World's most expensive Audio Power Amplifiers - $100.000 - $600.000

[tiefbassuebertr]

Who knows about the sound of the follow listed amps?
404 Page Not Found - HigherFi
and the sonic different to Mr. Pass top class power amplifiers from the Aleph / X / XA series

In this case also this threat could be of interest:
World's biggest amp? check it out,
first URL is death, but still available by webarchive:
HigherFi-Ultimate - The Worlds Best and Most Expensive Audio Amp and Amplifier
HigherFi-Ultimate - The Worlds Best and Most Expensive Audio Amp and Amplifier

 

[gainphile]

I would want to blind test with a gainclone before parting with $600,000 for an amp

 

[MRupp]

In this case also this threat could be of interest:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3508

If this is referring to the Dynaudio Arbiter amps, the guy who supposedly designed them has also smaller amps and a WEB presence. My local HiFi dealer is actually selling his products and they are supposedly very good and the entry series even good value for money. Maybe you can interview him about the arbiter amps and report back

http://www.horch-gmbh.de/index.html

 

[Nelson Pass]

If you can't be the best, then be the most expensive.

 

[ra7]

I see the Kleinhorns get a mention in the "World's most weirdest speakers."

I asked my other half if she would let me build those for the living room. Her reply, and I quote, "Yeah, if you build those exact same ones. They are beautiful!"

 

[el`Ol]

Maybe hard to describe the sound if one has heard an amp together with only one speaker.
I heard a Wavac 833 amp and I believe it sounds unusual enough to describe it despite of knowing only its performance with one type of Kharma speakers. A very warm sound, too noisy and colored to fulfill any hifi standard, very emotional.
Hearing something together with Wilson speakers is always a problem since they brutally imprint their sound character on the whole playback chain. I would describe it as radiance, others have called it alien sounds. So I think I can´t say much about the Soulution, which I have heard whith the Wilson Maxx 3. I didn´t hear the Lamm ML3, but a Lamm hybrid amp together with the Wilson Watt Puppy 8. I think I can say it has some kind of un-natural saccharine sweetness which makes the Wilson sound even more alien. I heard the GTE Trinity chain together with Lansche speakers with plasma tweeter (probably the best tweeter in the world) and the electronics didn´t impair the stunning transparency of the tweeter in any way. One of the best hifi performances I have ever heard. Both the amp and the DAC a real "Materialschlacht" with hundreds of output trannies/ dozens of DACs in parallel. Seems to work.

 

[DSP_Geek]

Maybe hard to describe the sound if one has heard an amp together with only one speaker.
I heard a Wavac 833 amp and I believe it sounds unusual enough to describe it despite of knowing only its performance with one type of Kharma speakers. A very warm sound, too noisy and colored to fulfill any hifi standard, very emotional.
Hearing something together with Wilson speakers is always a problem since they brutally imprint their sound character on the whole playback chain. I would describe it as radiance, others have called it alien sounds. So I think I can´t say much about the Soulution, which I have heard whith the Wilson Maxx 3. I didn´t hear the Lamm ML3, but a Lamm hybrid amp together with the Wilson Watt Puppy 8. I think I can say it has some kind of un-natural saccharine sweetness which makes the Wilson sound even more alien. I heard the GTE Trinity chain together with Lansche speakers with plasma tweeter (probably the best tweeter in the world) and the electronics didn´t impair the stunning transparency of the tweeter in any way. One of the best hifi performances I have ever heard. Both the amp and the DAC a real "Materialschlacht" with hundreds of output trannies/ dozens of DACs in parallel. Seems to work.

I can believe paralleling DACs, because each doubling improves the signal-to-noise by 3 dB (2 noise signals add 3 dB, but signal adds linearly so it increases by 6dB), but paralleling transformers is a bad idea. Unless they're matched to a ridiculous degree (better than 0.1%), the current from the transformer with higher voltage output will only warm the windings of the other transformers. See: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-73408.html

And the Wilsons are no kind of reference at all. I haven't heard convincing music from any, and the simplest measurements show every single model is outrageously coloured across the midband. They do get a few things right: Bessel alignment for the bottom end (albeit somewhat screwed up by weird woofer arrangements in the SLAMMs), non-resonant cabinets (with some unfortunate protuberances causing early reflections), and ambience tweeters for proper room energy in the high frequencies. Now, I don't say a flat frequency response is the be-all and end-all - an outstanding speaker is made of many things - but at least try to get that right before concentrating on more subtle parameters, otherwise you're putting spoilers and a metal-flake paint job on a Trabant.

 

[el`Ol]

but paralleling transformers is a bad idea. Unless they're matched to a ridiculous degree (better than 0.1%), the current from the transformer with higher voltage output will only warm the windings of the other transformers. See: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-73408.html

Sorry, I am no techie, so I made a language mistake here: not output transformer (trannies), but output transistors (in the power amp)

 

[hasaudio.co.nz]

I saw this thread and thought of goldmund? I thnk thats what they are called. Any1 had any experience with these?

 

[DSP_Geek]

Sorry, I am no techie, so I made a language mistake here: not output transformer (trannies), but output transistors (in the power amp)

Hey, that's OK. We're all here to learn.

Hundreds of output transistors? Matching those must be fun.

 

[Geek]

It would be fun to have one at an audiofest and watch a RH84 or something + an Edirol pwn it

Cheers!

 

[lgreen]

I saw this thread and thought of goldmund? I thnk thats what they are called. Any1 had any experience with these?

Yes, I've had the 28M. Nice amp.

 

[Steve Dunlap]

None of my amps made that list. I guess I never charged enough. On the other hand, two of the speaker companies listed demoed with my amps part of the time. They would be Eggleston and Wisdom Audio. I didn't exactly get top billing and Tom's explanation of how the amps work was completely wrong.

http://www.soundstage.com/masz02.htm

 

[tiefbassuebertr]

Pivetta Opera One - The Worlds Ultimate and Most Expensive Amplifier

Who have heard this amlifier ? - go to
Pivetta Opera One - The Worlds Ultimate and Most Expensive Amplifier - eXtravaganzi
Opera Only
http://www.onlycreative.it/images/operaone/OperaOne (7).JPG

 

[Zen Mod]

yeah

and those heatsinks are soooo efficient in that length

well , one willing to pay for that shebang .... certainly deserve it ......

 

[cumbb]

With some experience with materials and diameters and circuits and components ... you do not want listen this one;-)-;

 

[fabrice63]

We are living strange days , where pure **** is having more interest than any other thing , sad is that some "guys" will pay for it , and they'll feel happy .....

happy new year to you all .....

.

 

[slowikpl]

Wiat about 1.600 000 EUR amplifier
Seen on AVS2017 Warsaw.

 

[Windforce85]

I saw that beast. This is indeed the most expensive one, the heaviest, the most powerful class A etc. The question is... why doing this? Who will buy it? What loudspeakers is it designed for?

PKN Controls hello from the other side - 40kW from 14 kg. Record breaking power density and power conversion efficiency. Objective audio performance isn't so shabby as well. Not so expensive, at all...

 

[Eric]

Amplifier?!?! That first image looks like a satellite that should be in orbit...