Best amp out of these 3 ?

[polkseller]

Looking at the Acurus 150, adcom 555 mkII or Rotel 981

Wich one is better suited with polk speakers ?

I have rti6 for the moment, and maybe I will upgrade to lsi in the future.

My Yamaha htr-5960 will serve as a pre-amp. wich amp will be a good match for the speakers and receiver pre ?

thanks

[engtaz]

I like the Adcom 555II 200 watts a channel best.
Rotel 981 130 watts a channel
Acurus 150 150 watts a channel.

[cfrizz]

What Engtaz said.

[Joe08867]

What Cfrizz replied about engtaz.

[shadowofnight]

Never owned the other 2...but I can vouch for the Adcom....great amp

[MSALLA]

I love my Adcom. The 555 seems to be a great bargin.

[heiney9]

Be different go with the Acurus. Adcom is always a great choice. The Rotel is well liked. Hell, get all 3.

H9

[ben62670]

I have had 5 Adcoms, and the Bang for buck is unbeatable. Tight bass, clear mids, and very nice highs. I think the adcom will play nice with the RTI's.

[dorokusai]

Acurus.

[polkseller]

How much should I pay for a used Adcom 555 mkII ? I've missed one acurus on ebay because the seller didnt want to ship it to canada.. I read only good things about Acurus amps, beeing one of the best ever made amp in USA. But adcom users sold to adcom so... I really dont know if the Rotel( made in china) will keep up in sound quality with those 2 nice amps

thanks
Pier

[billbillw]

I personally feel the Adcom 555 series sell for more than they are worth on Ebay as do many Rotels. All of the amps mentioned are nice products, but maybe you should also consider some of the choices that Parasound and/or B&K have out there in the used market. I am definitely a believer in the John Curl designed Parasounds. B&K often sell for a little lower price (comparing similar wattages) and they are no slouches either.

[MSALLA]

How much should I pay for a used Adcom 555 mkII ? I've missed one acurus on ebay because the seller didnt want to ship it to canada.. I read only good things about Acurus amps, beeing one of the best ever made amp in USA. But adcom users sold to adcom so... I really dont know if the Rotel( made in china) will keep up in sound quality with those 2 nice amps

thanks
Pier

You should have no problem finding a 555 in exellent condition in the $350.00 range. I don't think you would be disapointed in a Rotel. They are highly thought of on this fourm.

[a_mattison]

Be different go with the Acurus. Adcom is always a great choice. The Rotel is well liked. Hell, get all 3.

H9

+1 on All Three. Then sell the ones you don't like. I'm happier than hell with my Adcom, but who knows, that may only be because I've only compared it to a couple other amps. (outlaw and parasound) You should be able to get a GFA-555 for $300 to $350. Just be patient on Audiogon.

[polkseller]

ok guys I'm not a pro in the stereo world so I need some explanation on how to control the volume of the power amp with my yamaha htr-5960. I know how to hook it but dont know how to control the volume ?

do I need to verify the output voltage of the yamaha for pre out to match the maximum output of the power amp ? someone to help me find the best sounding power amps to go with this receiver without using preamps ?

thanks
by the way, there is a nice cheap parasound hca 1000 on ebay

[billbillw]

Most AV receivers have adjustable 'trim' levels on each channel. This is used to match output for multichannel listening. Once you start using a separate amp, you use the same channel trim levels to match volume to other speakers and the main volume controls everything else. I doubt you need to verify anything else (as long as your receiver has pre-outs).

ok guys I'm not a pro in the stereo world so I need

some explanation on how to control the volume of the power amp with my yamaha htr-5960. I know how to do it but dont know how to control the volume ?

do I need to verify the output voltage of the yamaha for pre out to match the maximum output of the power amp ? someone to help me find the best sounding power amps to go with this receiver without using preamps ?

thanks
by the way, there is a nice cheap parasound hca 1000 on ebay

[danger boy]

ok guys I'm not a pro in the stereo world so I need some explanation on how to control the volume of the power amp with my yamaha htr-5960. I know how to do it but dont know how to control the volume ?

do I need to verify the output voltage of the yamaha for pre out to match the maximum output of the power amp ? someone to help me find the best sounding power amps to go with this receiver without using preamps ?

thanks
by the way, there is a nice cheap parasound hca 1000 on ebay

you would control the volume from your receiver.. the Yamaha one. ;)

[polkseller]

I dont want to add hum noise or to have the front not playing loud enough because the voltage signal too low.. some rotel users said they used rotel preamp to remove humming..

so using the trim level for fronts speaekrs will match the power linearity of the rear channel ? I mean , every speaker will be at the same power at all volume level ?

[billbillw]

I dont want to add hum noise or to have the front not playing loud enough because the voltage signal too low.. some rotel users said they used rotel preamp to remove humming..

so using the trim level for fronts speaekrs will match the power linearity of the rear channel ? I mean , every speaker will be at the same power at all volume level ?

Yes, but the front speakers (with the amp) may be more dynamic and sound louder in certain situations. It shouldn't be distracting though. Just match all the channels using pink noise at 85db and you should be fine when watching movies or listening to multichannel music.

You shouldn't have a problem with hum/noise unless you somehow add a ground-loop.

[danger boy]

if you're using a amp only for your fronts, and the receiver for your center and surrounds.. from your surrounds, it really won't make a difference, but your center would suffer because of lower power.

if you had a 5 channel amp, your worries would be gone. :)

[polkseller]

my worries is that the output impedance or signal voltage of the yamaha doesnt match the stereo amps and thus resulting in a loss of performance, sound quality or sound imbalance.

[billbillw]

Adding the external amp will only improve your sound. Pre-outs on mainstream receivers and inputs on mainstream amps are pretty much standardized, so I highly doubt you will have a problem like that.

[polkseller]

input and output maximum voltage and impedance is a difficult task to find for many receivers on the market.

how to set the maximum volume( voltage to be sure I dont get clipping )?