Another help me pick an amp thread

[phipiper10]

Looking for my next amp ideally less than $1k.

Here is what I've used to date:

Rotel 990-BX 330W - a bit bright, not the bottom end or full sound I was looking for
Parasound A23 - brief demo - smoother than the Rotel and felt more powerful - was it too much detail.....maybe/maybe not considering an HCA
Blue Circle BC- 22MKII - this was an experience - it was like music soup in my living room, not in a bad way - very physical, enveloping and emotional amp - just too rich for me
B&K Ref 4420 - Pretty close to what I'm looking ..... not to bright or dark....but.....

If the B&K could:
Be bit more detailed
Have slightly better dynamics
Be a bit more forward/accentuated in the mids for the vocals
HAve slightly fuller sound overall

I think I'd be pretty close - so it only has to improve a little in all those areas to get me where I think I want to go! :D

Anyone have this sound in their mind from past experience?

Anyone?

[danz1906]

The Aragon 4004MKII is a good sounding amp with good power.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1262788484&/Aragon-4004-MKII-Sweet!

[nooshinjohn]

Sunfire Stereo Grand 300/2

[concealer404]

In before Emotiva.

[GV#27]

If the B&K could:
Be bit more detailed
Have slightly better dynamics
Be a bit more forward/accentuated in the mids for the vocals
HAve slightly fuller sound overall

Your describing my Bryston 3B;)

You might take a look at the ST series specifically the 4B if you need/want the extra power vs the 3B.

Heres one within your budget and still has 10 years of warranty remaining. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1263260906&/Bryston-4BST-

[treitz3]

I have an upgraded by Klaus Odyssey Stratos up for grabs that might be right up your alley. Food for thought, nothing else.

[kawizx9r]

I'd say a Moscode 300 (modified) or a stock 600, if you can find one that is.

Go with the 300 if you're not going to use it to power 8' electrostatic speakers at high volumes, other than that you'll be set for a while :D

[george daniel]

Belles 350a Reference.

[Jetmaker737]

The Aragon 4004MKII is a good sounding amp with good power.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1262788484&/Aragon-4004-MKII-Sweet!

These amps are highly rated but kind of old. And Aragon is out of business. Would it be risky to pick one up in case something broke?


I have an upgraded by Klaus Odyssey Stratos up for grabs that might be right up your alley. Food for thought, nothing else.

I saw that one in the FS section. Wasn't somebody lined up to buy it?

[treitz3]

I saw that one in the FS section. Wasn't somebody lined up to buy it?Yes, actually. I got a shipping quote from UPS and the shipping was 10 bucks shy of 2 bills. WTF? Then life happened and to be honest with you? I completely forgot about getting another quote. You are correct though.

[cnh]

Perhaps a move up the Halo chain to the Halo 21 (parasound)!

cnh

[tcrossma]

I went from a B&K to a Belles Reference 150A (a very good amp btw), and finally up to a Pass X150, which is where I'll stay for the foreseeable future. It has everything you're describing, and was a very good bump up from the B&K. Unfortunately, both the Belles and the Pass are above your $1k mark -- sorry.

[phuz]

What preamp did you use with all of these?

Instead of different amps, you might want to try different preamps, or a different source. Your'e using a tube pre *and* a tube CDP. This could be the reason you're missing some detail and having problems finding a synergy with various amps.

Consider different tubes in your preamp as well.

For the most part, an amp is only as good as what you send to it.

[phipiper10]

You raise a good point Phuz. It's true I haven't changed out the CDP/Pre as frequently. The pre primarily stays for it's versatility of having remote and HT pass and lots of inputs (and tubes). It seems to be a relative bargain at the used price. I did try 5 sets of tubes and ended up happy with the cheaper Philips set. (Drew has me thinking about a cap upgrade)

I do have a few Pre's on my "list" but they are all over a grand to maintain the attributes above. The rig has to perform HT/2ch duty or else I'd have more options.

The CDP, the original Bada, was a major upgrade over what I had. I think the sentiments around here are a a mix of "chinese junk" and killer for the price. Guess I'm in the latter group.

Thanks, your thinking has at least brought a new perspective to the upgrade path.

[phuz]

I'm sure it's a fine pre and CDP, I just think that synergy might be the issue and searching for the perfect amp to go with everything you have upstream might be a very daunting task.

I'm more of a believer of neutral sources, and then finding the right synergy between a pre and amp, with relatively neutral or well rounded speakers. I think with two tube stages before your amp you may have a difficult time finding what you're looking for in an amp alone.

Interesting reading though. I'd be curious to see where go you from here!

[thuffman03]

Sunfire Stereo Grand 300/2

+1

I love mine so much I bought a second one.

[Jeff_J]

Your describing my Bryston 3B;)

You might take a look at the ST series specifically the 4B if you need/want the extra power vs the 3B.

Heres one within your budget and still has 10 years of warranty remaining. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1263260906&/Bryston-4BST-

I'll second this! I had a Bryston 3B hooked up to my system for one night. Unfortunately I had to sell it the next day though, as my only intention was to pick up this unit off of CL and quickly flip it for a very healthy profit(I needed to generate some quick cash in order to buy the B&K Ref 50 S2). I do remember that the amp kicked ass and was physically very small in size compared to say an equivalent Adcom unit, but its construction and sound was top-notch. It definitely sounded better than my 555II.