome to my channel. Hope you will subscribe if you haven't already ! All the best !
Audio jewellery.
@@karenjobagy5822 - Nope. This is QUALITY! 👍
@@karenjobagy5822 This is the opposite of audio jewelry, ya unnerstan'?
ya unnerstan'? 😂 haha.
Absolutely beautiful amp, especially with a choke input PSU. I actually took a screenshot of that stunning PSU. Fantastic design. I’ve moved from tube power amps for the most part to SS, but I still gotta have my tubes in my pre and phono pre. Luckily, those tubes last for many, many years unlike power tubes. Thanks Mikey. Again, beautiful amp! 🔊🎶😊
Thanks for sharing Nick !!
What is the frequency response (bandwith) slew rate,power delevery,single differential inputs or double diffrential inputs,stages configuration (emitter follower or cascode) ?? then ill decide if its worth anything !
Bye.
Lucien
Woooo
@@VinylgorrilaReggae Woohoo! 👋🎶🥳💨💨💨
I was gifted an old Marantz 7.1 amplifier/receiver that was heavy and well built. The flagship model of 2006 or so. A good amp with accurate signal amplification. Source is the important thing, and speaker system is the important thing too, but the amp is the backbone.
I like low power amps, but I can appreciate the heavier amplifiers.
I understand that the app without it there is no sound OK speakers have a lot to do with that, but I believe that your room is the most important part of your Soundsystem and the Grand Central Station, which is called the preamplifier has a lot to do with that
In most cases people waste money on source and neglect their speakers. I had a friend when I was a child that spent insane amounts of money on new tape decks, cd-players and amps without upgrading his bookshelf speakers. I noticed nearly zero gains from spending considerable sums of money to front end. If he had spent all the money for high end speakers (and as I later learned, room acoustics), he would have had significant improvements in sound.
Simple and elegant old tech. I love it!
It sure is!
Excellent. This is what I like to see. No-nonsense solid engineering design refined over the years, with no bling. Thanks, brother!
Glad you enjoyed it !
Military products are like that: basic, over engineered and 100 times the market rate with every certification it is possible to have. The certifiers will be impressed by the expensive nuts holding the case together. Nothing bad hidden under the bonnet, but taxpayer footing the bill so price no object.
It costs $34K (pre-amp not included).
@@Mark-rw3kw Ouch
With an actual wheelbarrow of hi- performance caps.
Caps comin' out yer ears!
That's one Powerful amp. Need to start looking for one of these!
Nice looking unit! Checks off all the boxes
For sure.
Hey Mikey and chat. One thing you did not catch about the build is they are using CDE capacitors. CDE is Cornel Dubilier Electronics. They are American made, very high quality capacitors. The audio world is all the rage about Mundorf and the like. CDE is an OG of caps. You will often find them in very demanding applications like industrial equipment. It says a lot about how good the amp design is.
I caught it. Simply did not mention it.
Have you ever seen and heard the MA-70 class ab amplifier made by High Fidelity cables? They go for about 100 grand anyways the internal power supply uses 2 4.5lb 100000uf 100v nichicon capacitors in it these things are 8" tall 4" wife hands down be physically biggest caps ive ever seen
Anyways when they went out of business I just happen to live local to them and managed to get my hands on eight of these capacitors for 15 bucks each LOL one day I will make one mega amplifier with them
@@KnowName33 i have not heard of that amp, but those caps sound insane. Crazy deal you got. I would be scared to safety discharge them. That's a lot of juice. I wonder what the tertiary specs are on them. Ripple, ESR, etc?
For $35K they better be the best caps available.
Mundörf of Germany makes the best caps in the world, if they used those the price would be 50 or 100k
Such an informative video.... I really loved this video.... At first I was fooled by those twobig huge components .... I thought it was a capicator and then I thought it might be a transformer.... But wanted to see if it's a huge daddy sized capicator😜unfortunately I got other stats of latest tech👍🏻
I don't see two large power supply chokes, which is what is needed for the two power transformers. If you had a choke on each rail there would be four chokes needed in this amp. Plus the heat sinks look small which means not much standing current and this can cause higher crossover distortion. But it does look nice and well made.
LOL. I guess you can design an amp better than Viola just because you think you can tell what's happening in the amp. The 2 chokes are inductor type. Don't get me started, man. You have no freaking idea about this company clearly or you'd shut up and just admit you don't understand the circuit. Tom fucking Colangelo... Google him bro...
@@OCDHIFiGuy I can't identify anything that looks like 100Hz power supply chokes either (choke/inductor - same thing). Maybe there are some RF choke/inductors hiding there somewhere to reduce the switching spikes from the power supply rectifiers., hardly a choke input power supply. Then again I am getting old and frequently put my foot in it...
@@OCDHIFiGuy This is just basic amp design, if you want a true choke input power supply you need a big chunk of iron and copper for each rail, I do not see that in your video. Then you need enough standing current so the choke does not "run dry". Choke input power supplies need constant current thru the chokes or they will then act like capacitor input power supplies. They most likely have common-mode chokes in the power supply that help with high frequency noise, but don't work at the 120cy ripple frequency. As far a Colangelo, he was brought onboard because John Curl left ML after Mark refused to pay him for his work, so to get back at Mark John published the ML designs that he developed in the magazine "The Audio Amateur" in 1977 for all to see. Question, who is more revered now, Colangelo or Curl? I think you know the answer but won't admit it. Take a deep breath Mike and chill, this is all just audio, not life support equipment.
I don't see big inductors in there either
@@OCDHIFiGuy Does Tom own your soul? Why you getting so upset?
You describe it as elegant whereas I see majestic. Absolutely gorgeous.
Well said !
I have a Hafler 9505. I paid $700 for it on Reverb. It's amazing. Quiet, clear, dynamic, imaging & soundstage, all get the checkmark.
Cool ! Glad you enjoy it !! What a deal 👌
now that is MY IDEA of a SLEEPER AMP. Much like my LSA Voyager GaN amp (~2k) or my EVS 1200 IcePower dual mono (~ $2700) by Ric Schultz (Tweak Audio)
@adambrown8867, I also have a Hafler 9505. It’s my first separate amp and pre. It’s the best thing I’ve owned so far and sounds truly amazing to my ears. I have it matched with a Hafler Class A Series 915 preamp. I’m running it single ended but I’m curious to see what a balanced signal from source to output would do. I think it’s a total sleeper amp too. Tons of capacitance, 4x20,000 mf, I could go on and on. Thanks for the look at the amp in video too Mikey. I think the closest true dual mono I could afford right now would be a Bryston 4b sst one day. Keep the videos coming mikey. I enjoy the channel and the conversation style you use. Cheers.
Edit: Adam brown, what preamp are you using? Ever tried a balanced tube pre with the 9505?
@kodiak2053 I only have 2 preamps & both are Chinese made headphone amps. One is a Singxer SA-1 which is the one I've been using for a long time. The other is a Xduoo TA-26, but I haven't even set it up yet. It's still in the box. Actually I've got 2 of each.
@@kodiak2053 ... Having worked for Hafler in the late '80s and early ''90s the Trans-Nova model 9505 design as it was known,,, was pretty damn good .. I own a few NIB Hafler Class A Series 915 preamps... thinking of the day I'd use them..
Cheers, M/S ... Subscribed.
I won't even consider an amplifier unless it has at least 30 screws per side. I may have to give this amp a try. Nice video.
LOL, I can even throw in an EXTRA SCREW !!
Just a gorgeous piece of engineering. I think it moved a little...Tks for video
Glad you enjoyed it
That is a Monster ! Love it ! Mike you keep going, I have seen equipment on your channel that I never knew existed ! Viola screams Quality ! Maybe I’ll hit the lottery ! It’s nice to dream anyway ! Thank you !
You bet Fabien !
Absolutely a Beast of an amp. I can just imagine what it would cost to build today. (considering everything is not even made in Japan or definitely in the US (it's an audio Masterpiece. but I bet it draws a lot of power. really nice work.
I have a Heath kit power amp from the late 70's. I built it and has it tested by a lab at over 300 watts per channel. It looks like this cello amp. It is heavy,very. It does not require a fan for cooling, massive heat sinks. . I built it and now it just sits, only 2 channel and I need 5.1 for sound.
Add a 3 channel and a powered sub or add a 4 channel amp if the sub is passive.
does it still work?? whats its output at 4 ohms?
35K is outrageous. You would have to be on drugs to pay that much for that amp. Yes, the build quality is outstanding, but it's still just a bunch of electronics components that would cost a tiny fraction of that to purchase. And the review actually proclaims that the architecture isn't a reinvention of the wheel. Standard legacy design executed nicely. Possibly the transformers are wound with platinum or gold perhaps.
You don't understand luxury product. Nothing will sound like this amp. Regardless if it's made with bicycle parts. May I ask how old you are ? I'm wondering if younger people don't understand luxury bespoke handmade products and the premium they carry.. it's possible you were brought up on disposable items and don't get stuff like this..I'd say 25K would make it a strong value... I get 35K is a premium, but so is a Rolex and look how many of those are sold in a year.
@@OCDHIFiGuy
I'm 65 years old. The Rolex analogy is actually partially strengthening my position somewhat. While the Rolex is a very well made watch, you can know what time it is with a $20.00 Timex just as well. People purchase the Rolex primarily as an attention seeking mechanism / status symbol.
My background is pro audio (3 decades of design and installation) utilizing Crown, Lab Grupen, etc. A lot of this is now going multi channel with DSP with the current trend of line arrays vs point and shoot, but I have also dabbled in the restoration of some vintage audio gear as a hobby, mainly early Hafler power amps and preamps, some Spectro stuff, etc. There is a distinction between that kind of amplifier designed for home use and pro audio amplifiers, but after hearing some high end home stuff such as 'MOON", Macintosh, Krell, etc. I'd be more than happy (probably happier) with a Bryston 4B in my home. The Spectro amps are kind of less musical sounding in some ways which concurs that an amp can provide a distinguishable sonic footprint, but the Haflers (after complete rebuild and calibration) get very close to the Bryston which really boils down to subjectivity. Beyond a certain degree, it's a matter of preference. Yes, most disposable consumer amps and receivers (with the exception of the Yamaha RX-V1 (probably a few others) don't have the weight or depth of a hi fi separate, but I'd be willing to bet that a blind test of your amp and some of the amps I mentioned above would likely not result in people picking out the 35K amp every time (or even most of the time).
Additionally, there is a lot to consider other than the power amplifier in any scenario in terms of sonic result. The transducers are probably the most important and noticeable factor, the source input signal is also a significant contributor.
Possibly you can help enlighten me as to what it is that's going on with that amp (other than being hand assembled with premium components) that renders it so far ahead of anything else. Feel free to describe the special circuitry design innovations (if any) that contribute.
@@magnustorque5528 I did not design it. I listen to it. A Porsche will not go any faster in traffic than a Honda Accord. Honda Accord is probably more reliable and lasts longer. Its a fraction of the cost. I'd buy a Porsche every time over the Honda... I'm aware of small subtleties. The ride is different between the 2, even with both at 30mph. Bryston is dry sounding to me. It's a pro amp. Needs to work and not ever break. That's the goal. I'd rather not have an audio system than to be relegated to Bryston. That's just me. I ride a Ducati.. Yamaha much less expensive but I'd rather not ride at all than ride a Yamaha... it's called personal taste my man. Has nothing to do with cost. I have my clothing tailored and made in USA. My leather riding jackets are custom made for me... it's the way I buy and it's the way my customers buy. No big deal. I don't need to prove to you why I or my clients do this. You do you, I'll do me. I'm into experiential living. Once I'm dead, thats it. So I style while I'm alive...
I don't understand the intricacies of amplifier design. But I do understand the concept of marginal utility and the law of diminishing returns. And I do understand that 35 grand can buy me many things that bring me joy, including numerous tickets to a live music event. I paid much much less for my amplifier, which also happens to be a dual mono design (but from a less known maker). It appears to be well made, and delivers more than enough power to my floorstanders in a 5m x 4m room. I suspect most people, including well informed hifi enthusiasts, would rather pocket the difference or spend it on other components that make a difference.
I am 60 years old and I have spent more money in my lifetime on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol that if I did not spend the money I could’ve Owned. 4/5 Of Mikey sleeper think about it
Wow! You guys know this stuff... I am trying to educate myself from the information that's given here and other videos.. great information
Great to hear!
Wow that is a beauty! Good looking build quality, just needs at least a gold power switch lol! Maybe a couple more benefits when mentioning things about the innards be nice, thanks!
Impressive build.
For sure.
My idea of a sleeper amplifier would be a QSC USA 850. It's a name that nobody pays attention too because they are normally used in PA, DJ or Club applications. They are absolutely bulletproof and if you put a clean source signal in what you get out will put a huge smile on your face. It's simple design is what makes it so good. Specifications on paper are not what your ears will actually hear.
You're right, I used the USA 900 with Klipsch speakers and I have heard a lot of state of the art systems including being in a pro studio so I know sound. Although I discovered even 1 amp better than the qsc USA 900.
It's the Crest vs 900. Got it for $100 450watts per side damping factor of 100. I owned 4, but had to downsize. The only negative is the loud cooling fan. But that's an easy fix. I put the sound quality equal to a Krell. Many pro audio people say it's the best of both worlds, the dynamics and power of solid state but smooth clean and neutral like a tube amp.
I will never part with them. It sounds crazy but everyone I have challenged has lost my bet.
Damping factor of 1000 (oops
@@iggyfritz7150bingo - I scored some QSC amps for a giant destination party - kept them, and actually love them - especially for the price
Beautiful! Really reminds me of the venerable Technics SE-A3 power amplifier.
Cool. Never seen it... this one goes to 11....
@@OCDHIFiGuy gave you a like on the comment, spinal tap references get a like 😂
@@annebokma4637 💯
Mikey that looks like a great amp but I wouldn't praise the Levinson lineage too much due to the Red Rose chapter. I'm sure you know what I am talking about.
I don't consider the Levinson line today to compete with the top brands anymore.
Always enjoy your videos.
Those are PEM nuts that get pressed into the chassis - we used to use these in military power supplies that had to be certified for harsh use. The wiring harness is over built and sized so it can easily handle whatever currents it has to. Quality like this has not been built for DECADES, all they want to do is use the cheapest parts and construct it quick and dirty now.
That is a true boat anchor!
These are not PEM brother.. that was my point. I owned an amp manufacturer and we used PEM. these are actual loose nuts held captive... but yes, nowadays they just thread the sheet metal...
So weird to see PEM mentioned in an audiophile post. I worked for that company from 1995-2000. It was a great family owned business that literally printed money.
@@PersonalTriumph We used PEM's' from the early 70's till that power supply house closed in the mid 90's - i went into consulting and the rest of the workforce scattered to the four winds.. I still have some down the cellar in my parts cabinet
Nice recall - I played the early ML range - even their battery powered head amp and later their Class A's - yes I agree ML made the best - thanks for this video
I love the way L and R are penned on the rails with all that high tech technology, simple is the easy way 👍 Amazing looking amp 👍
Right ? Gotta love it. Is that an Italian Bike ? Hard to tell from the small icon on my phone but looks like a naked Aprilia..
@@OCDHIFiGuy thanks, but it’s a triumph 1050cc 2016 Speed Triple R, this one was built in the UK
Looks beautifully constructed, almost amazing as my Carr slant 6v hardwired guitar amp.
Very nice!
OCD Mikey will not steer you wrong I have been into Audio 53 plus years I have Large Money Back in the day ML Krell AR & So on Purchased The PBN LIBERTY Speakers from mickey which was his Sleeper Speakers Gave Me A Killer Deal & Will Will EAT 10k Speakers 4 Lunch Bottom Line You Can TRUST This Guy he's not A SalesMen Thank you Brother Grego
Rock on Greg !
Another Banger! Love when you "look under the hood" in your reviews!
Hey Mikey, I think you got 60 screws loose. I like it!
Yes, I did !!
LOOKS LIKE A BETTER BUILT THEN MACINTOSH !! THANK-YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE LOOK INSIDE !!
Absolutely built better IMHO
Not.
Not just luxury, legacy. You want something you can pass on down the line? Buy something Mark Levinson made. Heard Cello driving Martin Logan and it was very memorable indeed. Great gear
Well said!
Couldn’t agree more. I love this stuff. Would buy it in a heart beat.
Right ?
You know that thing has a $40,000 MSRP, right? Ridiculous. I mean really, it cost as much as a car.
@@jukingeo I found it for only a mere $34K, but that does not include sales tax or shipping.
35k is a real joke, "for suckers only"
Says the "competent" sales guy. If you were competent, you'd realize complaining about prices is for suckers.
We are a Sleeper Brand!!! Thanks for show thats beauty!
I am from New Haven, CT. and have had the pleasure of meeting Mark Levinsohn and listening to his products which are among the best made Amps and Preamps available!!
Speaking of 'sleepers,' Madrigal took over the Mark Levinson trademark and one of the amps produced was engineered by Steve Mantz for the last Hi-Fi hurrah of the Harman/Kardon Citation 5.1-7.1 THX line. Steve Mantz still uses and services the Citations at his ZED labs in Los Angeles. At over twenty-years old, there are 60 capacitors to replace. I bridge my 5.1 for 300wpc to drive Dahlquist DQ-10's.
Wow. Crazy...
@@OCDHIFiGuy "We did design and build the Citation 7.1 and the smaller 5.1. We built a lot of these for Harman International. The amplifiers are flat from DC to 270KHz where the response is about 1dB down. Harman wanted this silly specification, why I do not know because we are not bats and cannot hear that high. The original specification was that they wanted the amplifier to go out to 600KHz, but the first prototypes were NOT happy out there and so we 'compromised' at just under 300KHz.
Each channel uses 10 Toshiba 20MHz output devices with a theoretical dissipation of 1,500 watts. The circuitry is fully complementary from input to output and it has some very unique features. Each channel has 6 power supplies which are separate from the other channels. The only common item between channels is the power transformer, which is a 2.2Kw toroid. This 2.2Kw rating is at 25 deg C and it can put out upwards of 3Kw at higher temperatures.
The input complementary differential pairs are driven by temperature compensated constant current sources, which ensure almost zero drift of the DC conditions with each channel. These are also cascode connected for maximum bandwidth. The main gain stage is also cascoded for increased bandwidth and is also Darlington configured for high current gain.
The output stage is a triple Darlington with ultra fast turn off delay. The main power emitter resistors are non inductive types. No coils are used in the speaker circuit and the amplifier is stable into reactive loads with a phase angle of over 45 degrees. It has the usual plethora of protection circuits which by the way are not in the audio path. The amplifier can be turned on with a remote trigger or by the rocker switch on the rear. It can be changed to run from 100v to 240 AC 50/60Hz.
I have the last two production amplifiers at home, one of which I use in my own system for the subs. I run it in bridge mode into a 2 ohm load, and I get out 1Kw per pair of bridged channels. I did modify the protection circuit to allow me to run each channel into 1 ohm! I have used the amplifier for 8 years now and it has run flawlessly." - Steve Mantz
The house isn't tornado proof, but whatever those amps are sittin' on ain't going anywhere.
Extremely will built. It just goes to show that good classic amplifier design seems to never go out of style.
Im curious on Mikey’s view on the brand Soulnote especially the A-2 integrated.
Coming from tubes I would like to try transistor again, wish me good luck!
Good luck !
It is a great amp. Personally I have a FOSGATE AUDIONICS FAA 1000.5 AMPLIFIER. It is about the best sounding amp I have ever heard.
Yes, that guy made some great Car Audio !!
@@OCDHIFiGuy The FAA 1000.5 ran about $3500 new with all 5 amp boards in it but that was a while back. It still works like new though.
That's one stunning amp. A beauty to behold.
It's a great sounding piece for sure
Hilarious, I was about to write "way different then the constellation" when you say remember that constellation"
Total joke of a build for $50K...
That was some audio autopsy Mike! It is so obvious the legacy that this design has, amazing.
Thx Charles !
Beatiful amp indeed.👍 No one will ask where the beef is!
That's right!
To me this is a collectors item.
Totally...
I couldn’t remember if I’d left a reply because I’d completely forgotten this video, but man I swear! if I ever get my hands on $132 grand, I want three of these amps in my system…. you heard right!
That power ⚡️is galactically amazing!
Lol. Rock on 🤘!
HiFi gear now is like Tiffany Jewelry. They jack the prices way up and put $1,000 of electronics in a fancy Star Trek looking machined Aluminum box and sell you the box for an addition $20,000. So out of control. I would like to ask these over-priced bloated sellers of fancy boxes at inflated prices if I can just get the amp boards and parts from them and I will just put it in my own $100 aluminum box and save $20,000 for the same amp.
Differences between amps are so small that most people can't tell the difference between a working condition 1000 eur amp and a 100 000 eur amp in a blind test. This has been tested numerous times and most audiophiles even refuse to be tested not to lose face.
@@dingdong2103 That is so true. Amp circuit designs have been around since the 1950's and not much has changed but the boxes and the introduction of LEDs and small phone screens. I am extremely blown away by amps that are simple Nelson Pass designed Class A amps with only 5 or 10 watts and get sold in the Audiophile marketplace for some insane price like $10,000. You can build one exactly the same yourself in an afternoon with minimal skills and about $400 in parts.
What if I WANT to spend 50K on an amp because I just made millions on a deal ?? Do I buy some "value" brand ?? Hell no I dont..
@@OCDHIFiGuy If you want to splash money just for fun it's your right to do naturally. Just don't spew hyperbole afterwards how magical the sound is lol.
@@OCDHIFiGuy By all means do. And let me know because I have some magic beans you might be interested in. Only $5,000 per bean!
I have a Old school favorite a Pioneer SX-1080 in pristene condition.
better
If they finish it in gold like Dartzeel with a Blue Panel VU Meter like McIntosh then I am in baby!
Lol. Then they'd have to price it like Boulder and put it in all the dealers.. Success!!
35K for something that built with the technology of the 80s
A real bargain :)
Lol. If you want a bargain, buy used gear...
@@OCDHIFiGuyi will buy new parasound jc 1 pluse for half the price. Double the power then this and made in USA 😂
Nobody is stopping you. Parasound is popular with many people. Not me however. I prefer best in class. ;-)
I'm gradually upgrading my hifi setup but it is pretty cheap. I wish I had a class A amp. Currently using a class D (Aiyima A07) with Sparkos 3602 opamps in it. I've decided to upgrade my DAC. Going from a $200 DAC to a $900 one. Hoping I can tell the difference.
WOW
subscribed today! you are the one of the few guys who know what is talking about!
Thanks !
did you try the Conrad Johnson evolution 2000. in the past?
You’re talking about super expensive amplifiers! They’re absolutely off-the-wall incredible! I am not sure if Mark had that much to do with this company and Tom Colangelo had passed away.
Hahaha, a 35K amplifier is now a sleeper, crazy audio prices today .
Regards
Indeed!
I'm shure that these will give my McIntosh M-601's a run for their money. The one thing that I personally feel is missing from this amp is power meters. I am a huge proponent of big power meters, Yes, they are I (eye) candy, but they do serve a purpose, especially in helping you understand how power amplifiers and power in general work. I think that if they had put meters on the front, their sales would most definitely improve and increase.
Absolutely no reason why manufacturers can’t use floating captive nuts for all bolt connections. Can’t cost more than a measly $200 to use such captive nuts. Any manufacturer who doesn’t use captive nuts in their chassis designs are stiffing their customers. They lack integrity.
Krell used to use those, perhaps they still do?
Great amp and great designer. So very natural sounding.
Agreed !
Don't forget John Curl and the JC-2! Used to sell MLAS in the 70's. Mark's infatuation with LEMO connectors seemed an attempt to create an ecosystem. A friend's store in Boston (Alan Goodwin) had the full HQD system on display...it was a real Golden Age for audio and I'm glad to have been part of it! To think of how many prestige brands like Levinson are now owned by Samsung or are nameplates for sale or lease (Nakamichi retro Bluetooth speakers???). Yet, there's never been a better time in terms of value for money than now, though it's more than a bit sad that it's come at the cost of losing places to audition that equipment. The audio system used to be ubiquitous in living rooms, now to see one is a rarity.
Yes, this is what's become of it. This amp is like a vintage AC Cobra but made today. It's for those with extra means, not the mainstream. I know those connectors well. Mark is a friend. (I interviewed him on this channel) I'm sure you've got great stories. I don't mean to assume, but I'm guessing you are female and your history of selling HiFi in the 70s is quite interesting !! Would love to have you on the show for a short interview about how u got into hifi. Call me at my number on 11stereo.com . Would love to meet you, either way !
I have the JC2 for 35 years now, but I dont use it anymore as there are many much better pre amps now......
No wonder! these Swiss connectors are used in the most demanding professional applications, and are wonderfully machined. Mark was not the only in love with them. In the time of Ethernet starting to be implemented, the Autonomous Government of Andalusia, decided that for their 10BASE2 network the prescribed BNC connectors where too mundane, so they forced the installer to adapt it with LEMOs. This extravaganza made it probably an unique network then in the world.
Surely the whole point of a top quality amp is that it has no sound of its own.
Subscribed.
Thanks for that !
$35K?! Maybe I’m being too closed-minded but I’ve yet to hear an SS amp that sounds as musically and emotionally engaging. darTZeel came close but it still didn't have the three-dimensional quality of tubes. At least it’s not an SS preamp. That would be blasphemy. LOL
You are being too closed-minded indeed ! ... ;-) 😉
@@OCDHIFiGuy Maybe…but you didn’t say anything about the sound, just the build quality. So does it impart the same sense of dimensionality, air, and musicality as a $35K tube amp?
@@LorenzoNW this is not the listening video in case you missed the lack of music... talk is cheap. Yes this is a world class SS amp which has the sonic attributes of a tube amp with better control and speed.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Well, that's pretty damn impressive if it can match the dimensionality and musicality reproduced by a good tube amp. But I'll stick with my 300B SET integrated amp, given my budget and level of satisfaction with what I've got.
These transformer are very impressive. I like the modular construction.
Yes !
A sleeper ?
At $35000.00
LoL
Ever price a Rolex ? Clearly not
@@OCDHIFiGuy I'm more of a Casio Guy ..
But I could list several amps that would compete sonically with the silly expensive at a fraction of the price that would be my idea of a sleeper
@@turbomustang84 That's great. My clients are not interested in those brands however. I've got luxury buyers. I also sell amps under $5K for the budget conscious, as I don't ignore music lovers on a budget. ;-)
Beautiful Amp
It really is!
Earlier and much better build than the first two sets of Jeff Roland. The 3 you mentioned are also music aficionados first, like Saul Marantz.
Nice Inside look--- When I started pondering on Designing/Building and Selling High-End Audio.. I met Roy Johnson(Green Mountain Audio) and Jeff Rowland with his cat... After seeing Jeff's Shop,he told me that Roy died of cancer and then Jeff(Rowland) gave me a pair of the original "Green Mountain Audio" Time Coherent Speakers-- Both Roy and Jeff are not easy to reach but,they knew me from a Local Radio Station that focused on Local musicians and making quality recordings... I was always poor and could NEVER afford to but High-End Audio... Then,I decided to Design/Build and Sell my own systems for one/tenth the cost(with on/tenth the Power)... A sound wave is NOT square so,therefore, I use "Round" Enclosures for ALL of my Speaker designs... I started using Class-D Designs,after looking at a few of Jeff's designs
Yes, Roy was a good guy. I spoke with him many times. Jeff is a friend of mine. So glad to hear you got some speakers from him !
Smart to use a steel top hat to hold the two transformers, very stiff and light.
Great video damn i love the simplicity of that amplifier, does anyone have an idea of the wattage of this amp?
Get what you pay for, it does look like a work of art, if it sounds as good as it looks I can see why the cost. That’s certainly a forever amplifier 👍
No link to the amp?
Funny you Mentioned Mark Levinson. He Built the ML2 wich is rare very rarely Seen. He sold to Madrigal labs years ago I believe. Then the Cello Line which was top Line Stuff. I seen a pair of Cello Performance Amps with Clear Tops on both Power Supplies and Amp section. It was Audio Jewelry Like I never seen the Wire Routing Terminations and Neat Perfection was something I will Never Forget. I tried to buy a used Pair after selling my Rowland Research 7s and never was able to finish the Deal. But I had the Fortune to Meet Mark in his NY cello Demo StudioYears ago. Unbelievable Perfection in build !!!
Yes, absolutely... you met the legend and heard his legendary creation !
I use a BSS professional amplifier purchased for very little. I found one of these violas for sale in France where i live. Only €7,000!
Stunning! O-M-G!
Glad you like it!
I’m sure you carry this too, right? All of your stuff is top notch, the best of the best, no matter if nobody has ever heard it, we are supposed to believe you? You are no different than the other dealers you bash, and some of those guys have damn good equipment, some made for 50-60 years here in America
Then get lost ....lol. don't buy from me... easy... I bash assholes with no integrity that give our industry a shit name. Go pick your boy. nobody gives a crap who you buy from..
Subscribed....Think I will just go with the SummitHiFi A11.
Sounds Chinese..
@@OCDHIFiGuy smiling about to find out all about it. Designed in Canada.
I'm loving my Ashly FTX series III
FTX 2001 ..
About 200 bucks used
nowhere near as pretty,
but can melt speaker cables
if that's your thing .. 🤗
Personally, I would go for a JRDG amp over this unit. Jeff has incredible and elegant builds and when the reviewer flipped the amp over and saw all those wires, I was like, hell no. I'm sure it sounds great, but it certainly should at this price point. I bought an amp from an Australian manufacture the Vajra from OAD Ultrafidelity and it looks and sounds fantastic with innovative tech and is about 10K USD. There are a lot of independent manufacturers who are not well known but are pushing the envelope with what is possible.
The Schiit Tyr is a current production model that uses choke-input. Read their copy, I swear I love the way the guys over there write their copy.
That's great, how does it sound ? Can it drive a 1 Ohm load at 100Db continually ? I'll look at the site some day..
Probably not!! I really have no idea. I know it’s a helluva set a monoblocks for $3,000. I want to give them a spin, but I keep looking for something else.
Thanks for the video '
You bet!
@@OCDHIFiGuy 'Beast' hope you have a Dolly 😆
I do... lol
wow that truly is a work of art...
My favorite "sleeper amp" is another Levinson product, the Cello performance amp. And the Audio suite preamp. The most uncolored and neutral amp/preamp I've ever heard. You literally couldn't assign a signature to the sound. Nothing stood out at all. The most transparent equipment I've ever heard.
I posted this before I watched the vid. Nice to hear the praise for Cello.
Thanks, clearly you get it...
Dang man, them are such big toroids
A Hafler DH-500 w/225W/Ch. won't win any beauty contests but sonically its among the best. High current 2-ohm load stabile. And when with upgraded caps throughout is even better than it was new. They can be had for about $500-$600 these days on eBay. Now THAT's a Sleeper!
There was a 50 wpc Mark L around years ago that was great value also.
Just a beautiful Amp.
The best value power amp I have ever come across in my 50+ years as an music loving audiophile is the GamuT D200 Mk 3. Designed by the legendary Ole Lund Christensen, the D200 was not expensive when new and can now be picked up for $2,000. A single MOSFET per channel delivers 200W into 8 Ohms and 400W into 4 Ohms, while high current capability enables it to drive difficult loads like Magnepan 2.7 or 3.6 speakers with ease. It has holographic imaging with no audible signature of its own, and if you need even more power then look for the GamuT M250 monoblocks, which have the added advantage of a larger power supply. I pair my D200 Mk 3 with a '90s Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 Signature pre-amp, which is over-engineered compared to period rivals and most of today's pre-amps. I visit Munich High-End every year and have yet to hear new amps at any price that would make me consider changing over 20 years down the line. Newer and more expensive does not mean better! Forget the hype and reviews and use your ears!
There you go ! Great stuff !!
Hey Mike, love your videos. This is gentleman from Mass Massachusetts wants to buy that amplifier from you. I understand what you mean about it being a sleeper AMP.
IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE AN AMPLIFIER 24 YEARS AGO I PURCHASED A PLINUS SA-100 i’m sure Mike the Familia with that amplifier that looks has The look of an amplifier well built, massive, Heat sinks Beautiful design well constructed that amplifier caught my eye because it had to look and it also sounded very well at that time $4500.
I had to sell it over a financial .
I had a choice of three solid state amplifiers that I could buy from this dealer. I chose to buy the Plinuis, Over the balanced audio technology amplifier or the classa Amplifier, even though both of the other manufacturers had better ratings as far as the output, The Plinuis Had to look, had the heat sinks, big chunk of aluminum beautiful I didn’t even try to listen to the other two amplifiers. Where the other amplifiers better , I’ll never know I missed that app.
Hey Mike, watched a video of you trying out some Maggie, And I believe that you were driving them with an amplifier from China called kinky studio. I was impressed and also were you with the sound? Would you recommend that AMP.
IT LOOKED GOOD. IT LOOKED WELL-MADE. GIVE ME YOUR OPINION. APPRECIATE IT.
D FROM MASSACHUSETTS FALL RIVER HOME OF LIZZIE BORDEN CHOP CHOP LOL
MIKE, I NEED YOU TO Sell me that app I gotta have it
Just call me. Phone # is at 11stereo.com
Just wow beautiful monster
The buid quality of this amp is 100 times better then my ADCOMs GFA 555 and 545 mk2s , but despite that I love my amps very much.
Well that's great !! We keep what we love, right ??
@@OCDHIFiGuy Yes indeed, what we love and what we can afford.
Absolutely 💯!
That's because this Viola amp costs $34K plus tax and plus shipping.
Very nice talk on this amp. It is certainly worth having though I consider it overpriced for a sleeper if asking prices mean anything, and due to its age may require capacitors at some point, indeed a thorough exam to stop any small issues that could become major ones, so that's a good question to ask, and don't be shy about asking to look inside (bringing your own technician to put eyes on it) when paying so much for an older piece of gear. Just like one would bring a mechanic to look at a classic vehicle of similar worth.
In the day when shopping for amps in hi-fi stores, I would judge amplifier and receiver quality and robustness by their weight -vs- power rating (Using the time-honored "Watts RMS into n Ohms, from 20-20000Hz @ x% distortion, both channels driven"). This one seems to be using the old and proper rating system, and is made in the USA. I believe it's a good example of best engineering.
The video @3:50.. says "Choke Input power supplies" while talking about the power transformers. That would be a plus to keep good voltage regulation, and something few amps have (found mostly in older vacuum tube types) Where are the chokes which would follow the rectifiers?
I did not see any DC filter chokes (reactors) in the video shots of the amp. Chokes large enough for that would be large and plainly visible, unless they have been hidden somewhere like in the cans, in which case the cans are oversized (they look it) to fit a 1.25KVA transformer -and- a filter choke in each one. I could see a toroidal transformer and choke stacked in each can, possibly. Please comment if possible. 😸
Heck if I know. It's in their manufacturer specifications...
@@OCDHIFiGuy Thank you. I don't dispute it, but rather I just like to see things and try to relate them to my own experiences. They are certainly beautifully made. That sort of no-expense-spared attention to detail is unheard of today.
Super ❤😊
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for giving us a look into this amp. It's good to know of amps outside of the high profile ones. But $35,000.00 for a 2ch. amp?!? It better be made of gold (or LEAST put some giant meters on the front panel) or it proves the proverb by P.T. Barnum.
Quality and design look decent but even from what is shown in the video I can see where corners were cut. They could have for example made each section inside a Faraday cage but they did not. They could have shielded the cables and used grounded connectors between sections inside. They could have put each output device on their own heatsink and made them removable for service with a connector for each. I am sure I could find many other things they could have done better for the price point but I am sure the amplifier sounds wonderful and anyone would be happy with the sound. I am just going to be picky about the details when the price is that high.
A Faraday cage also holds emissions INSIDE and is not always the best idea. Especially in an amplifier. Balanced/Differential amps don't need shielded cables because the circuit design inherently rejects noise. Hey, luxury product is not for everyone and not everyone understands what's important in an amp build. Thanks for your response.
@@OCDHIFiGuy yes in a well designed product with filters and shielding in the right places inside is where you want to keep any noise. I have been working with RF amplifiers for over 3 decades where it actually does matter. I don’t expect it would make any difference in the audio domain but if I am paying for a luxury product I want overkill in the design. Not everyone understands RF and that is ok. I am sure the sound is wonderful either way.
I had a Pass Labs X350.5 and i don't have it anymore. Big and heavy and odly weak and slow and muddy sounding..
That's too bad, the new Jeff Rowland is Amazing..
beautiful
Thank you! Cheers!
I recognize the merchant from the first one, and his topic is known