To Jeff Fritz,
I read with great interest your nice review of the T+A PA 3100 HV, which is on my short list of amplifiers. I have had no chance to listen to it and would like some recommendations. I presently own the Marten Coltrane Alto speakers, which are really fantastic, but are powered by a tube amplifier (Audiomat Aria, 30Wpc class A), which is missing enough power to feed them correctly (even though I like the sound very much). I would like to get your feedback about the combination of Marten Coltrane Alto with T+A integrated amp (PA 3100 HV or PA 3000 HV). Thanks a lot in advance.
Jean-Michel
France
The T+A PA 3100 HV is indeed a super-nice integrated amplifier, and one that I would happily have powering my system if I were to go the integrated route. I have little doubt it would match well with your Marten loudspeakers.
The big issue, at least in the United States, is price. When I reviewed the PA 3100 HV, it retailed for $23,500 USD. I also reviewed the Luxman L-509X recently, which retailed for $9450 when I wrote about it, and which I would say is just about equivalent to the T+A in terms of sound and build quality. Obviously, at less than one-half the price, I’d choose the Luxman every day of the week over the T+A. You’ll have to see what the prices of these two products are in France, and of course what the quality of support from your local dealer would be like, in order to make a reasonable comparison. And it goes without saying that listening to these two products is the only way to decide which one sounds better to you. . . . Jeff Fritz
