Electra Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Hi all, I have the option of buying a Perreaux 3400 power amp. What are peoples views on these amps? This particular amp has been quite heavily modded, by someone who really does know what their doing ( has asked me not to name him though ) Apparently its more of a 350P internally, with upgraded components ranging from output devices, power supply and capacitors. Also the internal wiring is apparently upgraded. So apart from your views on the amp ( good if anyone can give me opinions of the original 3400 please ) and also, how do the 350p's compare to other current model amps, such as the Plinius SA-Ref, Krells, J Rowlands etc? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopal Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Not sure if I've had direct experience with the 3400, but I've had alot of older Perreaux amps come through stores I've worked in and get refurbished by Perreaux. The result has always been very impressive. I had a 350p at home for around 6 months and loved it. True powerhouse with awesome scale. Considering it's around half the price of a SA Reference I'd say it's a great amp. Much more balanced and engaging sound than a Krell. Can't comment on the Jeff Rowlands as I haven't had the pleasure of hearing them as yet. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conan1553552684 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I have a Krell 250, 350p etc. What's surprised me is how good the 350p is - specifically for bass grip and a "musical" sound. The Krell has greater bass "drive" and is just ideal for "drum n' bass" but sounds a little coarse/harsh compared to the 350p for anything else. The "musicality" of the 350p, for me, is in the flow and smoothness of the sound - it just sounds "right" - there's no sudden distortions that grab attention - the sound is integrated, balanced and is superior in this aspect to a great valve sound. (Unfortunately truly great valve amps trump the 350p for instrumental timbre, and possibly imaging). The modded 3400 may well be superior to the 350p! Listen for bass power and grip (at modest listening levels it should be make you jump - even if it's semi-expected!). Crummy sources will be revealed in all their horror - 99.9% of all DVD-Audio, all bog-standard CDs, and peak-limited pop will make yours eyes water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electra Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 Sounds like its worth getting home and into the system for a trial then. The system already has the grip and dynamics to make me jump ( or at least blink ), currently running on a pair of 100watt home built monoblocks, which slightly outperformed my old Rotel 981 135wpc amp. The guy who modified it tells me that it will produce 1300wpc into a 2 ohm load continuous, at .03%thd, although he did stress that the heatsinks are not capable of sustaining this load indefinitely without active cooling. ( yes, he did bench this ) I wonder if I could somehow manage to mount a prisma faceplate on it? the older 19" rack flanged perreaux amps look very retro to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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