power amp question ( opinions )

20hz

I am running biamped with moniter 5's on the mains and subs I have tried MANY differant amps on the polks some sounded real bad some great , the last amp I really liked was a adcom 5300 but it ran hot so I sold it , I had a prosound gli on the polks but that sounded so bad I was in a hurry to sell it .
My question is what amp sounds great w/out spending tons of $$ ?
What I mean by sounding great is NOT thundering bass or roaring highs but a nice clean midrange w/smooth highs the type of sound that is not tiring more like effortless and clean .
What I had that sounded okay but not worthy of keeping was a kenwood km208 so maybe you can understand what I need and steer me in the right direction.
THANK YOU

tonyb

First, I see no reason to bi-amp Monitor 5's, they are fairly easy to drive straight up. Second, you make no mention of the source your using, cables, or other associated gear so it's kinda hard to troubleshoot the bad sound your hearing.

As far as amps go, B&k would be my first choice and many can be had in the sub 600 buck range. Too many amp choices out there to suggest just a few, but I want to say that if you already went with 3 different amps, maybe the problem is somewhere else in the chain.

soundfreak1

It is important to disclose your budget. Without that you could get 1000's of suggustions that would be useless to you.we need a general direction tjat budget will determine.

brgman

have you considered a larger speaker?
5's are great like most polks but maybe you are asking too much from them
i say go up in size.and go SDA if able,

GlennDog

brgman wrote: »

maybe you are asking too much from them, i'd say go up in size . . . and go SDA if able

That may be the ticket to your happiness . . .

G

20hz

GlennDog wrote: »

That may be the ticket to your happiness . . .

G

I am crossing over the moniter 5 100 HZ and up and I am not asking massive spl they are not stressing since the sub carries most of the load .
I buy my stuff used and look for a bargain .
I figure the amp I need is 100 watts per side MAX since any more than 50 would kill those moniter 5's .
As for budget I figure maybe a small parasound or a carver or a adcom 535-545 I have not had-heard any of those amps so thats why I ask for a opinion .
Thanks tonyB for the comment I will look at B&K I heard their avr once and it sounded very nice , I figure their power amps only better !
Also tony I biamp because I get full controll of freq and level plus I dont want a loud movie to throw 30hz at my beloved moniter5's thus killing them .
I watch movies most of the time but sometimes I have some 2ch music on and want a clean sound w/that .

dudeinaroom

So you are not biamping the 5s, but using a sub with them? Biamping would require two amps per channel and be hooked to separate High and low inputs on the speakers.

tonyb

20hz wrote: »

I am crossing over the moniter 5 100 HZ and up and I am not asking massive spl they are not stressing since the sub carries most of the load .
I buy my stuff used and look for a bargain .
I figure the amp I need is 100 watts per side MAX since any more than 50 would kill those moniter 5's .
As for budget I figure maybe a small parasound or a carver or a adcom 535-545 I have not had-heard any of those amps so thats why I ask for a opinion .
Thanks tonyB for the comment I will look at B&K I heard their avr once and it sounded very nice , I figure their power amps only better !
Also tony I biamp because I get full controll of freq and level plus I dont want a loud movie to throw 30hz at my beloved moniter5's thus killing them .
I watch movies most of the time but sometimes I have some 2ch music on and want a clean sound w/that .

If you have them crossed over at 100, how would 30 hz get there ?

What I would do is hook them up with a single cable from the receiver or amp, crossover at about 70-80, depending on your subs capabilities, and see how you like that. If not, then maybe the 5's are in need of some updating or time for some newer speakers. You still haven't said what the associated gear is, cables so that may play into it too.

20hz

Tony you mentioned no reason to biamp them , maybe I have the wrong term in use I am using 2 externall amps to run my mains one runs the moniter 5's and one ( qsc gx5 ) runs the diy subs sorry about the confusion . my sub goes 20-120hz down 9 db at 20 hz

tonyb wrote: »

If you have them crossed over at 100, how would 30 hz get there ?

What I would do is hook them up with a single cable from the receiver or amp, crossover at about 70-80, depending on your subs capabilities, and see how you like that. If not, then maybe the 5's are in need of some updating or time for some newer speakers. You still haven't said what the associated gear is, cables so that may play into it too.
Just as you mentioned the elec XO ( mirage ) eliminates all freq below the choosen setting

SOUNDFREAK- I dont buy high end cables or high end AC plugs I use gold connectors and 12 gauge wires to all the speakers .
I think a good option would be some clarity caps in the moniter 5 XO
I use a sony ES 333 for my avr a yamaha carousel dvd player

gp4jesus

I'm far from an expert on your speakers. That said if polk rated them @ say 100+ watts @ full range, even w/ shallow filtering (6dB or 12dB/octave) they should easily coast XO'd @ 100hz.

I'm w/ Tonyb & some of the others, I'd scrutinize the other parts of your system first. Perhaps you could hook up w/someone local sharing your passion swapping out sources, what's driving your XO/amps, possibly ICs if they have some. Years ago when my HIFI circle would get together, except for speakers, we did just that and more. We'd swap & evaluate everything in our PB chains. That also helped to have one or more sets of ears to troubleshoot problems, too. When I upgraded to a MC friendly pre-amp one of them willingly paid top resale for the MC step-up I no longer needed.

Also you didn't provide much detail why a given amp sounded "good" or "bad."

Did you hear the "bad ones" sounding:
edgy, not clean in upper mids-lower treble
muted or overly bright top end
undefined lower to mid bass (poor damping)
flat imaging, only a vague left to right placement; no depth or space around instruments or voices

I take it the good ones didn't have some or any the above flaws. One thing that has me scratching my head: you bought amp "B" that you didn't like. Then sold amp "A" that you did like. Thinking back to my 2 channel days, when I had 2 or more amps, I can't recall ever wishing I kept what I sold, over what I just bought or kept.

Shaloam. Tony

deronb1

20hz wrote: »

I am running biamped with moniter 5's on the mains and subs I have tried MANY differant amps on the polks some sounded real bad some great , the last amp I really liked was a adcom 5300 but it ran hot so I sold it , I had a prosound gli on the polks but that sounded so bad I was in a hurry to sell it .
My question is what amp sounds great w/out spending tons of $$ ?
What I mean by sounding great is NOT thundering bass or roaring highs but a nice clean midrange w/smooth highs the type of sound that is not tiring more like effortless and clean .
What I had that sounded okay but not worthy of keeping was a kenwood km208 so maybe you can understand what I need and steer me in the right direction.
THANK YOU

It's weird that you have brought this up. I am going through kinda the same thing. I just got an Adcom GFA 555 and haven't had a chance to really "open it up' until today. Older Polks, I am convinced, need a lot of good clean power. Not to say that wouldn't work with a lot of speakers, but this is a Polk forum :cheesygrin:

Adcom is a great fit with older Polk stuff IMO. The fact that the amp ran hot should not be a concern as long as it is not a safety hazard. Adcom rocks. Especially the older gear paired with older Polk speakers.

I also have owned a couple of Kenwood amps. The 208 was not bad, and the M2 Basic was even better, but Adcom is a step above when paired with vintage Polk. Try a tweak or two. Cables, wire, etc. I ordered a tube buffer to try to "warm" up the sound a bit. I am sold on the Adcom's ability to deliver EVERYTHING! Good or bad with your current speakers, they are tremendous amps and the sky is the limit.

stretchl

Glad you brought up the Adcom, Deron.

I have a GFA-555ii and I'm just wondering...

Could I get a "warmer" sound, richer midtones, with another amp?

I like the Adcom... but does it have a reputation for warmth? Are there comparably priced amps out there that do?

Great thread, btw...

deronb1

stretchl wrote: »

Glad you brought up the Adcom, Deron.

I have a GFA-555ii and I'm just wondering...

Could I get a "warmer" sound, richer midtones, with another amp?

I like the Adcom... but does it have a reputation for warmth? Are there comparably priced amps out there that do?

Great thread, btw...

I am sure there are are "warmer" sounding amps out there. But I was blown away with the detail that Adcoms deliver. Certainly different than I was used to, but I am going to try to tame the edginess ( if thats a word) with a tube buffer. Also considering the RD0-194 tweeter upgrade. Bottom line is that I'm gonna do all I can to make this amp work. Way too much potential to get freaked out over a little brightness.

20hz

I always hear the great results w/a adcom 555 and would be a fine choice but I wonder do the smaller 535,545, sound as nice ?
I dont think I need 200 wpc for 100hz and up in a pair of moniter 5's .
BTW edginess in a fine term .
YES GP4jesus all the faults in that small prosound amp were there just as if you heard it also , the kenwood 208 was better but not anything as nice as the adcom 5300 that series is the MOSFET design and I wonder if its better sounding than the 535 245 series .
maybe I was foolish to sell that amp but I had a badexperiance with nikko amp it got warm sitting at idle and one day while it was on w/8 ohm load at talking volume it fried so that experiance caused me to sell the adcom .

kcoc321

Mr 20hz,
+100 on B&K and Monitor Polk. I have a ST-1400 SII, and really like the sound.
You should be able to find on around $200-250.
Take the extra $$ and get a set of RDO-194 tweeters from Polk CS.
Done deal.

nhhiep

if you like warmer sound, try HK amps.

20hz

Even the older HK like the citation ?
There is a ultrawide band model ever heard one of those ?
THANKS FOR THE INFO !!

nhhiep wrote: »

if you like warmer sound, try HK amps.

20hz

is the ST-1400 SII a B&K amp ?? now tweeter time
THANKS

kcoc321 wrote: »

Mr 20hz,
+100 on B&K and Monitor Polk. I have a ST-1400 SII, and really like the sound.
You should be able to find on around $200-250.
Take the extra $$ and get a set of RDO-194 tweeters from Polk CS.
Done deal.

20hz

Speaking of HK I think I have a older car amp by them around somewhere .
LMK if somebody wants it ..

nhhiep wrote: »

if you like warmer sound, try HK amps.

20hz

I had this older soundcraftsman pm-860 amp hanging around it sounds quite good makes a little noise but can only be heard when the volume is at zero , the reley is kinda loud but the fan is SILENT !
200 WPC@8 ohms lots more than the monitor 5's need nevertheless impressive for a 25 year old amp that has never been worked on !