![]() The ATC showed me the potential benefits of a good power amp, even if it wasn’t the right choice for me. That doesn’t mean I was ready to retire my power amp search. ![]() Ultimately, its mixed blessings just weren’t enough to justify keeping it. That said, it projected a flatter soundstage. MSRP $3,749) gripped the KEFs’ woofers with more authority than the Raggy can, thanks to its copious power. Whether using the Raggy as the power amp’s preamp, a volume-adjustable DAC as the preamp, or as separate passive preamp, none of the power amps I auditioned could match the Raggy on its own. Yet, every destination has been unsatisfying. But in the true audiophile spirit, I couldn’t shake the feeling that “ moar” power would be better. Sitting just a few feet away from the speakers, that’s sufficient. That said, the Raggy is just 100 watts per channel into 4 ohms, and my KEFs have a modest sensitivity of 85 dB. It’s unique, microprocessor-equipped topology is just so darn transparent that it’s been difficult to find something that’s as revealing, deep, and tonally correct as the “Raggy.” They’re driven by my Schiit Ragnarok 1, which I’ve never been able to displace, no matter how many times I’ve tried. Most recently, the other has been a pair of the Philharmonic BMR Monitors - an unbelievable bargain buy. One is always my beloved KEF Reference 1s. ![]() ![]() Usually, I have two sets of speakers that I toggle between. But none made me feel like I needed to hold onto it. It’s not that all of them have been putrid. I’ve tried a half dozen or so over the past few years from manufacturers such as Classé, ATC, NAD, and Emotiva. Their newer amps are cleaner and more neutral than their older ones and they gentle smooth out the signal while having extremely low distortion that many people including myself love.especially their solid state amps.Finding a good power amp is hard. A different approach is the McIntosh designs. More so, the JC5 has more straight Class A on seveal watts before getting into Class AB. I have limited experience with Parasound but I have heard the A21+ and JC5 and the 2nd harmonic distortion on these amps for my taste sounds pleasing. Having an amp that gentle smooths out these recordings (gently, while still being clean and detailed) can allow you to enjoy the music more. This includes many remastered albums where they over did it with adjusting the EQ. With that being said, a lot of recordings can sound either harsh, or too bright on cymbals and ssss on vocals. In the same way engineers in recording studios like Rupert Neve and API audio gear that adds a gentle rounding to the signal. Having an amp with some 2nd harmonic distortion can sound pleasing to our ears. The choice we make has a lot to do with personal preference and how music sounds in our room. Spending 5, 10, and even 20 grand on power amplification is passé unless you're running some sort of cinema in your home or running a venue, and at that stage you would want to be upgrading to something like Genelec active speakers/subs at which point what amplifier you're using ceases to matter anyway. These things will actually better your sound, and it will be significant. Shift your time, energy and wallet to measuring your room with and worrying about DSP/EQ, proper sub integration, and potential room treatments if possible. Dual mono benchmark or maybe the Mcintosh is the only real "upgrade" from Purifi from the things we have 3rd party measurements for, and these still have some cons over a cheaper Purifi/Hypex amp such as costing 6-8x the price and larger/heavier units to deal with. While the Benchmark is a great product, I generally suggest Purifi or Hypex as they are top tier performers and you will barely pay more than $1-2k for stereo amplification, unless you want to buy from a premium brand with a premium chassis which may cost more. ![]() There are few exceptions to this suggestion, but any deviation from this is buying for looks, vanity, brand/reputation, warranty, etc.- NOT sound quality and engineering up to modern reproducible standards. Buying one of these according to your power needs and you will be happy, period, and they will all sound the same as long as it can provide the power. Also the new upcoming Chinese products like Topping for lower power outputs are making their appearance. If buying new, Purifi, Hypex, and Benchmark are really the only ones that matter these days in terms of the objective best, and thankfully they have comparatively sane prices compared to overpriced audiophile grade junk. ![]()
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