Most transparent amps under 10k??

How would you compare CA to a top Bryston amp in terms of your definition of transparency? I believe Bryston would me more transparent and would measure better. Difference would be quite easy to hear.

 

Comparing the CA 740 to a Bryston 2B-SST... well I just don't know. Both will measure superbly and be very transparent. My guess would be in favour of the Bryston, mostly due to it's bigger PSU and cooling. So yes probably more transparent, but under normal 'easy' conditions I wouldn't expect to see a clear winner in harmonic distortion, IMD or noise floor. Move up to the CA 840W power amp and I think things could even swing the other way.

This is all just guesswork though, both are clearly superb transparent amps and I'd be happy with either providing they give the needed power.

 

This is where I cannot agree and I do not see any point of continuing the debate. If you cannot hear the difference between a highly transparent amp and a budget NAD hmm....

 

Neither would you in a blind test, unless your idea of transparent is something that is technically less than competent and distorts the output in some way. Doesn't make the choice any less valid but that isn't the same thing as achieving transparency.

The natural way to conclude such debates is to actually sit down and compare amps blind

 

I don't see any problem in hearing a difference between a budget and hiend amp in a blind test.
I'm a bit confused though why you built passive speakers if you do not see any benefit in changing amps. Active speakers have much lower distortion than passive, greater linearity, are much more transparent.... the only benefit of passive speakers is flexbility to change amps

 

The Bryston is a good amp, so I can't complain about you using one of those, the build is lovely. I had an active PMC and Bryston set-up for years.

Martin, the 640 is a discrete Doug Self class A/B design, just without the XD crossover tech reserved for the 840 series.

Janko, if you want to understand a little better where Rob and I are coming from, you might enjoy reading a book called 'Audio Power Amplifier Design Handbook' by Doug Self. I think most would agree he is a name to respect in the amp design field.

 

Thanks for correction Simon - I must be confusing it with one of the other Cambridge integrateds.

 

This is my first post here, but I have posted quite a bit over on PFM over the years. I sold Rob a Rega Elex amp about fours years ago on PFM so he may remember me.

With regards to this thread I have owned quite a few integrated amps (mainly solid state) over the past 10 years. It is my opinion that differences between amplifiers is often small in comparison to say loudspeakers. Do they all sound the same? No.

I am starting to believe that if you compare a range of well designed amplifiers with similar power outputs and distortion levels, the main differences are mainly due to the following:

1). Output impedance of the amplifier. Amplifiers with low output impedances will have larger damping factors and will thus more tightly control the mid/bass driver. This will often translate to a bass response which is more taught and ryhthmic. Some of the budget Rotel amplifiers (with large damping factors) can often sound more impressive in this department than much more costly amplifiers. Valve amps are often quite poor in this department.

2). How the source component loads the pre amplifier stage. Differences between sources (i.e. DAC's, CD players) in terms of output voltage and particularly output impedance and they way in which these interact with the input impedance of the pre-amp can have huge influence on overall sound. Not just tonal balance, but dynamics as well.

By the way, the Cambridge 640A is not a chip amp, but Class AB solid state with Bipolar output transistors and a 194VA torroidal transformer. I have one upstairs in my second system. The main weaknesses are the poor volume pot and the small bank of smoothing caps (8800 micro Farrads per channel). But it sounds very good and was only JUST bettered by the CA 840A which I used to own when driving my Dynaudio Audience 42's. When you consider they fetch less than £130 these days, they really are a bargain.

 

Hi Brad and welcome.

Still have that Elex in my amp collection.

Agree entirely with points 1 & 2 and your general view.