Are B&K amps any good? (1 Viewer)

[Aslam Imran]

If I were in your shoes I would get the B&K (for 500 more), for two reasons:

1) Warm smooth laid-back sound ( that is if you like that kind of sound as some people like it bright in-their-face kind of sound). The Outlaw could sound grainy (if its anything like the ATI) at the top end for those bright recordings. The B&K would smooth them just right.

2) Built like a tank plus the friendly customer service. You can always get through to some tech support person without any wait and they take the time to answer any questions you might have about their product.

 

[RajeeK]

DAMN!!! Rajee you'r lucky. Then on other thoughts with you being a physician it really doesnt matter anyways, a grand here or a grand there you wouldn't know the difference

Oh yes....I wish I was a rich physician. I got out of residency only about 8 months ago, so no riches yet.

 

[RajeeK]

Aslam,

Thanks for the advice. I am kinda leaning towards the B&K. There is always the prestige factor of a B&K reference amp also that I love. Any other suggestions out there somebody would like to toss out.

 

[Aslam Imran]

Oh yes....I wish I was a rich physician. I got out of residency only about 8 months ago, so no riches yet.

You have to be a little patient Rajee. Soon the riches will start flowing and you wouldn't be able to stop them. If I were you I'd wait a few more months/years until I would see a substantial jump in my income level and then go for an ultimate amp that I can spend the rest of my life with. The reason I am saying this is that an amp can last you a lifetime so why invest in it right now when you know you'll want to and be able to afford something much better down the road. Think when you'll have a big house with a dedicated 1500 Sq ft. HT room. The B&K will struggle for the life of it to maintain THX levels in that room and you'll want something with twice or thrice the power. So wait and enjoy your Flagship receiver fully and when you get bored with its sound add external amplification for more impact. After all how long ago did you buy your Flagship elite? enjoy it throughly if its power is adequate for your room. Why go for quick bursts of enjoyment when you know its not going to stop here.
Down the road buy an MC-12 and a CAL 2500 (500W x 5) and live happily ever after (like any audiophile is ever going to recognize the phrase 'happily ever after'?)

 

[ManojM]

I'm going to have to jump in here. Aslam, the days of super wealthy physicians have long passed, although some of us do manage to make quite a bit of money. Making a $100,000 a year sounds great until you realize that your loan payments from schooling are $2000+/month for the next 30 years, and when you discover that you cannot get a good mortgage on a house because of the adverse effects of those loans on your ficos score (my mortgage is about $500 higher than it should be).

RajeeK,

If you buy the B&K for $2300, you are in a position to sell it when you upgrade for not substantially less, even in a couple of years. If you look at the going prices of used Reference level B&K amps that are 2-3 years old on audiogon, you will not that they don't lose much value if you start out at a good price. The B&K is a very good, very smooth amp. You may well be happy with it for years, and you are much better off with it than a cheaper one that you may pay a bit less for. You will be much more satisfied in the meantime, and it will be easier to sell because the warranty is transferrable, and because there is a market for used B&K products.

 

[Aslam Imran]

Well being an engineer myself I have no idea of what physicians these days make. When ever I hear of a physician I think of my uncle in Columbus, OH. He is an anesthesilogist (spelling?) in practice for more than 20 years, has seven cars (out of which 2 are mercedez and a Lexus) and three homes in various parts of the country. He also considers himself an audiophile and you know what does he have in his HT?.... BOSE. He absolutely swears by it and although when ever I visit him I am tempted to bash Bose, I just keep quiet with him being the most influential member of our family ( due to let me guess.... his WEALTH)
Anyways I could live with $100,000 a year without a problem In any case I have great respect for physicians not because of their wealth but because of the service they provide to man kind.

 

[RajeeK]

ManojM,
I think I might know you. You didn't happen to come out to Del Mar with your sister for Thanksgiving and Christmas? I have sent you an email.
Anyhow. Aslam and Manoj, you both have very valid points. You don't know how much I go back and forth whether I really need an amp or not. I keep hearing so many good things about adding one on and yet to be honest I am very happy with my 49TX. I have never heard an amp added to it so I keep thinking I am missing something big, but then for $2300 is it really worth it? Who knows. I just know this just driving me insane. Somebody HEELLLPPPP!!!!!

 

[Robert George]

Rajee:

I would cast my vote for the B&K also. Having owned the B&K AVR307 receiver, I can tell you the amps are probably the best part of that piece. Also, I have spoken with other B&K owners that went through B&K's receiver to B&K separates and they claim B&K's reference amps are a considerable step up from their very fine receiver.

 

[Brian Corr]

Rajee,

B&K makes nice amps.

Another suggestion would be to wait a few months until Sherbourn releases their 7 channel amp. It is designed similiar to their 5 channel version - meaning it will be 7 monoblock amplifiers in one chasis rated at 7x200 into 8 ohms. It will also have 2 power cords.

It will list at $2750 which means you should be able to get a dealer to get close to that B&K price.

This amp is at the top of my list!

 

[Ricky T]

RajeeK,
I think you should do what Robert George did...get a big 3 channel amp for ~ $1k to complement the 49tx. Try: B&K 2230, Parasound 200x3, three marantz MA700 monos, Rotel 991, Acurus 200x3.
Or get the 4 channel Citation 7.1 for $1095 with warranty; 75 pounds, retail $2800, designed/built/serviced side by side proceed amps by Madrigal. Later down the line, if you do go with a 7.1 prepro, just add a 2nd citation.
Link Removed
And perfect 5.0/5.0 on 17 reviews, when compared straight up against the likes of Proceed, Aragon, Krell, Bryston:
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_115649_1583crx.aspx
Ricky