Who are the Kings of amplifier technology?

**neodinardo** · June 21, 2020, 03:03 PM

A work in progress post. Last edited 06/22/20 due to new research, demos, and purchases.

The Ten Kings of Solid State Stereo Preamplifiers, Power Amplifiers, and Integrated Amplifiers Under $25K Max:

01. The Absolute King of Stereo Preamplifiers and Power Amplifiers or Stereo Integrated Amplifiers

02. The Runner Up for The Absolute King of Stereo Preamplifiers and Power Amplifiers or Stereo Integrated Amplifiers

03. The King of Stereo Preamplifiers

04. The King of Mono Block Power Amplifiers

05. The King of Stereo Power Amplifiers

06. The King of Stereo Integrated Amplifiers

07. The King of Stereo Preamplifiers with Smooth Streaming

NAD M12

08. The King of Stereo Integrated Amplifiers with Smooth Streaming

NAD M33

09. The King of Stereo Preamplifiers with a Decent DAC

Chord Dave

10. The King of Stereo Integrated Amplifiers with a Decent DAC

The Five Kings of Solid State Stereo Headphone Amplifiers Under $10K Max:

01. The King of Desktop Stereo Headphone Amplifiers with All Analog Connections

Luxman P-750U

02. The King of Desktop Stereo Headphone Amplifiers with a Decent DAC

Mytek Brooklyn Bridge

03. The King of Transportable or Portable Stereo Headphone Amplifiers with a Decent DAC

Chord Hugo 2 and Hugo 2Go

04. The King of Portable or Ultra Portable Stereo Headphone Amplifiers with a Decent DAC

AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt

05. The King of Portable Digital Music Players

**neodinardo** · June 21, 2020, 06:55 PM

Post your own Kings Lists below.

And it goes without saying...

It’s good to be The King.

**UltraFast69** · June 22, 2020, 12:16 PM

Everyone’s idea of King is something different. Easy to know what’s out there through sites like this, dealers like SunCoast, magazines and perhaps in the past trade shows.

There is much greatness out there, the trick is how it’s set up to maximize a systems performance - here is where many either are not aware, are aware, but put it off until never, or simply don’t believe.

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**Mikado463** · June 22, 2020, 02:41 PM

Everybody has their own 'King' in their own castle and so long as it puts a smile on your face that's all that matters ......

**neodinardo** · June 22, 2020, 07:59 PM

OK yes, however, we don’t necessarily have to drag out an entire system just to talk about amplifiers. Let’s just assume that the speakers you have or will purchase will work well with the amplifiers tonality that you have in mind. Desert island, gun to your head, which amplifiers do you like?

**Phishphan** · June 22, 2020, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by neodinardo

OK yes, however, we don’t necessarily have to drag out an entire system just to talk about amplifiers. Let’s just assume that the speakers you have or will purchase will work well with the amplifiers tonality that you have in mind. Desert island, gun to your head, which amplifiers do you like?

A desert island with some dedicated lines?

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**neodinardo** · June 22, 2020, 08:10 PM

You have the worlds best solar generator, the power is the purest you’ve ever heard. You even have an icemaker for that ice tea.

And if that thousand dollar integrated amp rocks the island then list that as The King. Performance for the dollar and budget limits are always a consideration.

**u-sound** · June 22, 2020, 08:17 PM

how was nr7, 8 and 9 choosen?

**neodinardo** · June 22, 2020, 08:19 PM

For me I’m just gathering a list of things I want to hear. I’m a noob. For someone else they may have valuable experience and no doubt a far better list. I was hoping to see other people’s lists to compare.

**u-sound** · June 22, 2020, 08:45 PM

thx for the explanation.
sorry i dont have a list like this.

when i was young a very experienced dealer gave me the advise to not buy anything extreme unless i would buy multiple systems(kings).
why? he said because none is good for everything.

**NorthStar** · June 22, 2020, 09:03 PM

I like Queens better than Kings.

**u-sound** · June 22, 2020, 09:07 PM

princesses for everybody!

**neodinardo** · June 22, 2020, 11:55 PM

Somebody’s going to come into this thread after seeing the post count and then realize that nobody is posting about audio lol.

**NorthStar** · June 23, 2020, 12:00 AM

**Mikado463** · June 23, 2020, 09:45 AM

neo, while I'm sure your intensions are good a thread like this isn't really gonna tell you anything that utilizing a search function would reveal. I'm sure for some of us it's almost as futile as a power cord discussion ............

**neodinardo** · June 23, 2020, 10:38 AM

Perhaps I am just asking stupid questions. However, I thought this was the place to ask stupid questions so I can chat for fun and learn more about audio 🤔

**CPP** · June 23, 2020, 10:48 AM

Got to agree with Dave, questions/threads like this can get 100's of different answers and in the end provide more confusion as the taste and budget of people are so different and it usually ends up with endless explanations of why someone responded the way they did. A never ending cycle. Its best to find a dealer and listen to equipment that suits your taste and budget.

**neodinardo** · June 23, 2020, 10:53 AM

OK then. I give up. The Top Ten is cancelled. I learned my lesson.

**aardvarkbark** · June 23, 2020, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by NorthStar

I like Queens better than Kings.

Originally Posted by u-sound

princesses for everybody!

I get more action with all those Ladies in Waiting. I try to convince them that I'm just who they're waiting for.

**neodinardo** · June 23, 2020, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by aardvarkbark

I get more action with all those Ladies in Waiting. I try to convince them that I'm just who they're waiting for.

Royalty hookups are my speciality.

**aardvarkbark** · June 23, 2020, 11:05 AM

Who are the Kings of amplifier technology?

Nelson Pass and Charlie Hansen (RIP)

**neodinardo** · June 23, 2020, 11:14 AM

What about a John Curl vs Nelson Pass technology wise? Does the JC 1+ stand up to the best Pass Labs has to offer?

**u-sound** · June 23, 2020, 11:36 AM

i d say WE are the kings and they work for us....a friendly relationship of course

**u-sound** · June 23, 2020, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by neodinardo

What about a John Curl vs Nelson Pass technology wise? Does the JC 1+ stand up to the best Pass Labs has to offer?

nope, this is like dragqueens vs princesses

**aardvarkbark** · June 23, 2020, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by neodinardo

What about a John Curl vs Nelson Pass technology wise? Does the JC 1+ stand up to the best Pass Labs has to offer?

I imagine that Mark Levinson would nominate Curl for kinghood.

**arbArDal** · June 24, 2020, 05:48 AM

This is wonderful

**Kingsrule** · June 24, 2020, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by aardvarkbark

I imagine that Mark Levinson would nominate Curl for kinghood.

Curl and Burwen did the preamps.....Colangelo and Jayson did the amps

**neodinardo** · June 24, 2020, 01:00 PM

I was considering several integrated purchases around $5K to $10K. The Mark Levinson No. 5805, the McIntosh MC9000, and the Marantz PM-10, or the NAD M33. Leaning towards the McIntosh despite the brands possible lack of extreme detail retrieval. The MC9000 is bound to have its charms and it’s a beast otherwise.

**tube-vds** · June 24, 2020, 01:19 PM

01. The Absolute King of Stereo Preamplifiers and Power Amplifiers or Stereo Integrated Amplifiers

J.C. Verdier. His turntable and amps were the only one that left me speechless. Never heard more realistic sound from a hifi system.

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