Hello,
I have a chance to purchase two Opera Consonance Cyber 880 KT88 based, 100wpc stereo power amplifiers from Grant Fidelity (the China based importer) for $2,000.00 each including shipping but with no warranty as per the rep at Grant. They retail for $3,750 each. I do not have this chance with other brands such as Cayin or Raysonic or Prima Luna, or Cary, Rogue, etc. and do not wish to give business to a few of them anyway due to very negative experiences with either the dealer or the importer / distributor or the manufacturer directly.
While I know there are other brands of KT88 power amps and even integrated amps out there that are better quality, sound quality, etc. these are fabulous sounding and looking and the price even without any warranty is a great opportunity. There is a fairly local qualified technician, Steve Monty, the former US importer at Quest for Sound in Bensalem PA about 1.5 hours away and whose store I have been to a few times, who can work on them if he would be willing to. Hopefully, he would do the work as he no longer carries them and I would not be buying them from him or one of his dealers as he no longer carries the brand at all. If not, there are other tech's who can do the work. Grant Fidelity would send me the schematics as per the rep's. agreement to do so if bought. I could get just one for $2,200 with the same deal on the warranty or two as described.
The rep. talked with their tech. support and said that they cannot be bridged mono, so I could still use them on many brands and models of speakers in a vertically biamped manner for 200wpc total even though it would still only be 100 watts to the bass and 100 watts to the mids & highs per speaker. We have no system at all at this point, so we are thinking of the Usher Be-718's or Mini Dancer II's for the speakers at least with the next choice being a pair of Focal 826V's.
Thoughts ?