Galion TS A75 Poweramp Review with Schiit Kara Preamp

[@stimpy1226]

I am using this amplifier in place of my audio research 100 W per channel amplifier that gave up the ghost and needs repair. This amplifier paired with my Pass Preamps both phono and line-stage driving my Maggie 3.6 R’s with incredible ease. I think it actually sounds better than my audio research did in many ways. Not the same in every respect but Pass preamps know how to play nice with a lot of power amplifiers. That made a huge difference in the overall synergy of my system.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s awesome! Thanks for the feedback!

[@carminedesanto6746]

Nice,hopefully see this at the Toronto Audiofest in October..and I’ve met Thomas a few times ..nice guy and knows his stuff 👍

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I’ve spoken with him but we’ve never met in person. Seems like a good guy.

[@carminedesanto6746]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi Nice guy ,knows his stuff and his live demonstrations are pretty entertaining..not a dry sales pitch .

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I’d love to see that in person. I’ve seen his KZbin videos and they look pretty good.

[@jmsboisclair]

So many good choices nowadays at this price point...I was decided on Aegir monoblocks, now I'm second guessing with the Galion. 100W vs 75W? Does it really matter? Decisions decisions, down the rabbit hole. Great reviews, thanks.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thanks so much! I guess it would depend on the rest of your system. Both are very good amps. I would suggest trying to find a place to listen to listen to them to compare if at all possible. There is no substitute for that. It’s definitely a touch choice between those models!

[@jmsboisclair]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi I ended up getting a Musical Fidelity A1 on eBay for $800, new/open box. It’s fantastic. Although only 25 watts, it pushes enough sweet class A power to get a satisfying full sound at a volume loud enough to shake windows. I’m running my KEF LS50 Meta’s with an SVS SB3000 sub.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s awesome! Congratulations!

[@ChicagoRob2]

The Schiit Vidar 2, at half the price, is a nice alternative, which is 100W/channel and perfectly doubles into 4 ohms.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I did a review on it as well. Very nice amp. I love them both!

[@zounds13]

I'm curious about how you think the Galion compares to the Vidar 2. For instance, would you say it's 80% better?

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

It’s really hard to quantify. I wouldn’t say it’s that much better and it would also depend on every other components in your system. For me the Galion seemed to have tighter and more prominent bass, more detailed mids, and the highs were about the same. That being said, you may not want those things. They are both excellent amps and priced fairly for what you get.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Creepy little way I avoided the guys question about cost? How. What question? I see a statement about it. I answered how I think it compares to the Vidar 2, but how am I going to say what percentage better that it is? It is better in some respects, but not in others.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

You answered none of my questions. Also, you are barely able to write a legible sentence. Where did you get a “110 price increase?” It’s more than $110 for sure. All I can do is tell you is how I think it sounds. Is it worth the cost difference to you? You decide. I would buy two Vidar,for just slightly more money, and run them in mono. The person who originally posted the question hasn’t responded. If they did, I would answer as honestly and directly as possible. I’m done entertaining a troll who has nothing better to do than hang out here and insult people. Have a good day. All future comments that are not constructive or offensive will get you banned and all comments removed. If you would like to have a civilized conversation, I am willing.

[@bruceandt]

New people new into the audio world always keep numbers as the most important factor. How many watts per channel!!! I’ll give you a great example. I am running an older Kenwood. KR-V8070 stereo integrated amp. I pushes my Energy RC 30 tower speakers very well. Output? Reported 120 watts per channel. I have had the top off my amp. It has one transformer that is nothing to brag about. Two 7500 microfarad capacitors. Does this amp compare to the Galion TS A 75? Not even remotely! The TS A 75 has two toroidal transformers at 200 VU each. One per side. The capacitors inside the unit? 200,000 microfarads. The TS A75 is not snake oil. It’s a very good solid amplifier.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I agree. I’d much rather have 1 good clean watt than 1,000 garbage watts!

[@DrNoahBoddy004]

Gorgeous amp, seriously in the top three that I’m considering, minus that land-fill swill that was playing on it. For four and a half seconds, I thought, Oh God, I’m being extraordinarily rendered! (please just kill me now)🌹

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Well, at least you’re not a drama queen…

[@DrNoahBoddy004]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi …,only 🙃N Thursdays! lol!

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

😂

[@samuellord8576]

Looks like a solid combination. But _why_ on earth did you put the phono preamp right on top of the PS of a line preamp???? That is a great way to add hum and other noise into your phono playback! Don’t do that.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I agree. I hate stacking any components, for any reason. Unfortunately, I simply ran out of space in my test spot. It was crystal clear, or I would have moved it. If I was setting it up permanently, I would certainly move it.

[@samuellord8576]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi Understood, thanks!

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thanks so much for the feedback!

[@johnsimmons5056]

You can't judge an amp when it's cold. That AMP needs to be on at least an hour prior to using to sound right and it will way better. That being said....this does sound pretty great. Thanks for the sound demo's though. With my pass labs XA-25 the tech over at pass told me to leave it on 24/7. It took two weeks to sound good when it was first turned on.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I agree. I always plug amps up for a few hours prior to my tests. It is a loaner unit too so it’s been used quite a bit and probably well past the break in period. I just disconnect everything so I can show everything getting connected.

[@ChicagoRob2]

It takes my Schiit Modi Multibit DAC 3-5 hrs. to sound its best. It takes my Schiit Vali 2++ headphone amp at least an hour to get “into the groove.”

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thanks! That’s good info. I try to give it at least two hours to warm up before a review. I haven’t timed it exactly but 2 hours seems enough for most everything.

[@johnsimmons5056]

Oh I forgot to ask, is this Gallion amp a big step up from the Aegir 2 in your opinion? Thank you.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

If running the Aegir in stereo yes. If buying two Aegirs and running them in Mono no. Maybe just my opinion, but that was my experience.

[@TriAmpHiFi]

. I think it's got a ton of capacitance. Unless stand-by kills it, I think the amp will keep playing for a bit even after shutting off the power to the amp only. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

It shuts off instantly when you kill the power

[@TriAmpHiFi]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi . Ya, it's got anti-pop shut-off and soft start circuitry as most do these days 👍. Still that 75 watts has a "deep bench" if you will, from what's been reported. Peace.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Yeah, that thing is a beast!

[@leeseet2336]

All I hear is u say amazing , detail, solid build . No elaboration on the sound like bass etc

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

That’s fair. I was really impressed with how detailed it was, so I guess I got a bit stuck on that. I’ve spent a lot more time with it and some point I may do follow up video. The bass is tight and bit prominent. The mids are open and have good separation. The highs are very realistic with a bit of a sparkle to them. The highlight of this amp for me is definitely in the minute details and the open, realistic soundstage.

[@toai2]

You don’t have a tone control for treble n bass?

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Nope. That would need to be controlled by a preamp.

[@toai2]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi I mean that Kara doesn’t have tone control, just the volume knob

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Oh sorry. Schiit doesn’t put them on many of their products. If using the Kara you’d need to get a separate EQ.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Thomas is a Magnepan dealer Yet this amp won't power 3.7is

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Thomas who? Not Thomas Tan, he has already addressed your previous comment. Does everything that a company sells have to work together? That’s like saying Best Buy sells vinyl records, yet they won’t work with the cd players they sell. You’re pretty hung up on this. Please explain.

[@stimpy1226]

That’s not correct. It’s 50 W per channel into eight ohms and 75 into four ohms

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

According to www.galion-audio.com/pages/ts-a75 it is 75 at 8 and 100 at 4 unless I’m missing something.

[@ronaldmitro3182]

Ok. So this amp is a great value. Granted. However lets not over play the hand. It's a Great budget amp with many off the shelf budget parts that will not age well. I have heard this amp in a side by side with a Premium brand. One of the easiest blind A/B comparisons I have ever done. 100% of the time I knew the Galion was playing and so did 3 others. While it is a good amp it is NO giant killer by any stretch. The Premium brand will remain nameless as I don't want to promote. Let's just say it was sub 10K in retail. You think it's not fair to compare? Well stop calling this amp a Giant killer. it is not!!! But it is good and a great value.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I do think it’s fair to compare. Comparisons are always fair. Yes a nearly $10k amp should sound better. I would hope so for the price difference. For some it’s about getting as close to the sound of the $10k mode as they can afford. You won’t know unless you compare. As far as the verbiage, that’s provided on their website and more than likely written by the marketing department. That’s their job, sell products. Do I think it’s the greatest amp ever created? No. I do feel like it’s about as good as you will find in that price point for my ears? Yes, I do. In fact, I think it sounds pretty good for an amp at twice the cost. All retailers embellish their products with lavish descriptions and high praise. I don’t care about that, or what the specs say. I only really care about what it sounds like for the price. Is it a good value? Is it pleasing to listen to, or would I pass on it for something else? A lot of that is subjective.

[@ronaldmitro3182]

@@NoFrillsHi-Fi Well said. I just don't like all the posts calling it a Giant Killer. That it is not in any way. Is it better then some of the competitors at its price point and lets say twice that? Yes IMO. I know Thomas has a lot of friends in this industry. But I find it very miss leading to call it a giant killer. By all measures it is not. Thanks for the reply.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

Honestly, that is the exact reason that I started doing this. I got tired of seeing ads that show the greatest thing ever invented, only to buy it and be disappointed. I don’t know that I would consider their marketing to be a complete lie though, I actually was very impressed with it and would love to keep it. It’s just a loaner for evaluation. If I thought it sounded like junk or was over priced, I would have said so. Even if that meant not getting any more products from them. I think it’s maybe a bit of an enthusiastic representation, but I’ve definitely seen much worse. There truly is no substitute for listening for yourself. If you have the opportunity to listen to something before buying, do it. Just because I liked it doesn’t mean anyone else will. Certainly the rest of the system is equally important.

[@HighResTime]

What do you mean? The A75 is a great amp at a great price. Not everybody likes a boring flat response. And the internal components are of great quality. Not sure why you have an issue with it.

[@NoFrillsHi-Fi]

I thought it was interesting that he put it in the sub $10k category and didn’t even tell the name of the other brand or brands in his comparison. I can’t take it too seriously. Especially when I really enjoy this amp.