Stereo Preamp or Integrated Amp? (1 Viewer)

Hey guys,
I'm looking to replace my 150 dollar (used) am and CD player combination. The quality isnt that great and there is very noticable hiss. I was thinking of either guying a stereo amp/integrated amp or buying a cheep, under 300 dollar, (do these exist?) stereo pre-amp and building a hypex amp (just for fun really). I'm looking for somethign powerful because my father and I are seriously contemplating purchasing a pair of Apex speakers from Adire and we don't want to have to upgrade because our equipment cant handle the speakers. The Hypex amp will be ample, but I don't know if a stereo reciever can deliever enough juice, are there any out there that can handle such speakers? If not, anyonw know of any pre-amps with remotes and input switching for a reasonable price?

thanks

For $300, you're already asking for a lot from whatever you buy to drive those speakers. 88dB sensitivity and 6 Ohm aren't too bad, but I'd expect they'll want a fair amount of real world current. I'd look used. Either a stereo receiver or integrated would probably be able to handle it, with maybe a little more weight given to an integrated. My first thought would probably be a NAD C320BEE integrated, which are relatively easy to find and in your price range. Stereo receivers you might be able to find new in your range; Onkyo has the TX-8511 that has 100w and H/K has a model that is rated at 120wpc. An integrated amp is likely to have a much better power supply and amp section than a stereo receiver though. I currently use a Marantz PM7200 and it handles low impedance loads pretty well and sounds great. You can find it and the previous version, the PM7000 for $300 and below.

you might also want to look at a used stereo preamp/tuner and amp combination. Either Rotel or Adcom have many combos out there that will suit your needs.

In Adcom look for a used GTP500 preamp tuner and a GFA535 amplifier. The combo should set you back about $250 - $300 tops. They are a little older, but will sound great with the speakers you are looking for.

Jonathan,

if those are non-bright 8 ohm speakers, I'd suggest looking into the digital switching Panasonic sa-xr55. Do a search on AVS Forum and Google, you'll see tons of reviews. I actually preferred it to my NAD separates and Marantz receiver which cost several times more.

Also worth looking into are vintage HK Twin-Powered stereo receivers on eBay, that have separate power supplies for each channel.

How many sources are you going to switch? If you're going passive upfront then getting an amp with gain controls might be the way to go as well. Sonic Impact T-Amp will actually perform quite well (most real world listening is done at 1 watt) but if there is a need for power an used AudioSource Amp3 will fit the budget.

I know somebody who's got a great powerful stereo receiver with a pre-out/post-in loop for future expansion if you want it for sale used in the hardware forum.