tom_hankins

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $9000.00 from audiogon

Summary:
By far the best amps I have owned. Dead black backgrounds and tons of detail presented in a slightly dark, super smooth way. They have brought my system and mainly the big Thiels (CS7.2) I use to whole new level. At the used price I paid they are the best buy I have made since entering into this great hobby close to 30 years ago. They are liquid with super smooth and clean midrange, bass to die for, the only fault some may find(in my system a plus) is a slightly dark treble. They are over built and have been on around a year with no problems . Makes me wonder how good the 750MCXs are?

Strengths:
Smooth, powerful, quite background, well built. A steal at anything under $9-10K used.

Weaknesses:
Big, heavy, need at least one 20amp line per amp. They make me wonder if I should get the newer 750MCXs.

Similar Products Used:
Krell 300FPB, Parasound JC-1 monoblocks, BAT VK-500, Ayre V-1XE

Price Paid:  $26000.00

Summary:
Speakers:
Legacy Focus, B@W 801 Nautilus, 803, 804, 805, Wilson Watt 6, Magnepan 3.6.

Preamps:
EAD Theatermaster Signature, Jeff Rowland

Put away your low flea powered triodes. They CANNOT do what this amp does. Take the midrange magic of the 600 Krell and double the power (tests have indicated this amp puts out 950 watts into 8 ohms) and you have a magic amp. Listen to Morrisey come alive in your listening room or gunshots sound as they do at the range :) Hello? I'm sorry, I've heard a lot of amps and cannot say there is one that does music and movies better or more accurately. Cannot imagine why there is not more extensive press, except maybe Jonathan Valin's glowing reviews of this in the Absolute Sound as well as the synergy with the KPS 25Sc. The absolute best amp I've ever heard. Go listen and hear for yourself. Sweet, Subtle, Powerful, Musical, Live... Worth every dollar.

Strengths:
Wow! Detailed, Open, Huge soundstage, real world dynamics, close to live.

Weaknesses:
Requires precise system matching. Can sound dry with wrong cabling, that's all.

Similar Products Used:
Jeff Rowland MC6, Audio Research VT200, VT100, Classe, Spectral, Art Audio, Krell FPB 600 , KSA250, MDA 300, etc.

Summary:
I originally intended to pick up Mark Levinson No. 33s for my Revel Salons. I was using a FPB 300 before and got the impression that I was missing out. As I was listening I noticed some amps pushed back in the front corners of the room. They were the 650s. The dealer said they were trade ins and that they were on sale. The guyy who originally owned them traded them in to help buy Amati Homages. He hooked them up. Wow. Don't listen to Stereophiile or some of the idiots that come online writing garbage in these columns. I am convinced there is some bribing going on with that magazine. Go and hear it for yourself. The 650m is significantly more agile, powerful, and liquid in comparison to both the 33h and 33. There is such a sense of ease and pace with these amps and they costs less that the 33s!
My point is don't listen to other opinions, even mine. Go listen for yourself. I agree the 33 looks better but the 650s definitely win them over sonically. I wanted the cast option so I got my pair shipped from Sound by Singer in NY. Believe me, the 650s are way more advanced Mark Levinson's entire line up. Listen for yourself.

Summary:
The 650m is really something special. I upgraded to the 650m from the FPB 600. Yeah, it's twice as much, but for once, it's just about twice as good. Some of the improvement is in the areas you'd expect going from a stereo amp to monoblocks - more coherent and more stable imaging, bigger soundstage, better bass control and slam. You get all that but the amazing thing is how much more detailed, sweet and open these monsters are. It's the sense of openness that is really strikes you, something that you can easily hear even outside of the listenting room. This is what make it sound that much closer to the real thing.
I just traded my 650m for the 650mc which has new cosmetics, current audio signal transmission (CAST) inputs, and a captive power cord. I can't really say if the latest iteration of the 650 mono is audibly different from the first since I had to wait a few weeks for the new amps during which time I was "stuck" listening to my old FPB600. They are fabulous though, and a must for driving highly revealing speakers like Wilsons.