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RE: price of the ultra high end ,,,,,,, 25 years ago to now




I am a pig of modest means but have the unfortunate trait of appreciating nice things. For audio gear I tend to make my purchases from the used market.

Last year I purchased a set of amps that check all the boxes for me. These were TOTL amps from the 2000s era, Classe Audio Omega monoblocks. They were $25K or so when new, but my price was more affordable. The buyer I got them from says he picked them up from the estate of a well to do fellow in the Seattle area who had several pairs of these amps in guest rooms of his home. It appears these amps got light use, and there is only one tiny mark on one amp which you have to look hard for to find, otherwise they are cosmetically perfect. The amps weigh 192 pounds each, so they would be hard to handle without having an oops moment.

The sound is an neutral as I have ever heard. No additional warmth, even tonal balance, huge space, low noise floor, dynamic slam, in short everything is there in proper proportion.

To compliment these amps I bought a used Trinnov Audio Amethyst pre-amplifier also off the used market. This one is in pristine shape and from original owner. When using the room correction software you do get a perfectly even sound, and the ability to contour it to how you personally want it. I prefer the natural setting and make no alterations to it.

Honestly, I dont know how amplification gets meaningfully improved over this. I was a SET user for ever a decade, but I think this is a more honest presentation than the majority of the SET amps I used.

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