Ultimate Stereo Power Amp(?)---Hey JohnnyB!

[django49]

http://store.mesahollywood.com/brn39.html

What think ye?

[JohnnyB]

Yes, those are awesome power amps. It's a shame they had such a short production run. The Mesa Baron scored a Stereophile Class B rating, but borderline Class A (cost-no-object best). Although $2195 might seem like a lot, for a high powered tube amp it's dirt cheap. The Baron not only had the power at 150 wpc, it was highly configurable for various modes (e.g., pentode, triode) at different power ratings for sweeter sound. It also had better bass control and extension than is customary for a tube amp. They don't come up too often for sale. I'd jump on this one if I could.

When they say "dual mono construction" they're not kidding. It's really two mono tube amps on a single chassis. On the back you'll notice that there are two AC sockets, one for each amp.

If you can swing it, Django, jump on it.

While it's an excellent amp, it's not the ultimate. The best I've personally heard is the VTL Reference Monoblocks at $65,000/pair, and they were driving the Wilson Alexandrias as pictured below:

But there are other amps that go for a couple hundred thou.

[JohnnyB]

Speaking of amps, when one of my stereo amps gave it up last week, I picked up this power amp, a Perreaux PMF-1150B, handmade in New Zealand in the early '80s, and originally about $1700 ($4K in today's money). So why did I pick this one? It has some features I've wanted to try in an amp for a long time. It is an ultra wide bandwidth, ultra low distortion design, even for today. Its bandwidth extends from 10Hz to 3Mhz. This gives it extraordinary speed, with wave risetime at less than 1 microsecond. Distortion is rated at .009%. Unweighted signal-to-noise ratio is >100dB (most are around 78-80 dB, even now). And it's capable of big voltage swings (a full 120V) like tube amps, and unlike most SS amps.

I've often said that high-res audio is a double-edged sword, and sometimes you get levels of detail that beat you over the head and diminish the musical experience. Not so this one. It is sweet. It gives you more of the music and never forgets that it's supposed to be music. Its fast risetime conveys more of the blooming and decaying of each note, the ambience of the performance venue, and an amazing toe-tapping sense of rhythm. This is a keeper. If/when it breaks, it will always be worth fixing and upgrading. One owner told me that the parts available today are so much better that a rebuild with modern parts is a richly rewarding $300-400 experience.

[Armitage]

One owner told me that the parts available today are so much better that a rebuild with modern parts is a richly rewarding $300-400 experience.

Don't you love the "grass is always greener" stuff in audio? Some people make a big fuss about vintage parts, others want the "new" parts. Oh well, enjoy.

[JohnnyB]

One owner told me that the parts available today are so much better that a rebuild with modern parts is a richly rewarding $300-400 experience.

Don't you love the "grass is always greener" stuff in audio? Some people make a big fuss about vintage parts, others want the "new" parts. Oh well, enjoy.

Certainly in music electronics--guitar amps, pedals, etc., vintage parts are often sought out--chips in pedals that made them legendary, handwound transformers, and UK-made Celestions. When it comes to high end audio, there is a vintage market, but it's also true that new electronics are quieter, more linear, and have wider bandwidth owing to higher quality in the mass-produced parts stuffing the boards. In the mid-'90s, op-amp based preamps were always considered to be cheap and noisy. Now op-amps anchor some of the best preamps and DACs out there. The last few years have seen the advent of resistors and capacitors made with different designs and materials which are quieter and more linear.

In fact, it is this phenomenon (along with Chinese manufacture) that makes the performance of Emotiva, Parasound, and Adcom possible at their low prices. Emotiva offers a 150wpc power amp for $499, currently on sale for $449. In 1972 when I bought my first stereo, a 40 wpc receiver was $400-500. That Emotiva costs an equivalent of $83 in 1972.

So I guess it does work both ways, but in the context of the other Perreaux owner I can see what he's talking about. I personally love vintage tube guitar amps, but have no fascination for 1970's receivers from Pioneer, Marantz, and the like. By today's standards they are noisy with limited bandwidth and dynamic range. I chose the Perreaux because in 1982 it was an ultra-high-end amp ahead of its time, and for $480 it still beats most amps in low noise, wide bandwidth, dynamic range, and fast rise time while also being rugged and stable.

[sixesandsevens]

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

[JohnnyB]

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

A few years ago MCChris mentioned that his (ex) bro-in-law's speakers looked like robots. I thought by that description that he'd gotten a pair of those above. But it turns out he got these. Earthlings beware!