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Favorite low power amps

Very Nice indeed mhardy6647, I have looked at those before, and I'm sure I will again in the future.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations, at some point I do plan to get the Toshiba setup.. I do believe its an excellent choice for me in this project.

After a trip through the way-back machine I did make a decision, and (drumroll please) I picked the Kenwood KA-4006.

Its one of the good Kenwoods before everything went plastic, low power (34 wpc) and is true to the era.
Looks like several members here have restored them and modified them, so maybe some upgrades in the future for it.
 
I'll second the recommendation for a Marantz 1060 (30-wpc). I bought two about 10 years ago, and they still sound great and are very reliable. If a receiver is an option, a Luxman R-115 (70-wpc), is a really nice sounding receiver that's quite affordable.
 
I have one of these, that I totally love.

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With SS, my Pioneer M22 was my fave until I built by L'amp VFET single-ended. Then I sold my M22. Its a beauty.
 
Kenwood KA4006, liked it so much I now have three, one seeing duty driving Klipsch Heresys to concert levels of gloriously warm "music".

Only 34watts but it sounds a LOT bigger. These little amps have a warm texture that was lost in the next generation of Kenwood gear.

Kenwood-ka-4006-1.jpg
20180904_184826.jpg
 
Old-School said:
Very Nice indeed mhardy6647, I have looked at those before, and I'm sure I will again in the future.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations, at some point I do plan to get the Toshiba setup.. I do believe its an excellent choice for me in this project.

After a trip through the way-back machine I did make a decision, and (drumroll please) I picked the Kenwood KA-4006.

Its one of the good Kenwoods before everything went plastic, low power (34 wpc) and is true to the era.
Looks like several members here have restored them and modified them, so maybe some upgrades in the future for it.
Click to expand...

Awesome choice, I posted my response before reading the second page lol. You're going to like this little amp, no modifications needed.
 
20181218_091413.jpg
20181003_181115.jpg
Roadrash said:
Onkyo A5. 45wpc. Punches waaaaay above it's weight.
Click to expand...


I third that since I have one in my main rig (powered by a 250 but it is awesome by itself). But I also have a few others in that area: Pioneer SA 7700, and probably second to the Marantz is the Kenwood KA3500. I also have a Sony TA F3A that is pretty nice.
 
Marantz Model 15 The last amplifier designed by Sid Smith. Completely dual mono; 2 separate 50 watt amplifiers, with separate power supplies, and mounted on a single chassis.

I owned one for a short time. Sound was liquid and clean, with excellent frequency extension. Soundstage was well developed but not very wide or deep.

Mine was completely stock, and probably 45yrs old. It sounded better than a Mcintosh 250 or 2505.

I don't regret selling it, but it is a SS amp I could live with. Restored (new caps etc) examples are easily found and not that expensive. I suspect it would be a perfect match for a pr of 15ohm LS3/5a speakers.

Adcom 3020 received much praise, and IMHO the praise is well earned. The latest example in NIB condition is 45yrs old and components do age even if not used. The average surviving 3020 was likely "well used" in it's lifetime, and would benefit from restoration. The problem is the value of the amp is very low compared to the cost of a proper restoration making the endeavor somewhat of a dead end.

I have used a 3020 (stock) as a headphone amplifier- a task it is well suited for.
 
If 25 WPC (pure class A) is enough to get you by, I would highly recommend the Classé Audio DR-2 or DR-3 amplifiers. Rather large and very heavy :)
 
rl1856 said:
Marantz Model 15 The last amplifier designed by Sid Smith. Completely dual mono; 2 separate 50 watt amplifiers, with separate power supplies, and mounted on a single chassis.

I owned one for a short time. Sound was liquid and clean, with excellent frequency extension. Soundstage was well developed but not very wide or deep.

Mine was completely stock, and probably 45yrs old. It sounded better than a Mcintosh 250 or 2505.

I don't regret selling it, but it is a SS amp I could live with. Restored (new caps etc) examples are easily found and not that expensive. I suspect it would be a perfect match for a pr of 15ohm LS3/5a speakers.

Adcom 3020 received much praise, and IMHO the praise is well earned. The latest example in NIB condition is 45yrs old and components do age even if not used. The average surviving 3020 was likely "well used" in it's lifetime, and would benefit from restoration. The problem is the value of the amp is very low compared to the cost of a proper restoration making the endeavor somewhat of a dead end.

I have used a 3020 (stock) as a headphone amplifier- a task it is well suited for.
Click to expand...
I had a Marantz model 16 dual mono power amp and matching model 33 preamp I had restored. They sounded very nice.
 
My favorite is low powered SS amp is still my Marantz 1060 integrated amp. Lately it's been pulling preamp duty for a model140 power amp though.
 

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Since @Old-School bought an amp and reported back to the group in Dec 2018, it seems we should ask how it’s working out and if he is still using it. Nice to have additional recommendations, too, for the next folks looking for a similar amp.
 
Thanks @Blue Shadow
That was nearly 6 years ago.. wow time flies. Luckily I'm still around!
So.. The Kenwood KA-4006. How did it work out? Perfectly. I still have it today,
it still works great and sounds great too.

1970 system 1.jpeg



There were some great recommendations in this thread and I looked at them all. Thanks to everyone for their input. It was hard to pick just one..

I still plan to buy a Firstwatt at some point.
 
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