Which amp do you own and why? (1 Viewer)

[Tony Lai]

I have a relatively old amp - but I remember the reviews and the relatively strange advertisements at the time. Parasound's first big power multichannel, the 1206 THX. So when I got the chance to buy a mint example for a very reasonable price, I jumped. It's like owning an old Mustang or any classic piece of equipment. And it's pleased from day on in HT and even more in two channel which is strange as I didn't expect such a brutish amp to be so adept at music.

And what an amp it is; it's the limit of what I can perceive as 'quality'. I can spend more on a Bryston or a Krell etc. but it won't sound any better to my ears.

I'll buy more amps but I won't buy better. Who makes 1,500w consumption, ~35kg amps? And why? Is there a need for such reserves of power?

T.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Sherwood AM-9080 because it was cheap.

 

[Sankar]

I have an AT1504 powering my mains in bridged mode, and the AT1505 powering the center and 4 surrounds. I had started off with the AT1505 for the mains, center and side surrounds with the rear surrounds powered by the internal amps of my Denon 3801.
I added the AT1504 for the fronts since I felt that the 450W/channel that they can provide will open up the soundstage quite a bit especially for music .. and I was not disappointed! In addition unlike the AT1505, the AT1504 has 2 toroidal transformers (one for each bridged channel). Finally, I understand that it operates in class A mode to 15W (that's per amplifier channel, which I think would be about 30-45W per bridged channel). All I can say is that the AT1504 rocks!! (and I got it for $740 shipped, used .. with about 3 years of warranty left!!)

 

[Robert George]

As of about 2 1/2 hours ago, I'm the proud and very satisfied owner of an Acurus A200X3 powering my front three channels. The side and back surrounds are driven by the amps in my Pioneer Elite 49TX.
I chose the Acurus based on a) reputation, b) reviews and owner comments, and c) price. Or more accurately, price/performance ratio.
First impression, WOW!!!
Mondial claims in their manual that, although they burn in the Acurus amps before shipping, they consider their amp to improve over the first 250 hours. If it gets any better, I may not be able to stand it .

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

I have a Cinepro 3K6III. I have tried a Parasound HCA 1500A, Proceed Amp 2, Anthem MCA 3, and a Bryston 4BTHX. The Cinepro sounds better than all of them and has more headroom.

 

[Frank_S]

Congrats Obi, now you will here what your N804's and HTM-1 are capable of!
My choice of amp(s)
Aragon 8008BB= 200 wt/8 ohms, 400 wts/4ohms (L & R Mains)
Aragon 8008 x 3= 200 wts/8 ohms, 400 wts/4 ohms (Center & surrounds)
I wanted to purchase amps that I would'nt have to replace as I improved upon the rest of my system. I auditioned many amps along the way(in my home)and liked the sheer power and dynamics of the Aragon's, not to mention build quality.
I also enjoy their ability to heat my livingroom in the winter months.

 

[Brandon_T]

I have an Anthem MCA5 because I got it off of Ebay for $540. Otherwise I could not own the thing. It sounds awesome on my studio 100's by the way.

Brandon

 

[Leo]

Marantz MA-500 - can expand to handle the future features. My room was built to handle 7.2.

 

[Jeff Keene]

The Krell Home Theater Standard.
I loved the way it made my speakers sing . 2nd place was the BAT 6200 and I really almost went that way. At first, I thought the BAT provided "more bass". In the end, I decided that the Krell bass wasn't missing, it was tighter.

 

[chris c]

Theta Intrepid 5X100. Has bettered every other multichannel amp I have heard (except the Dreadnaught, which at regular listening levels sounds nearly identical).

 

[Charles Gurganus]

I use 2 amps in my current setup....

B&K ST1400...2 channel 125 wpc 8ohm...180 4 ohms...I use this amp to power the rear NHT VS1.2a's. Paid $530 or so for this new 3 years ago. I also had the ST1430 3 channel amp for the front end, which I sold (hindsight, I should have sold the ST1400 and kept the 1430) and purchased the

Sherbourn 5/1500a...200 wpc 8ohm...300 wpc 4ohms...for $1250. I use this to biamp my NHT VT1.2's with the 5th channel powering the NHT VS2a. I considered the usual suspects but ended up with the Sherbourn because I got a GREAT deal and I liked its mono block design. Only other amp I tried was the Sony TA-N9000es but even 2 of those don't provide the power of 1 Sherbourn IMHO.

 

[Alex Prosak]

For music: Adcom GFA 545

Why: Because I can't convince the wife that we need a VAC PA 100/100. Mmmmmm...tubes...

 

[David John]

Adcom GFA-5006 6 x 50 W.

2 channels running my rear surrounds.

4 channels bridged to 2 running 2 subwoofers.

I bought it because I needed something to run my subs and my rear surrounds. This fit the bill, plus I got a great deal on it and I've always liked the Adcom amps.

I may get a GFA-7400 and run my receiver as a pre/pro some day, but for now, my apartment rocks with this setup.

oh yeah.. Yammi 1200 as the reciever now.

 

[Mark Rich]

Rotel RMB-1075. Great performance for the dollar.

Anyone thinking of buying one should throw away the OEM power cord and replace it with a decent cord. I replaced it with the new Rhinocables.com cord and Wow! Increased performance across the board. Any decent cord would probably be better than the stock cord that came with it.

Similar cords can be sourced from Diycable.com and Boldercables.com

 

[Michael Lee]

I have two CineNova Grande amps 300Wx5.
Link Removed

I wasn't sure which color I liked more, so I got both !
Actually, they are in two different rooms in my house. These really make my system sing. I got great deals on them brand new...it was a no-brainer.
I also have the Denon POA-5200 somewhere around the house.

 

[Justin Doring]

Classe' CA-200

It is (or was) an excellent value for the money and matched my speakers perfectly. I do, however, have my eyes on the Levinson 33H monoblocks.

 

[Jose S.]

SimAudio Titan 5-ch.

Has a sweeter flavor than my previous Bryston 9B for music, and my NHTs love the extra power.

 

[Kevin T]

previous:

acurus a200x5: 200w @ 8 ohms / 300w @ 4 ohms - sold due to upgraditis

current:

aragon 8008x3b: 200w @ 8 ohms / 400w @ 4 ohms - purchased for the same reason as frank (so i'll never have to ever again worry about buying another amp)

future:

aragon 8008bb or 8008st: 200w @ 8 ohms / 400w @ 4 ohms - i would prefer the bb over the st but really wonder if i would notice the difference.

kevin t

 

[Dave N.]

I'm with Kevin and Frank. For my HT an Aragon 8008x3B plus an 8008BB. I also use an old Hafler XL 600 to drive my subs.

In my stereo system I have an 8008BB.

Why? Pre-HT I used the Hafler in my stereo system and it was a bit cold and harsh. I read the Secrets review of the 8008BB and had upgrade-itis. On the net I found a pair for sale. They happened to be on consignment at a local dealer. I was able to demo the Aragon in my system and loved it.

When I was thinking of separates for my HT,the Aragons were on close-out new for a great price. I paid the same new as I had paid used for the 8008BB. Although I've said this before,I have no intention of upgrading.

As to heat output,my stereo speakers while efficient are tough to drive. Impedence drops to a little below 2ohms. The 8008BB does run hot. In my HT my speakers are 4ohms and 95 dB efficient. At reference levels these guys just break a sweat.

If only I had made the move to balanced separates prior to purhasing new,costly single ended cables.... Oh,well.

Dave

 

[Kevin T]

dave:

just wondering if you've demoed the 8008bb versus the 8008st. the 8008bb is getting rarer to find on the net and generally commands $500+ more than the 8008st. i know the technical differences between the two but wonder if i'd ever actually notice. right now i'm using mirage frx-7 for the mains so that's my main limitation and i know i won't be able to tell a difference between the two. however, i intend to upgrade to possibly the b&w cdm-9nt or the nautilus 804 in the coming months. just wondering what you opinion is of the 8008st (or anybody else for that matter).

kevin t