Onkyo 5160 or Nad 2200PE

ruckus1027
ruckus1027 Posts: 61
edited July 2012 in Electronics
So, I am planning to dip my toes and step into the external power amp realm and in a slight dilemma between two amps. Locally, there are a couple amps for sale that is fairly cheap and from what I've read on the forums they are pretty decent, especially for someone like me a newbie.

I've read that the Nad is very musically inclined and a great performer, but 2200's are old and will probably show their age. The Onkyo on the other hand, is warm and has 150wpc at 8ohms, and with my RTA 8T could be a nice warm+bright combination. From what I've read though these are a tad lacking on the music side but still very good.

I can have either for roughly $100, I guess I'm looking for best step for the money compared to just my Onkyo 509 avr.

ps, I know my Onkyo doesn't have an avr, I am planning on getting another rig that will be older but will have preouts. On the other hand, my Onkyo has a Zone 2 option, wouldn't that be pretty much the same as a 2 channel preout? As far as I know, it bypasses the avr's amp and is still processed by the avr's processor, so no loss in sound quality.

Thanks
Humble System

Denon AVR 3805: RTA-8T Main (powered by an Adcom GFA 555 MK1), CSi20 Center (Adcom GFA 2535 Bridged Side), Monitor 4.6 Surrounds (Adcom GFA 2535), Velodyne VA-79XII Sub

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