Aaron L
New Member
Like you, I have lived with and loved my 70's SS gear... after putting together my Luxman system I thought I would be satisfied for a long time. But... turns out that as I get older my listening habits have changed. I listen now more at night while the family is asleep and I'm working on the computer in my office. It is a small 12'x12'x10' room, so not much need for high power amplification. Instead, I wanted to try for purity and enjoyment of listening so I went the tube route too.
I bought some Zu Audio Dirty Weekend speakers and after looking at many options on amplifiers I bought one of Dennis Had's (the now retired founder of Cary Audio) hand built single ended amps he sells on eBay. They come with a volume control, so you can use the amp like an integrated with one set of inputs or use an actual preamp. This is nice since you don't have to spend the money all at once and you can buy one of his preamps or another brand later... needless to say I have been blown away by the sound and enjoyment I'm getting from this little 10 watt amp and speakers! The music just flows and nearly everything I throw at it sounds incredible. I'm a total idiot when it comes to how these amps work, and have yet to try tube rolling it, but let's just say the Luxman is going to be gathering some dust! (Full disclosure, I just ordered a matching preamp from Dennis as well to complete the system and allow me to hook up a couple of different sources at once...). I like that it is a handmade, made in the USA, legacy-grade piece of audio gear from a genius in the field who has to be one of the nicest guys I've ever talked to. He won't be making these forever, so my suggestion is to by an Inspire by Dennis Had amp at less than half the price of a McIntosh 240 and don't look back! Bosch would approve!
I bought some Zu Audio Dirty Weekend speakers and after looking at many options on amplifiers I bought one of Dennis Had's (the now retired founder of Cary Audio) hand built single ended amps he sells on eBay. They come with a volume control, so you can use the amp like an integrated with one set of inputs or use an actual preamp. This is nice since you don't have to spend the money all at once and you can buy one of his preamps or another brand later... needless to say I have been blown away by the sound and enjoyment I'm getting from this little 10 watt amp and speakers! The music just flows and nearly everything I throw at it sounds incredible. I'm a total idiot when it comes to how these amps work, and have yet to try tube rolling it, but let's just say the Luxman is going to be gathering some dust! (Full disclosure, I just ordered a matching preamp from Dennis as well to complete the system and allow me to hook up a couple of different sources at once...). I like that it is a handmade, made in the USA, legacy-grade piece of audio gear from a genius in the field who has to be one of the nicest guys I've ever talked to. He won't be making these forever, so my suggestion is to by an Inspire by Dennis Had amp at less than half the price of a McIntosh 240 and don't look back! Bosch would approve!