What kind of amps are people using for 2 Channel? (2 Viewers)

I'm getting Veritas 2.1's and I was wondering about amplification. I have a NAD 320BEE intergrated, but I want to upgrade, I really dont know where to begin. Bryston is kinda my dream for many reasons. I like the sound the warrenty how its made. I was wondering what kind of amps people are using for 2 Channel music listening? I dont want to over kill. Would a good rotel be good enough? I know I need to audition but I was wanting to know what others use.

paul

Every amp will have its own unique sonic signature. The differences tend to be subtle. Without trying amps in your home, it is very hard to figure out in what area each amp exells. In other words, Krell might be outstanding in the bass. Bryston may be outstanding in clarity. And so on. If you like Bryston try to buy it from a dealer who will let you either exchange it or give you a refund if you get it home and are disappointed.

I am not suggesting that you won't like Bryston when you get it home, but you may not hear enough of a difference from your NAD to make it worth spending for a Bryston (or any other new amp).

Artie

I use an Acurus A200. I personally don't think you can go wrong with any of Rotel, Bryston, Aragon, B&K, etc. The dual mono architecture of the Bryston 2 channel amps is kind of nice though compared to the others.

I have a dual mono Yamaha MX-1 and MX-1000U. Both are class A amps rated to drive into 1 ohms. They feature twin 750VA transformers with 10 MOSFET output devices per chanel.

They are very warm and analytical amps and can compliment good speakers very well.

Depending on my mood a pair of 20 watt tube mono blocks
(Antique Sound Labs) or my trusty Onkyo M-282B 2 channel
power amp.

Next season I plan on adding a good dual monochannel S.S
amp and I am torn between PassLabs X Series or Aragon's
Paladium 1K's.

I went with a used Bryston 4B-ST on Audiogon to drive my elctrostats. They need lots of power.

I'm afraid, though, that I can't compare it to other amps. I went for the Bryston before hearing it, based on the recommendations of others.

Good luck!

Larry

i'm using a pair of aragon palladium ii monoblocks and totally love the sound. it's as if they have a death grip on the speakers and nothing i can throw at them no matter the material or volume even makes 'em flinch.

kevin t

Kevin,

I see you have Palladiums.. May I ask ya a couple q's ?

Did you buy used or new? Local shop or ? How warm do they
run (not that I care just curious)

I'm running a Bryston 3B-ST. Before moving to the Bryston, I had an old Rotel (can't remember the model, but it was 2x100w), and frankly, the sound I have now with the Bryston is WAY better than it was with the Rotel. Granted, it's not as drastic a difference as when I moved to Rotel separates from the old JVC receiver, but it was a noticeable improvement nonetheless. If you can manage, I'd merely suggest demoing a handful of amps. Certain speakers just match up extremely well with certain amps, so the trick is finding a great match, not just buying on brand name or reputation alone.

I keep seeing alot of people using the Bryston amps for 2 channel operation. Has anybody had any experience with the Crown or Crest Audio power amps? I've heard QSC are good also, any input?

I use a Rotel RB-1070 with Klipsch KG 4.2's, sounds great to me.

The finest-sounding amplifier I have ever had in my house was the McCormack DNA1... built like a tank, and music you thought you were familiar with takes on new life. I nearly cried the first time I heard my favorite Mozart selections through the McCormack (feeding my Klipsch Fortes).

It constantly amazes me that more people on these forums do not own, or have not even heard McCormack... the only reason I let go of mine was to move to a 5-channel amp (the McCormack version was over a thousand bucks beyond my price range...). I suppose it's all in distribution and marketing.

I have heard of McCormack, nice looking gear, but I'm just not that familiar with them!

Oh yeah, the most favorite 2 ch amp I ever had in my system: Nakamich PA-7AII. 225W/ch, stasis class, 70 lbs. (I.e., Threshold: designed by Nelson Pass.) Maybe shoulda kept that sucker. But I bought it used, came from a smoker, and stank up my HT every time I fired it up. (But in retrospect, should have plugged it in in my garage for a few weeks, and *then* brought it inside. Oh well. )

Kevin,

Ohh no a Smoker!!! (I am a smoker)

I don't smoke in the house though.... I care more about my
equipment than I do about my lungs isn't dat vierd?

You should have taken the amp out in the garage and tore the
cover off and cleaned her out with some compressed air and
if that didn't do it.. Febreeze the hell out of her!

NAD 320BEE for my bedroom and Earthquake Cinenova for living room....

Khoa, what speakers are in front of the NAD320? I love my little amp, right now its driving PSB 400's. I wonder if it will be enough for the Energy Vertia Bookshevles though.

PSB Stratus Minis....i think it's plenty of power for the energies....this thing should be rated at 100 watts instead of 50...i turn it up til my ears start to hurt and it still pumps out clean crisp power....

If those are the speakers you see yourself using for the forseeable future, then something that's spec'd out to something like 100-150 wpc ought to server you pretty well. OTOH if your listening space is smallish, you just might find that your existing amp will do the job.

The Energy Veritas will be my reference like speakers for a long long time, later on I might add a sub. I can get a good deal on em but at full retail they go for about $1499.99 cdn and that's about as high end as I can see myself getting. I don't like Totems for the kinda music I listen too. So first the Veritas, powered by the NAD. I have a small listening space now but that will change. I was thinking the Bryston would really let them sing. The signal path is probably much shorter and much much cleaner. Thx for the input though.

sorry i just read this over and i think my statement is wrong..."i turn it up til my ears start to hurt and it still pumps out clean crisp power.... " because if it's still pumping out clean crisp sound then how can i hear it when my ears are hurting? well just lemme say that it's a GREAT little amp...Paul for a bigger space i think the Bryston will be perfect...