Zippy and fun
Lexicon 212 Stereo Power Amplifier I find the Lexicon 212 stereo amplifier to be cute and to pack a wallop. Yes, 120 watts per channel isn’t exactly a bruiser, but it’s a zippy amp with musicality for days. The bottom end has that elusive nice mix of dry and wet, like an A/B amp over 50 damping factor or a Class D amp under 600. I could figure out or look up the damping factor for this little guy, but I won’t because I don’t care. It sounds realistic, teetering over the edge of fun. I kind of snooze when I hear any amp that can’t spread out the soundstage realistically, and keep instruments where they are. That is a system trait, partly influenced by the room and the speakers, but the amp plays a decent role too, I’ve found. The best amps I hear instantly have that separation and space around instruments. But not all of them are as fun on the bottom as this guy. The Lexicon 212 should be relatively affordable for its sound, so it could be worth a try for someone who...