Solid State Amp Recommendations

I am much more interested in either the Hydra or the Medusa since I already have a high-quality tube preamp I can use ...

While Rogue may not be McIntosh, it has a solid reputation and made in the US.

 

The one I have is a 2205. However John Curl designed many great amps for Parasound. if you have any question about legacy amps (and trust me, they are anything but legacy as they stand their own with the best SS amps made today) check the Parasound site as they have a great section on retired and new amps and they clearly state which are designed by John.

The A51 is the current model that would match up with the 2205.

 

More important. As is the power supply.

 

Parasound has all its gears made in Taiwan, which has excellent QC IMO.

 

Agreed. I bought my amp used on agon for a fraction of what some of the new models from parasound go for and even given it's age it's an incredible amp. A true testament to the quality from this company. I had a few questions the other year and it was amazing how easy it was to get a hold of someone in their engineering dept. Incredibly helpful, responsive, wonderful people to deal with. Mine does double duty as a HT amp and for vinyl so it's on for avg of 6 hours a day. Not a hick up in all the years I've had it. I'd gladly buy another used Parasound amp knowing how they are there for their customers.

It's about the customer service, not the benjamines! That's what keeps you at the top of the game.

Seriously between Rogue and Parasound they have been by a long shot the best American Made audio companies I've had the wonderful pleasure to deal with!

 

I also find their products very price competitive against those non-European made equipments ...

 

For sure. Mission, AVI, Cambridge Audio, Onkyo, and a bunch of others with offshore production facilities all have excellent customer service and their QA is terrific. Makes all the difference. I have had personal experience of all and rate each highly.

 

Wow, you don't know? lol. JBL (the Synthesis range) and Klipsch (Heritage range) for starters. There's ATC, Tannoy, Westlake Audio, PBN, Classic Audio, etc.

 

The Klipsches are now only in very limited production, right?

 

Not necessarily, my local audio dealer did not have many kind words for NAD for after-sale support and its QC for many years.

 

Not that I know of.

 

That doesn't damn all of them though.

My personal experience with Mission and its team in Huntingdon is very positive (for instance). The list wasn't exhaustive either. But that of course isn't a country of manufacture issue rather more how much NAD invest in their support division.

 

Try Googling under "Ayre," not "Ayer," and should find quite a bit of information. They have a fine reputation. I've not heard any of them.

 

For NAD, it was, as the dealer was getting many customers that wanted to get their refunds ...

 

The contract in the UK is with the retailer, not the manufacturer, though the Sale of Goods Act provides buyers with up to five (Scotland) or six (rest of UK) where they have protection from goods not fit for purpose. If that happened here, the retailer would be bound to sort it out, not NAD (albeit NAD, or any manufacturer) would need to provide repair after a certain amount of time. There is of course the small claims courts and Trading Standards for legal or local authority involvement if all else fails. Still not a country of manufacture issue of course, but QC.

 

tube preamp and hybrid a

tube preamp with tube / class D amp? too many tubes in the chain?

 

I am also open to a straight Class D amp, though not many US audio manufacturers actually make Class D amps. I was surprised to see Rogue makes two Class D hybrids ...

 

Not in the US. After the manufacturer's warranty has expired, you are on your own and the retailer (dealer) bears no respsonsibility. Most manufacturer's warranty is for a year or two years. Marantz gears made in Japan carry three-year warranty, though I have no clue as to what kind of warranty the lower-priced Chinese-made equipments provide. Bryston is truly exceptional that it provides 20-year transferrable warranty on all its amps.

 

https://wyred4sound.com/products/power-amps

 

Thanks for the link and I have heard of wyred4sound before. The company used to do a lot of subcontract works for other American audio companies. I think all these amps are made in CA. Unfortunately, I really do not need more than 200 watts/ch given the size of my study ...

Perhaps running a Class D hybrid amp into a tube preamp cannot be such a bad thing. As Rogue does provide the right amount of power I need ...

 

JBL is really not a high-end speaker, it is a mass-market speaker brand ...

 

JBL makes audiophile speakers. They also make mass market pieces.

 

Rogue is also a PA company. I emailed them a few years ago and was told if the nearest dealer was too far away, I could order directly from them.

 

I am always suspicious of a company that makes both high-end and low-end products. As such, car like a Cadillac is always a non-starter for me.

 

I could agree with your sentiment when applied to small-ish companies trying to be all things to all people. When it comes to companies like Harman International and GM? I really don't. They have the supply chain power and a certain diversity in engineering to know how to deliver both mass market and niche equipment at high levels of quality. You could have dedicated teams that might share relevant info, but are still focused on one specific area of the market. They could basically be a company within a company. I often draw analogies to car manufacturers but just because Ford sells a million units to rental outfits, doesn't mean their SVT division can't deliver a proper enthusiast platform. I'm not saying you are wrong by any means, and I've never heard JBL's audiophile offerings, just that I believe your apprehension is misplaced.