Cinepro Amplifier (1 Viewer)

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Take a look at my good experience with Cinepro: http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/006470.html
Needless to say I am very impressed with the amplifier(3K6III in 3K6II's clothing and price). This is the first amplifier that has made it through The Haunting demo on DTS DVD #4 without clipping. I always thought that it was the Subwoofers(Citation 7.4, Altec Lansing THX powered and SVS 16-46) that were bottoming out but I found out with a more powerful amplifier that it was the old amplifier that was clipping.
I have not heard a quieter amplifier(I have had a Kenwood THX stereo amp, a Carver M1.0t, a Proceed Amp2, an Anthem MCA-3, and a Parasound HCA 1500A). While all of them were quiet, you could hear some hiss with your ear next to the speaker(but not at the listening position). With the Cinepro, I have a hard time hearing any hiss near the tweeter. I was also initially concerned about the audibility of the fan. Don't worry, you can't hear it more than 3-4 feet away in a quiet room with no music playing or even pausing a DVD which was playing at reference level. In other words, it cannot be tricked into audibility.
As far as the sound, I am not good at audiophile jargon so I will just say that it sounds great. One of the CD's that I use for sound quality is a CD by Ali Akbar Khan recorded in the 1960's on 30 ips tape. This CD sounds better than 95% of all new recordings(even audiophile ones). The amplifier passed this torture test(two different types of stringed Indian Classical instruments and tabla) with all harmonics and dynamics intact.
I am very impressed with the amplifier and would unhesitatingly recommend it for any application(not just HT). For those looking at getting a super amp(>300 w/ch into 8 ohms), this may be one of the least expensive options

 

[John Kotches]

Bhagi,
I couldn't agree with you more. Sadly, Cinepro doesn't get their due in this business, probably because they started off with a clientele that was "professional", and that has a negative connotation.
Additionally, their amplifiers aren't high on "snob factor", which means some people will straight up ignore them.
I own a Cinepro, and I'm not sure I've yet found its limitations, which is a good thing :-D
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[EricKH]

I'm setting up a 2-channel system. I will probably use the ACI Jaguars with a Titan sub. I currently have the Adcom GFA-5802 amp (The gold series 300 WPC). I am considering:
1. Doing a mod - either Stan Ward or Musical Concepts
2. Upgrading the AMP - I have looked at Sunfire, and the Bryston 7B mono's.
What are your thoughts. Is there a cinepro that I should consider?
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Thanks, Eric

 

[John Kotches]

Cinepro makes stereo amplifiers, so I would consider their stereo amp!
Their "basic" amplifier, the 1K2 lists for US$1795.
You can see the specs for the bad boy at
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Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Rick Sorken]

Bhagi,
Congrats on the the new Cinepro Amp! I have a 3k6III in the 3k6II case as well. I was so happy with the performance of the amp I just recently added a 2k6III for sub and surround duties in my HT. I can't see upgrading for some time to come. Also, the customer service from Cinepro is very good. Enjoy the new amp!
John,

I own a Cinepro, and I'm not sure I've yet found its limitations, which is a good thing :-D

I have tested the limits of this amp(3K6III) with my Dynaudio speakers which do drop as low as 3.6 ohms at certain frequencies. I use the 3k6III in bridged mono for the front three speakers and have a dedicated 30 amp circuit for the amp. This can produce by Eric's estimate about 1200/WPC. I have had to build a fan kit like the SE model to keep the amp cool. Before the SE fan kit I could get the center channel to shut down through the thermal protection feature. In the normal mode 600/WPC there was never a heating problem. Pushing this amp to the limits is very hard on the concrete foundation in my house though!

Rick
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Thanks Rick
Rick & Carey's Home Theater

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Rick, isn't it great to get something more than what you paid for rather than the other way around?
I wish I would have been a little more patient and not screwed up the auto-trigger circuit.

 

[Hubert]

I think Cinepro is a great amp. I'm just not willing to put up with the fan noise, which irritates me to no end. But it is a very good amp. I just purchased a Proceed HPA-3 and it doesn't clip on the Haunting. However, it doesn't drive frequencies below 30Hz. I hope to be able to buy an additional Proceed HPA-3 within the next 3 months.

 

[John Kotches]

Hubert,
Unless you're sitting on top of the amp, you won't hear it on the Series 3 amps. The fans are ridiculously quiet.
Of course if you're 1 foot away and you're cranking it, that's another story.
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Hubert]

Well, I mispoke. My Proceed doesn't drive frequencies below about 80-100Hz. I'm not sure what the cutoff is for the sub section in the Def Tech BP3000s.

 

[Craig Beierlein]

Does Cinepro have any of the 3K6III in 3K6II's clothing and price left ??

 

[John Kotches]

Craig,
Even if this isn't the case, the 3K6 series 3 is an exceptional value...
Its hard to say this about a $4500 amplifier, but it represents excellent value.
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Craig Beierlein]

Maybe so, but I like the $2350 Closeout price for a 3k6III in a 3k6II's case vs.$4500 for the 3k6III

 

[John Kotches]

Craig,
Agreed -- best suggestion is to call the Cinepro factory and see if that's the case.
Rick,
I believe I didn't clearly make my point when I was discussing the limitations of the amplifiers. I'm not talking about the output power limitations, that's doable on my system with the Acoustats running as surrounds.
I'm talking about the quality of the sonics. I'm not sure where the limitation is there.
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Rick Sorken]

John,
Well, I also have no issues with the sonics of the the two Cinepro amps in my system......I did misunderstand! I also find it interesting the mention of fan noise in the Cinepro amps. What fan noise???

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Thanks Rick
Rick & Carey's Home Theater
[Edited last by Rick Sorken on September 28, 2001 at 11:16 AM]

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

The only time I hear the fan is if I am within 4-5 feet of the amplifier with no music playing and late at night. For example, the noise made by my DVD player(the mechanical noise) on pause is louder than the fan noise within 1-2 feet of the amplifier while the DVD player is about 3 feet away.

 

[Hubert]

The one I heard was in a friends house, the 3k6 and it's fan noise was fairly loud. But maybe he didn't have it in an enclosed racked. I personally prefer amps with heatsinks. But that's just my personal preference.

 

[John Kotches]

Hubert,
The series of the amplifier is important, each succeeding iteration of Cinepros amplifiers has gotten quieter...
The original / Series II / Series III each got quieter.
So depending on the vintage of your friends 3K6 the fan noise could be audible, which is why I qualified my statement with the Series 3.
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Bhagi Katbamna]

Do you leave the amp on or do you turn it on and off? Since I screwed up the auto-on/off circuit, I have been just leaving it on. It says that power consumption in idle is about 140 W.

 

[John Kotches]

I leave mine on 24x7, which isn't the best thing from an environmental perspective

However, from a stress perspective, it is excellent for two reasons:
1) No turnon inrush of current (causes lots of failures)
2) The amp operates at thermal equilibrium, cooling / heat up is another area of premature electronics failure.
It was my understanding that idle draw was much lower, on the order of 25w -- I'll dig up the printed specs and see what I find there later this weekend.
For all those Cinepro owners posting to this thread -- go enjoy some music or a film!
Regards,
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John Kotches
Contributing Writer
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[Edited last by John Kotches on September 28, 2001 at 10:13 PM]

 

[John Morris]

I was dead set on buying one one, or two, of those reconditioned Cinepro 3K6II amps, and then I went and listened to one. It was in a room with a top of the line front projector and a bunch of other fan cooled stuff and it was fantastic. When I asked that they turn off the other fanned equipment, I could still hear the fan on this unit... and yes, John, it was only a II not a III unit. Still, I could hear it and I wondered if it would bother me at home too. I actually turn off the AC (and I live in Texas) when I want to watch a GOOD movie or listen to serious music. The air coming through the vents can be heard. At one time, I considered adding a computer to my HT... not a chance once I turned it on... SO, apparently, till I can afford a new house with a soundproof equipment cabinet, I prefer fanless. That is only one of the reasons why the CAL 2500 MCA is calling my name... still, I sure wish that dang amp had 6 channels. :{
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Take Care,
merc
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God Bless America!!!