Cheaper 2 channel amps with at least 125 real watts (1 Viewer)

[Nathan J]

About what price range do these start at?

I want to upgrade. I am buying a new set of Focal mains, and I need some more power.


What are your recommendations?

I dont want to spend a fortune here.

 

[Nathan J]

Oh, and from what I have read/been told, NAD are supposed to be pretty good.

Any comments?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Your best best is going to be buying something from the used market as power amps last for a very long time and its not an area that technology has changed that much to make older amps any less worthy then a brand new one. Try NAD, Rotel, Adcom, Marantz monoblocks, and several other quality budget amps...and one of the best places to look is www.audiogon.com

For example on the cheap this Haffler is a very solid amp for under $200. I once owned this model and regret selling it to this day.

 

[Michael R Price]

Well, if you're on a budget... you can probably get a 150 watt amp, used, for $300 to $400. But maybe something with less power would sound better for that price.

What's the actual sensitivity and impedance of those Focal speakers?

 

[Dan Magnin]

I'd have to agree upon the impressive performance of the NAD 2200 power envelope amp. It puts out a true amount of power with plenty of reserve. It can also be bridged to supply ample amounts of power to one speaker. I currently own two of these and love 'em. I've seen them on ebay go for about $200.00 to close to $300.00 each. The only problem they are known to carry is the switching relays tend to go out. From what I've read elsewhere, its a cheap repair if it needs to be done. Hope this helps. Visit ebay and do a search on the nad 2200. If any are available at this moment, seller may be providing sufficient product info. Hope this helps. Dan

 

[Nathan J]

The Focals are 8 ohm, 91db sensitivity.

I believe in extra power, and plenty of head room. I would want at LEAST 125 watts, but if I could get 200, that would be fantastic.

 

[EdNichols]

I got a used Nad 216THX 125 watts/channel for $250. I use it bridged to get 400 watts for my sub. Check out audiogon.

 

[Tom Grooms]

The Adcom GFA-555 MKII would fit the bill nicely. They are extremely reliable, sound good and can be found for under $400

 

[ChrisHeflen]

It would help if you could give a dollar amount, but depending on your budget you could probably go new if you bought on-line. If not...
I just checked ebay and there are some good offerings from Parasound, Rotel, Adcom.

Just don't get too caught up in the watts game though.

 

[Nathan J]

If I could get an amp for $200 I would be extremely happy.
Although, I know that may not happen.

Basically, I am a little new to the whole "separates" thing, so I am not up to date on the prices of all the pre's and amps and what not.

If I was to get a 7.1 pre/pro, and a 2 channel amp for my mains, could I use my old Yamaha receiver as the amp for the other 5 channels?


The main reason I am looking for a more powerful 2 channel amp is because I like listening to music in 2 channel, but my current Yamaha reciever does not have the output that I want.

So, point me to where I should go.....and what I should do.
What brands to audition,etc. I like NAD, and Rotel, but other than that,and the really high end brands like Mac and Krell, I have not listened to that many "separates", nor do I have that much experience with them.

Any brands I should stay away from? Certain things to look for?

Please keep in mind that I would like to do this only once....I dont not have the money to upgrade every little while or whatever, so what ever equipment I buy, I will probably have for 5+ years.


Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.


-Nate

 

[Nathan J]

Any suggestions?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Check audiogon then for a used 2 channel amp that's in your budget from a well respected company like Rotel, NAD, Haffler and the like. Bounce your picks of us if you like before commiting to buying it and you'll end up with something you'll be happy with.

 

[Michael R Price]

Definitely go for a used amp, or consider something with slightly less power if you want to stay around $250. 60 to 80 watts will be plenty, if the speakers really are 91db/w. (80 wpc would be good for peaks around 107 db in a typical room, I think.)

 

[Nathan J]

What about a pair of Parasound HCA1201A monoblocks?

Would that be a decent way to go to power my mains?

Anyone use these, or have any problems with them?

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Those parasounds would be a very good start indeed if they're still available. I was going to recomend them but at least the post in the for sale area said a sale was pending.

 

[Nathan J]

Would Rotel, Outlaw, NAD, Adcom or some other brand be a better choice? Or are they all pretty much within the same bracket when it comes to performance and sound quality?

 

[JimmyK]

I've owned my Hafler DH200's for over 20 years and can attest to their high quality. Even though they are rated at 100wpc, they have over 3db of dynamic headroom and do not give out at low impedences. I remember reading a review that said that they measured short term bursts of almost 500 watts at 2 ohms!

I would not hesitate to recommend a Hafler amp to anyone looking for an excellent used amp.

JimmyK

 

[kevin tate]

I have an Audiosource Amp 3 @ 150w x2. It's a very good amp, and you can find it used for around $200.

 

[Tom Grooms]

Take a look at this Adcom GFA-545 MKII . You wont do any better for a little over $200.



disclaimer, I dont know the seller and it's not my amp...

 

[Andrew Pratt]

The parasounds would be nice as they're based on a solid monoblock design (Soundstreams THX) and are nice and flexible as far as adding more later or for powering a sub or rear centre later as need be.

The Adcom or haffler would also be quite good at the price points listed.

If I had to pick one I'd lean towards the mono blocks if only b/c resale value might be higher.