help needed: which 2-channel amp to get? (1 Viewer)

[Jay Chen]

I am now looking for a 2-channel amp and it's going be used for music listening mainly. Right now i have a pair of B&W 602S2 and a Denon 1801, which will used as a temperatary preamp once i get the new power amp. Since i don't want to spend over $1000CDN(poor university student...), so there aren't many choices for me. I did some research and found out that these amps are within my budget:
1. Parasound HCA1000A(demo)
2. NAD C270
3. Anthem PVA2(where can i get MCA2 used?)
4. Rotel RB1070
All the amps list above are around $1000CDN except the NAD C270 which is $700CDN, so which amp should i buy?(it's my first time buying seperates!!) and for those people who live in sourthern Ontario, any recommendation for audio stores with decent prices? I am now studying in Kitchiner/Waterloo area, but i don't mind taking a trip back to Toronto to buy the amp.
thanks guys!!
Jay

 

[Kevin Deacon]

Buy a used amp. I bought a used mint condition Parasound 2200II off Eb&y for $710.00usd. This bad boy has 250 watts per channel and is a beast. Sounds very detailed and tends to the warm side. Sweet!!!

 

[Saurav]

I think any of those would be good choices, and I would second the recommendation to buy used. Amps don't have moving parts that wear out, and if you find someone who's taken good care of his gear, you can get amps in as-new condition for much less than retail.

If I had to pick, I'd probably rate the Parasound and Rotel a shade above the NAD. No idea about Anthem gear.

 

[chung]

You may be able to find a used Aragon 4004MkII for around $700. Very highly recommended.

 

[Alex Prosak]

All of the amps are good. Is it possible for you to listen to them in your system to see which you like best? You could also go with a used amp as suggested. The Aragon's are excellent but you should check if it will match the impedence of your receiver/pre-amp before picking one up. I have a friend that tried matching a Aragon amp (4004 MkII) with an Adcom preamp (don't remember the model, it was their top of the line at the time) and he ended up frying the Adcom. When Adcom did the repair they indicated the problem was due to improper matching of components.

 

[Jay Chen]

now i narrow down my choice to Parasound HCA1000A and Rotel RB1070, which amp will match better to my B&W 602??
did someone ever conduct a side by side comparison for these two units(or similar one) with B&W speakers? there is no store that has both parasound and Rotel amps in the area where i live, but i did listen to the B&W/Rotel combo which sounds pretty good. So i was wondering if anyone has experience with parasound matching with B&W 6series speakers.
by the way, i can get a display model(not used) for parasound that's cheaper than the Rotel, so i wasn't sure if the Rotel worth the extra $150CDN.
thanks for the advices!!
Jay

 

[Alex Prosak]

Jay,

Since I haven't been able to AB between Parasound and Rotel I can't say what I think sounds better. I have heard both though and I think the Rotel would be the better match with the B&Ws.

 

[Saurav]

I haven't heard B&W's, and I've heard Rotel and Parasound on totally different speakers. So this is based mostly on stuff I've read, but I too would recommend the Rotel. Rotel gear has a reputation for being on the warm side, which should balance the B&W's reputation for detail. I also preferred the overall sound of the Rotel plus the speakers I heard it with, but that doesn't mean anything.