Is it ok to mix brands as far as pre/pros' and amps? (1 Viewer)

[Todd smith]

I am thinking of getting a sherbourne 7/2100 amp to mate with my h/k 525. In the future (1-2 years) I will be getting a dedicated pre/pro for the sherbourne. My question is it best to match pre/pros' and amps of the same brand (such as getting all the same brand speakers in a surround system) or would it be fine to mix a different brand pre/pro with my sherbourne amp?

I also have a little more to spend on the amp then I thought. I now have about $3500.00 to spend for a 7 channel amp. What would be some recomendations for a 7 channel amp in this price range? Should I still go with the sherbourne at this price point?

 

[Mike_Skeway]

No real reason to match manufacturer brand with your pro/pro and amp. Many people mix brands with their equipment (including myself).

 

[Rich Wenzel]

some people feel that there is synergy in having the same brand of amplifiers and pre/pro and even source components...

there are several arguements for this...the most logical one being that the manufactures purposesly designed their products to work and sound better together...and that their actual test products and reference products will be others of their lineup...

having said that...would i be fearful of mixing brands, the answer is no...in fact i do.

its weird though...some might say, you cant hear the synergy between using the same brands and mixing...but if thats the case, that would imply all amplifiers or pre/pros would be the same...you would then only go by features, power ratings, and price...but not many people do that...

i dont know which camp i am in.

rich

 

[DanaA]

No need, although they might look better together on your rack if you did. The Sherbourne amp is supposed to be great. Part of the joy of owning separates, imo, is that you can pick and choose what works best in your system. When it comes time to get a dedicated pre/pro, I'd suggest you audition as many as you can in that price range.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Maybe in the old days... The fact is that gear from even a single manufacturer (now) comes from many sources. I.e., Parasound pre/pros now come from Denmark or Finland, whereas their amps come from Taiwan. Similarly for Sherbourn, their pre/pro is a direct relation of the Outlaw 950, but their amps are not. You could maybe say that the *designs* are related, but in the case of Sherbourn, that is not the case either. Neither Outlaw or Sherbourn designed the pre/pro, Eastech did. And Outlaw had most of the input.

Think about it this way: if ever a manufacturer actually did design a component to work better with their own components, and if the public ever found out about it, their non-same sales would drop to zero.

IMO, quality components are designed to work with the largest variety of other quality components out there.

But, the synergy argument is valid for asthetics though.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

It is not ONLY OK, it may be too your benefit!
Your can cover for the weakness of one brand with the strengths of another. And vice versa.
Not too worry!

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I had (another) stupid thought:

(Just one example. Not picking on Rotel.)

Rotel gear is known for being "warm". And I've never seen any distinction made between preamp and power amps, for example. So if you combined a Rotel pre/pro with a Rotel amp, that could actually be a bad thing, in that two warm things together are definitely not going to be anywhere close to neutral. (Obviously, unless you have bright speakers and/or a bright room to start with.)

 

[Dean L]

Well, my Marantz AV9000 pre and Carver 705X power amp are THE perfect match.
(and yeah, I know the AV9000 is kinda outdated now, but it still sounds awesome!)

 

[Charles Gurganus]

Todd, just a couple of thoughts.
1. What speakers will you be using?
2. Would you consider a 5 channel plus a 2 channel amp instead?
3. The Sherbourn is a nice amp. List for $3000 but you should be able to get one for around $2200 (audiogon.com).
4. There was a sweet looking Lexicon/Bryston NT512 5 channel amp for around $1900. (audiogon.com)
5. I wouldn't get the Sherbourn preamp.