looking for SS amp to pair with Ref 40

[TOGA]

Hi,
Now that I am quite sure the performance of my new Magico Q3 is worth
an amplifier upgrade. I really how Ref250 sound but want more snappy and
more punch out of that sound. What Solid State amp can make such sweet
mid/treble while provide fast/tight/punchy bass and very strong dynamic punch for entire audio range ? My current Moon W7m can do all of those except sweetness and liquidity part that it will never matched tube Ref 250.
In far future when budget permit, here are my contenders.
1. D'Agostino Momentum ( if price not increase more)
2. LAMM Hybrid ( may be too little power and almost impossible to demo)
3. Constellation Centaur Mono. ( don't know power output yet)
4. Jeff Rowland 725 ( is this class D ? )
5. Any suggestion ??

My Ref 40 do not permit to use with power amp with input impedance of lower than 20Kohm.
Well actually, as of now I can make my Moon to sound almost as liquid and sweet, but leaner than Ref 250, just by using Oyaide gold plated IEC/male plug on my Transparent Powerlink MM2 power cords feeding Moon. But all the punch and speed of leading edge is gone as a cost.

TOGA

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Hi,
Now that I am quite sure the performance of my new Magico Q3 is worth
an amplifier upgrade. I really how Ref250 sound but want more snappy and
more punch out of that sound. What Solid State amp can make such sweet
mid/treble while provide fast/tight/punchy bass and very strong dynamic punch for entire audio range ? My current Moon W7m can do all of those except sweetness and liquidity part that it will never matched tube Ref 250.
In far future when budget permit, here are my contenders.
1. D'Agostino Momentum ( if price not increase more).

ARC preamps (Ref 5 and Ref 40) have often been used with the Momentums at Audio shows so clearly the exhibiters of that combo think they work well together.

2. LAMM Hybrid ( may be too little power and almost impossible to demo)

ARC and Lamm are a popular combo and I think the M2.2 (220wpc into 8 ohms, and doubling down into 4 and 2 ohms, should be plenty of power).

3. Constellation Centaur Mono. ( don't know power output yet)

The feedback on the Constellation equipment has been stellar. Any chance you can audition?

4. Jeff Rowland 725 ( is this class D ? )

The 625 and 725 are Jeff Rowland's most recent designs that have gone back to Class A/B push-pull amps, so no not Class D.

5. Any suggestion ??

My Ref 40 do not permit to use with power amp with input impedance of lower than 20Kohm.
Well actually, as of now I can make my Moon to sound almost as liquid and sweet, but leaner than Ref 250, just by using Oyaide gold plated IEC/male plug on my Transparent Powerlink MM2 power cords feeding Moon. But all the punch and speed of leading edge is gone as a cost.

TOGA

TOGA...Can you audition any of the above. My vote would be the D'Agostino Momentum amps, followed by M2.2, simply because these are known combinations that work well with ARC preamps. Not sure about Constellation and Jeff Rowland from that perspective.

[TOGA]

Thank Cyril,
I think I can listen to all of them one day, but not all are possible for in home demo.
I like to have Momentum first choice too. But waiting to see the specification of Constellation Centaur Mono. I think I could buy Constell. for less money.
But while typing this, I have found new sound of my Moon amp which is more liquid than before. Today just put new WATTGATE 330i/350i onto power cords to replace std
Hubbell. Sound is much more organic and rounder, easier. But for impact and power and bass control, nothing beat std Hubbell Hospital Grade.
I kinda like the transparency, speed and punch of Soulution 700 mono block too.
But it has extreme low input impedance which certainly incompatible with Ref40 preamp.

toga

[jpspock]

Hi Toga,

I use a REF5 with Pass XA100.5, and it sounds great. A 160.5 would be a grat match with Q3

[dtb300]

If you can audition, try out the Plinius SA-103's. Class A or Class A/B user selectable so you decide when you want the heat (Class A) or not. And they can be used in Stereo or Mono operation depending on your budget and room.

Pass Labs would be another - as other posters have suggested.

[audiot servant]

Toga

It was posted in Wizard's blog yesterday that the Constellation Centaur monos are double the current stereo amp and released shortly.

stereo - 250 watts for 24k available now
mono - 500 watts for 48k due out in April

Graham

[TOGA]

I had Pass XP20+XA160.5 before, BBQ on top of them some times
These are only amps that I feel more powerful than my 500w Moon W7M, and also
sound more beautiful at lower volume too. But when i got Ref40, I like Ref40 driving Moon more, due to speed and more extended top treble of Moon amps, that superbly powerful sounding also gone with XP20. with Ref40, I don't feel that much power/impact of XA160.5
anymore. The above are based on driving Revel Salon2.

Plinius Sa-103 should be nice and also available too, but frankly don't have passion much on this brand... ok this may be wrong habit of finding the absolute sound, but that's my bad.

Once I live with fast and transparent sound of Moon, I will have to keep this quality, but just need a touch more liquidity and sweetness I heard from ARC REF250.
Thanks for advises, I will have some more times to search for new amp, as must start saving once agian after emptying pocket with Q3.
Toga.

[TOGA]

Oh, 500 watt from Constellation Centaur Mono is just right , it just right.
And price should be more reasonable than competitor too.
It's not pretty, but also not ugly to look at. and it will fit in my rack, unlike XA160.5
or Soulution 700. At this time, no distributor of Constellation Audio in my country yet.

[enatai252]

What about the new Moon monoblocks...the 880M. the have 50k input impendence. I have not heard them but I do have the new 850P preamp and it is awesome.

[microstrip]

Some people claim that the latest CA M600 monoblock amplifiers from Classe Audio are great sounding , unhappily I have never listened to them.
They got great reviews in audiophile press.