Hi Doug,
Yes, I bought it used...pretty good price imo. I had been looking for a used regular SET 120 or SET 400, but they’re very hard to find. After I got the control amp version, I found a used SET 400 for a great price....which I would have bought immediately...but it was already gone.
I haven’t tried it via it’s passive pre as I must have remote control with all the streaming, switching albums and fiddling that I do. If I were a vinyl only kinda guy, a motorized remote wouldn’t be at all necessary.
I’d love to try one of your ec’s. I have very little opportunity to try other amps without buying them. I think you’re in California, is that right? My only concern would be the weight. If it’s a 50+ lb beast that I’d have to lift onto the top shelf of my rack, I wouldn’t want to try it. Just had a back injection...
If you would, shoot me a PM with a guesstimate on the weight, box size etc so I can figure out shipping
hi nick,
i got to this thread late; glad you found something you like. besides suggestions on any specific gear, i was going to suggest that, no matter what you try, you go for something used, as you seemed not to be sure of what you want, and you can try more than one thing w/o taking a bath financially, if you bought new.
re: the unit you got, as they retail for only $1.2k, i hope you paid quite a bit less than $1k!
also, curious why you didn't just wait for one w/o the passive pre - it seems you'd get better performance, unless there's a way to totally bypass the pre? and, since you have it, i'm curious if you've tried it sans your regular preamp.
doug s.
ps - one of the brands i was going to recommend is electrocompaniet - used, of course, at your budget. and, if you're interested in trying one, i have two aw75dmb's just sitting here; they were doing subwoofer duties, but i picked up a pair of dirt cheap kelmar 150+ monoblocks that are now driving my vmps' quite well. (actually, i got three, status unknown, for $75 including shipping - which was >50% of the cost! and one doesn't work, but i need only 2... ) in any event, if you're interested in trying one of my ec's, you're more than welcome to; all you need to do is pick up the shipping tab... not trying to sell 'em; if you like it, you'd have to find another one - ha!
I found a used AVA SET 120 Control Amp on Agon for a very good price. It’s an absolutely wonderful amp! Resolves better than my iCE amp, great imaging, wonderful improvement in tonality/ textures. Love the richer midrange and that’s exactly what I was hoping for.
I looked at all the suggestions here and price, weight, re-sellability, connector locations etc all factored into it. There was another amp project being considered with a well-known member here, but if it happens, it’ll be a ways off. It would be a super-tweaked tube design.
For now, I’m loving this solid state little marvel :thumb Thanks, Jack, for the wonderful recommendation!
Nick