Sherbourn, Cinenova Grande, Outlaw or Parasound (1 Viewer)

[TracyB]

Im looking to purshase an amp for two grand and narrrowed them down to these. I have the Divas 6.1, R3 and the C3. I am really considering the Grande but Sherbourn seems to be on top of everyones list. I cant find the 5/1500A any cheaper than 1899. Can someone point to me where I can get it cheaper because if so then I would by it. The Outlaw 770 seems to be a good amp but no one seems to have reviews on it. For the money that seems like a better deal. Havent decided on the per/pro. Right now im testing the speakers with a Onkyo 797 reciever and a H/K avr320. The 797 seems to be weak in power inspite of its 100/wpc. The avr320 sounds better but lacks power as well. Hopefully I will get a more full sound with the proper pre/pro amp setup. Would I be happy with the Grande over the Sherbourn musically and a HT setup? Is the 770 the best bang for the buck? I dont know much about Parasound.

 

[Jed M]

Tracy, I am not the best person to answer this since my only experience with amps were my two Marantz MA500 monoblocks before I got the 770. I can tell you that I am a habitual A/B'er, and every time I get something new I like to test it out on practically everything. Well, the reason I never really said anything about the 770 is because I could not tell much, or any, of a difference between the MA500 and the 770. I think I preferred the 770 but it also have 200wpc compared to the MA's 125wpc. So at the time I believed that maybe I just could not tell differences between amps but then Robert Fowkes wrote that he thought his MA700's (200wpc) sounded a lot like his 755, enough so that it convinced me that maybe these two amps sound alike. So if my opinion is worth anything on amps, and it isn't, I would say Outlaw and Marantz have very similar, neutral sounding amps. Like I said, I preferred the Outlaw, but it did have 75wpc more than my mono's. If you blindfolded me I am sure I couldn't tell them apart until you started cranking the volume.

 

[Kevin T]

you might wanna try calling the stereo trading outlet (tsto.com). i know they used to sell the sherbourn for about $1500 but i don't see it listed on their website anywhere. call them at 215-886-1650 and they may be able to direct you to a price cheaper than $1800. iirc, the 5/1500a usually goes for about $1400-$1600 on the street so you're overpaying at $1800. good luck.

kevin t

 

[Mike Gl]

You might try AVScience.com. Their internet site says call for a price, but in the past they have offered excellent pricing on the Sherbourn.

 

[TracyB]

AVscience was where I was given the price of 1800 from there source. I might consider the Outlaw.

 

[Chas_T]

HI Tracy B.

Please email me here. The Sherbourn is a nice amp. I have one on the way.

Charles

 

[Bruce Chang]

I just picked a 1500 5 channel amp for $900 shipped!! www.audiogon.com is the best!

 

[John A. Casler]

I haven't A-B'd the two (CineNova/Sherbourn)but have heard both. I would have to say the it is not even a close contest when good speakers are used.

The Sherbourn is a very high quality amp, but it is 200wpc compared to 300 wpc. Distortion of the Sherbourn is 10 times more .03% compared to .003% and the headroom and silence that offers is clearly something to consider.

For Home Theater either will do quite well. For music, a soundstage, with depth and imaging, with fine speakers, it is not a choice. If you want to hear "silence and dynamic signal purity" and nothing else, the CineNova is a step in that direction.

Just my "biased" opinion.

John

 

[Chas_T]

John,

You are correct with your analysis. As you describe, the CineNova with fine speakers is a step towards "silence and dynamic signal purity."

An extraordinary piece of equipment as I have listened to this piece of equipment many times at a friends home.

The accumulated amount in the bank account is always the major contributing factor for the majority of us who want to experience "audio nirvana."

"Just my unbiased opinion"

Charles

 

[Mike_T_]

As far as my Sherbourn goes, it's very neutral and quiet. I'm sure most amps in this price range are going to be sufficient for most people. I'm not sure if I'll ever hear any distortion from the Sherbourn even driving Studio 100's which are power hungry. I've had it LOUD and have never come close. It's utterly silent with my Rotel 1066.

 

[TracyB]

To follow up on my initial post I decided to go with the Sherbourn. It was a rat race between that and the Earthquake but the Sherbourn edge it out. I also ordered the H/K signature 2.0 for 400 dollars just to have something to compare the Onkyo to. Which leaves me to my next question. I was considering the Proceed AVP or the PAV combo for 2 grand, or the B&K ref 30, Lex. DC-2 or the Sunfire TG11. The Sunfire can be had new half its retail and seems to be a good but the others are still up in the air. I like the logic 7 which I think sounds better than pl2( I had it in my H/K avr320) but niether is a factor for me. Just give me an excellent sound, 5.1 and dts and Im happy. I should be getting my H/K 2.0 and the Sherbourn Tuesday and off I go. Will I hear a big difference between the ones I name and the H/K 2.0.

 

[John A. Casler]

It was a rat race between that and the Earthquake but the Sherbourn edge it out.

What was(were) the deciding factor(s)?

(did you find a steal of a deal?)

JC

 

[Shawn O]

Speaking of Sherbourn,what is the difference between the 1500 and 1500a?

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[dpippel]

Speaking of Sherbourn,what is the difference between the 1500 and 1500a?

The 1500 allows you to bridge the L/R front and surround channels, has RCA inputs and a DB-25 input, which the "A" model lacks. The newer 1500A is not bridgable but adds balanced inputs along with the standard RCAs. The 1500 has 5 blue LEDs on the front panel (one for each monoblock) and 1500A has only one. Those are the differences, although I believe there were some small internal changes to the "A" as well.

 

[Shawn O]

Thanks Doug.

 

[Marc_E]

The 'A' also corrected some problems that people were having with the 1500. I can't tell you what they were (problems) but I am sure if you search 5/1500 you'll hit them.

Marc_E

 

[dpippel]

Shawn - You're welcome .
Marc - I believe there were two main problems that some people were having with the original 1500:
* Humming transformers.
* Popping on some channels when powering the amp off.
Others complained that the 5 LEDs on the front panel were too bright during film presentation for a properly lit home theater, which is why there is only one on the "A" model.

 

[Chas_T]

Doug is correct.

Those were the main issues with the 5/1500 if my research is correct. I never owned one, but other users have given me this information.

I do own the 1500A and there is only one blue light and is not bright at all. Also goes into a powersave mode which is kinda cool too. It's a sweet little amp for the money.

Hello to Mountaintop PA from the Slate Belt.

Charles

 

[Bruce Chang]

I have the original 5/1500 and here's what I think

Humming transformers
Every amp has a hum if you stick your ear on the amp. When you're 6 feet away you can't here it.

Popping on some channels when powering the amp off
Only pops when you manually turn it on and off. The popping is the a capacitor discharging, most amps and recievers have a slight pop.

The 5 LEDs look bitching and they are not annoying. Who puts a huge heavy amp on the top or middle of a audio rack?

I like the 5/1500 better because it's bridgable, not too many amps have this option

 

[Sihan Goi]

From what I've read, The Cinenova Grande is a step above the Sherbourn. The Outlaw hasn't been talked about much, but based on specifications, I'd say it should be in the league of the Sherbourn, Parasound 2205 and Rotel 1095, all very capable amps, especially for their price. Your Diva's should be happy with any of the 3, but will probably sing better with the Cinenova Grandes.