Separates Combination (1 Viewer)

[Scott Yuri]

I'm not really in any rush, but a comment in a receiver thread did get my attention. I don't know beans about separates. The comment was that "receivers have entered the PC age" meaning obsolesence is near to date of purchase. So why not buy a good amp, and then keep up with rapid technology changes in your pre/pro. That being said, what does a good 6/7 channel 100 watt (or so) amp cost? And then what can you expect to pay for good pre/pro? This is mainly HT, about 80/20. Thanks

 

[Evan S]

Scott, amps you can get used for great deals. They usually last many, many years, so you don't have to buy new there.

You can get a 7 channel amp for around $1500. Soon, Outlaw will release their 770 amp that is 200 watts x7 and will cost about $1900, but I'm sure you can also get a 5 channel amp used for about $700-1100 and combine that with a used 2 channel amp for $400-700.

As for pre/pros, if you want the latest bells and whistles, you will have to get new. But the soon to be released Outlaw 950 will give you a great head start into the world of separates for only $900 and the Beta testers rave about it's sound. It's missing a few features but nothing you would be really concerned with. Or you can get something used, but there is a really big gap in the pre/pro world right now between the $1000 price range and the $3000 price range. You can get used processors that sound great for around $1500-2500, but they may lack the latest and greatest features (Dolby Pro Logic 2, etc).

 

[Greg_R]

I'd say you're looking at the $1500 range for 6-7ch of quality amplification. A pre-pro with most of the feature's you'd find on a high end receiver will run you at least $3k. Assuming the company stands behind their product, HW & SW updates to the pre/pros occur 6 months+ after the new receivers show up. The HW updates usually cost $$$. I don't understand why some company doesn't sell a higher-end stand alone decoder for all these formats (then we'd just need an extron switcher and a preamp).