Soundstage, power, refinemnet, tube like mid range, transistor speed and great dynamics all in one. Never too harsh after long litening. KISTEN TO BELIEVE.

Depends on whether there is a weak chain in your other components.

I respect all other high end brands. I must say that this amp is a wonder to listen to. For the price you pay, you get double the performance. All frequencies so well tuned and produce. Get a neutral preamp and this amp will tell you teh truth in listening.

Similar Products Used:

Mark Levinson, Krell, Jadis, Audio Research

Power, refinement, good vocals, clarit, air, pace,layers of details, not harsh and always maintain that good character. When played loud, the sound remained composed, GREAT SOUNDSTAGE N SENSE OF REALITY....

N.A.

It amp is a killer...listen to it and you will know...need not say more, go listen. I HAVE UNDERRATED IT BEFORE I OWNED ONE, THE TRUTH IS IN LISTENING.

Similar Products Used:

Krell 300i, Krell 100s, Mark 331, Aragon 4004Mk2, Kinergetics KBA 75.

I don’t think that the mk3 has any more power compared to the mk2. The power stated in my "older" mk3 manual is also 160 W at 4 ohm. Plinius did however later come out and said that the SA100 amps really are capable of 200 W at 4 ohm. At the same time they also change one more “error” in the specifications, but I don’t remember which one. The difference between the power supply of the mk2 and the mk3 is that the mk2 uses one 800 VA transformer and the mk3 uses two 400 VA. I think they did this to reduce the mechanical humming noise that a larger transformer sometimes can produce if the supply voltage is of bad quality. The sound of the sa100 is great. Slightly warm, yet clear and detailed with good bass control and speed.

Very transparent, fast transient response, musical.

Need a fork lift to move it.

Great sounding amplifier!

I agree with the majority of comments stated in the review (with the exception of the comments of Mr. B), but I think the differences between the Mk II and Mk III need clarification.

The Mk III has been re-wired with silver, and the transformer has greater capabilities resulting in greater power reserves (200 RMS into 4 ohms vs 160 RMS).

I am speculating that the slew rate and transient reponse may be a bit faster in the newer Mk III as well.

Both are great amps!

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Plinius SA 50 MkIII

Clean, quick, dynamic, great bass, quiet, good looking

None to think of although I would like two SA250,s after hearing these.

Great power amp but add another and what a sound. Sure Krell is slightly smoother but at a cost as hi-fi is, a lot more money for a small upgrade in sound quality. You can,t beat a power amp for each speaker, buy one then add another when you can afford it. I,ve heard SET amps and sure the treble is good but no bass. Ultimately it comes down to what you listen to, but if you are comtemplating home theatre these amps easily integrate with solid state receivers, and when watching good live concerts you can experience a sample off the real sound. I run two SA100,s, one channel runs the treble and one the bass, you can run then in balanced bridged which gives you about 300 watts of clean Class A power. But better value than one Krell. The secret is your loudspeakers, you must try and obtain the most efficient loudspeakers posible.

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Early Perreaux 2150 and 3150, had their drawbacks, mainly wouldn,t run in class A and had weak front ends, showing their age now.

Superb bass, midrange, highs. Tubelike quality of presentation of the music.Warmth and transparency abound, especially when combined with the M16 preamplifier.

None I can think of...

The previous poster obviously is not familiar with the product. Either that, or some disgruntled Krell amp owner who's kicking himself for all the extra money he has spent and still hasn't improved his performance beyond what the SA100 MkII is capable of.

Anyone interested in improving their amplification needs can rest assured that this is surely one product they can purchase blind and have no reservations about buying it before having an opportunity to listen to it. There aren't many products out there I'd say that about, as I generally refuse to purchase anything without having an opportunity to hear it. This is one Stereophile A rated component that deserves it! Not everyone will have a Plinius dealer in their locale, so rest assured, try it, you'll like it!

The amps build quality is absolutely superb, and its sound is world class. Combine that with the capacity to operate it in Bias A or Bias A/B and you have a recipe for one fantastic amplifier.

'Nough said....Now, where was I? Oh' yeah....Time for some more classic Coltrane...........Enjoy!

Deserving of 25 stars!!!

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Aragon Palladium II's

After listening carefully to this component over a year, I can fully endorse all that has been said about this amplifier and the reasons it is in the Hall of Fame.It is transparent,silky,accurate,very powerful with ample headroom,excellent soundstaging and is beautifully made.I liked the switchable Class A/AB feature from day one as Pink Floyd sounds better in Class A/B to my ears compared to Maria Callas in Class A (which is superb),plus the phase switching which often adds that little extra to some difficult recordings.The other dimension which most won't know about is the complete dedication the Plinius team have to the production of their equipment - assembled by hand with stringent quality control and ultra careful in the choice of componentry - no robots but a total committment to making the best in all they do. No, I don't have an interest in the Company,so buy with confidence.Used with their M-16 preamp,run through Siltech cables into Shahinian Arc speakers - ruthless in exposing any weaknesses in components or recordings.

I first came across this product a few years ago. Back then, no one had even heard about Plinius! I had the Plinius SA-50 head-to-head with the Audio Silver Night and guess what, the Plinius beat the Silver Nights, a single-ended, Class A monoblock hands down. I traded thme in immediately. Playing with the SA-50 was somewhat like a dream come true. Clear, transparent midrange with a solid control on the bottom end. Plus, no matter how hard I drove the amp, it never fazed, even with extremely tough bass tracks.
I upgraded again to a Plinius SA-100 Mk.II and never needed another amp. It held its own even with the likes of Levenson, Krell and CJ. I've heard them all. Mind you, they are good, but definitely not better than the Plinius, just different. The only amp that came close to its sound was a Music Reference RM9 Mk.II which was a tube power amp.

If you like a good clean, tight bass with lots of reserves, plus a lush midrange, the Plinius is for you. I never realized how good Class A on a solid-state amp can sound only when I started comparing the Class A with the A/B output. Mind you, the A/B is good, but Class A smoothens the slightly brittle highs. This is not critical. You start to notice it only when you compare both the A and A/B sections.

The "Thunder from down under." That is what they should be stating about thePlinius SA100 MKII. This amp is "SMOKIN!" Seriously, though...I am just
delighted as all heck to provide a few brief words on another amp that many
people have not heard of. The Plinius products are of a world class build
quality and unique in design. This amp is extremely flexible in that it allows
you to configure it in various XLR and SE settings, as well as allowing you to
operate in the Class A and A/B mode. Mine came with 8 upgraded CARDAS binding
posts and a 7' SILTECH power cord. The Gen III model has a lot of SILTECH wiring
used throughout its construction. Okay, enough about build quality...Suffice it
to say that it is built extremely well.
The sound this amplifier produces is the most tube sounding solid state I've ever heard. That is a great feat considering my speaker of choice is a pair
of Quest Z's. This amp has brought a welcome sense of warmth and transparency
to my system. I was about to submit to the "Tube amp on the highs and solid state on the lows" approach to gain the most out of the electrostats. I am glad
I delayed that radical change and gave this amplifier a listen. I suggest you
do so as well. The $4,000 retail on this amplifier is one of the best buys
currently available. Current used prices of $2,400 for used amps are a steal!

I am content at last.

Suggestion: Give the Plinius product a listen. You too may be pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy!

Greg

System:
Plinius SA100 MKII
CODA FET-01P
Monster Sigma Reference Speaker Cable
AudioQuest Diamond XLR
Sony XA7ES
Martin Logan Quest Z's

I've owned and enjoyed a Plinius SA100 for almost two years now and canrecommend it without reservations. I recently upgraded from MKII to MKIII and
while the MKII was a great amp, the MKIII is truly world class and an improve-
ment in every way. There is no doubt in my mind that I own one of the world's
best amplifiers. It is very transparent, fast and articulate and has none of the
usual solid state nasties. Music through the SA100III just sounds good.