Sugden amplifiers and pure Class-A in general...?

I have some experience with that amp. It really is something special.

 

Agreed my friend. It is certainly is. Just an incredible amount of power/muscle/musicality in those first few Class-A watts. I have never been so impressed at low listening levels.

 

I have Sugden A21AIs2! PLS check my movie and on mic sound!
(Sugden & REGA Rp6 & Nagaoka MP200 cart & ProAc)

 

Thank you ArtK and beowulf, macster !!!

 

That is a very nice video, now all you have to do is to buy the Nagoka MP500 and let me know how it sounds.

M~

 

I'm very pleased you like that. I'll report it to you when I buy the Nagaoka MP500!

 

This amp is squeezing out every last harmonic of each instrument... going through several Analogue Productions 45s right now, and talk about realism.
This amp takes everything amazing about the A21AL and adds sumo-like weight behind it. The 3D sound stage is the most holographic I've experienced outside a much pricier Audio Note pre and Classé power amp matched to M40.1s.

 

It looks nice too.

 

Yes. It's gorgeous, and weighs a ton!

 

It's a gorgeous amp. Seeing is believing. Runs super hot but that's the price you pay for single ended Class A.

 

Yes, "hotter than Hell's kitchenette" was a quote from a review from about seven or eight years ago in a UK hi fi magazine.
It is a truly sublime amplifier, one that words doesn't easily convey it's real-life presence.

 

How long do you have it, Rafe?

 

And can you send it to San Diego when done.

 

Sorry bub, it's headed to Oregon first...just a geographical fact!

 

Thanks to my absolute dream of a dealer, I have it and the A21AL for about a month.
I plan to go a week on/off between the SE and the A21AL before I decide for certain, but so far, in all reality, it's not much of a contest.
The SE just has so much more depth and scale.
That said, there's a $1,500 difference between the two, so I've got some time to see if it's really worth the difference.

 

LOL.
Nice one Art

 

There is a reason I ask. As much as I love both Harbeth and Sugden and believe me I do. There can be a certain sameness that creeps in to everything you listen to with both brands. That said it is a good sameness...great tonality, midrange is flawless..and so on. However after a bit you may notice that a lot of music that does not possess these characteristics all of a sudden do. Just keep the ears open and stay observant...as I already know and trust that you will.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence Art
I'll keep your observations in mind as I continue to listen.
Cheers my friend.
Have you had an opportunity to hear an LFD?

 

Briefly...not my cup. Great amp but I could quickly tell that the presentation was a bit too glassy for my liking. Were I in the market for an expensive integrated (solid state), I would be auditioning Lavardin and Hegel. For Tubes it would be Leben, Jadis or Line Magnetic.

 

Thanks Art, much appreciated.

 

Bringing this back up top..... Did you end up keep one of the Sugdens? Just curious.....

 

Me too.

 

Well, what happened next?

 

My goodness you guys didn't keep up did you...lol!

Living with the DeVore Fidelity O/96 loudspeakers... my review »

One of many subsequent threads by Rafe. All of them interesting and fun reads.

 

He went with an Audio Note Oto SE and Audio Note AN-e/SPe HE speakers as well.