Wanted: good high current power amp 200+ watts

pglbook
pglbook Posts: 2,222
edited January 2013 in Wanted (WTB) Classifieds
I am moving away from vinatge receivers and jumpping into the world of power amps in order to better power my (power hungry) Dahlquist DQ 10 speaker and soon-to-be -purchased Polk SDA 2Bs. I need to make those speakers come alive and, while I love my vinatage Yamaha CR 2020 receiver (it does a great job with my Polk Monitor 10As), it just doesn't have all of the juice (only 105 watts) to make the DQ 10s and SDAs reach their full potential.

Please let me know if there is a good high current 200+ watt power amp (Adcom ? Parasound?) out there that would be a good match for my Polk SDA 2Bs and Dahlquist DQ 10 speakers.

I wil also need a pre amp but we'll leave that for another day...unless someone can offer a combo deal.

Thanks.
Post edited by pglbook on
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Comments

  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited January 2013
    Watch the peak currant rating more than the wattage rating! The peak currant is that will give u the dynamics and the headroom those speakers want.however high currand AND 200+ watts aint a bad thing! LOL. Look for at least 50+ peak ampers or better and that will make the polks jump up off the floor and start dancing!!! The DQ's will like it as well.
    Main Rig:
    Krell KAV 250a biamped to mid/highs
    Parasound HCA1500A biamped to lows
    Nakamichi EC100 Active xover
    MIT exp 1 ic's
    Perreaux SA33 class A preamp
    AQ kingcobra ic's
    OPPO 83 CDP
    Lehmann audio black cube SE phono pre, Audioquest phono wire (ITA1/1)
    Denon DP-1200 TT. AToc9ML MC cart.
    Monster HTS 3600 power conditioner
    ADS L1590/2 Biamped
    MIT exps2 speaker cable
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  • starkiller
    starkiller Posts: 2,723
    edited January 2013
    If of interest i do have a Crest 4000 professional amp, poor cosmetics but recently give a clean bill of health from American Music in Seattle.

    325wpc at 8ohms
    550wpc at 4ohms
    800wpc at 2ohms

    bridged at 1100watts at 8ohms and 1500watts at 4ohms

    shipped from seattle. amp weighs 61 lbs...
    Computer room Hegeman 1 SpeakersM&K VX-80 subKenwood DP-7010Cambridge Audio CXC Transport Rega DACPrimaLuna Prologue Four AmpAric Audio Tube PreampGarage Jennings Research SquareCustom tube preampCrown XLS-1000Denon DCD-1500II Modded MSB Link DAC
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    edited January 2013
    Parasound HCA-1200 Amp - SOLD

    for sale in our very own Flea market thought the Parasound 1200 was sold looks like somone backed out and it is still available. For sale by jmwest1970 somebody link it for me having difficulties, sorry. I bet that would do your 2b's justice where did you find them?
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited January 2013
    starkiller wrote: »
    If of interest i do have a Crest 4000 professional amp, poor cosmetics but recently give a clean bill of health from American Music in Seattle.

    325wpc at 8ohms
    550wpc at 4ohms
    800wpc at 2ohms

    bridged at 1100watts at 8ohms and 1500watts at 4ohms

    shipped from seattle. amp weighs 61 lbs...

    That thing is just screaming to be used as a sub amp :biggrin:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    Thanks for your comments.

    starkiller, I am not familiar with Crest but will definitely look do some research and look into it. Thanks.

    gudnoyez, yes please see if you can find out if the Parasound 1200 is still available as I have heard great things about it and have also heard it is a great match for Polk SDAs. I'm curious - what was the price for it?
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  • soundfreak1
    soundfreak1 Posts: 3,414
    edited January 2013
    The HCA 1200 would be my choice as well. In fact it was!! ( see sig.) i am "very partial".
    Main Rig:
    Krell KAV 250a biamped to mid/highs
    Parasound HCA1500A biamped to lows
    Nakamichi EC100 Active xover
    MIT exp 1 ic's
    Perreaux SA33 class A preamp
    AQ kingcobra ic's
    OPPO 83 CDP
    Lehmann audio black cube SE phono pre, Audioquest phono wire (ITA1/1)
    Denon DP-1200 TT. AToc9ML MC cart.
    Monster HTS 3600 power conditioner
    ADS L1590/2 Biamped
    MIT exps2 speaker cable
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited January 2013
    I have an Aragon 8008bb for sale in the flea market. It is a solid amp and can drive both sets of your speakers extremely easily. It's ultra high current and wattage (rated at 200WPC, but that is under estimated for sure). Check out the for sale add and let me know if you are interested. Also, I have an AMC CVT 1030 tube pre-amp that is in perfect condition and works perfectly if you are interested in that. Just let me know.

    Greg
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

    "Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson

    "Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee
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  • Timothy Smith
    Timothy Smith Posts: 764
    edited January 2013
    I have DQ-10's and have used the following 200WPC or 200WPC+ amps with them, and rank them in the following order (to my ears) of SQ with #1 being the highest:

    1) Sumo Andromeda
    2) B&K 202 (close to # 1)
    3) Rotel 1080
    4) Adcom GFA-555
    5) Adcom GFA-1
    6) Carver TFM-35

    My $0.02
    Norh ACA-2B tube pre, Sumo Andromeda SS amp. Magneplanar MMG speakers, M&K MX1250 Subwoofer, Pro-Ject RM1.3 Genie TT with Sumiko Pearl MM cart., Keces DAC, Cambridge Audio Azur 640c CD player
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited January 2013
    headrott wrote: »
    I have an Aragon 8008bb for sale in the flea market. It is a solid amp and can drive both sets of your speakers extremely easily. It's ultra high current and wattage (rated at 200WPC, but that is under estimated for sure). Check out the for sale add and let me know if you are interested.

    I suggest this amp if you can swing the finances.
    Jake
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    Thanks. I appreciate the suggestion but the Aragon amp is unfortunately way beyond my budget, which is in the $300-$400 range. Thanks
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    edited January 2013
    I have Adcom 555II amp And preamp for $475
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    edited January 2013
    Depending on how soon you are wanting it, I currently have a Carver M1.5t which I am having recapped and new binding posts installed. It will be a couple weeks before it is ready, but it is a really nice amp with plenty of power.
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited January 2013
    trav0810 wrote: »
    Depending on how soon you are wanting it, I currently have a Carver M1.5t which I am having recapped and new binding posts installed. It will be a couple weeks before it is ready, but it is a really nice amp with plenty of power.

    Which guy is doing it :smile:....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    edited January 2013
    Most likely it will be Russ Kall since he did both of my MK2's and he is the one upgrading the binding posts.
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • nwohlford
    nwohlford Posts: 700
    edited January 2013
    pglbook wrote: »
    Thanks. I appreciate the suggestion but the Aragon amp is unfortunately way beyond my budget, which is in the $300-$400 range. Thanks

    It might help to say where you are located, since shipping can be a budget killer for a lot of 200W+ amps.
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    Thnaks for the tip. I am located in upstate NY (Albany, NY), 3 hours from NYC and 3 hours from Boston.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited January 2013
    I just checked your local CL and there doesn't seem to be a lot there right now.
    Jake
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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,843
    edited January 2013
    You might keep your eyes open for a Perreaux PMF2350. It would be 25 or so years old, but they were built like tanks and give good clean power at 200wpc, >2dB dynamic headroom, 10A continuous and 21A instantaneous output per channel.
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited January 2013
    If you like Vintage Yamaha why not try one of their amps? My M-60 sounds pretty darn good on my Monitor10's. Lots of praise here www.legendaryamps.com
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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  • daboyz
    daboyz Posts: 5,207
    edited January 2013
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?141410-Parasound-HCA-1000A-Amp

    Saves your money for other things.
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    Thanks, daboyz, but I am looking for something a little more powerful than 125 watts which is what the HCA 1000A seems to have (from what i read from specs in attached link). I currently have a 105 watt vintage Yamaha CR 2020 receiver and am looking to get a power amp which has over 200 watts because my Dahlquist DQ 10s and recently-purchased (today!) SDA 2Btl speakers need more power to open them up. At least the DQ 10s definitely do and I have heard the same for the SDA 2Bs although I just got the SDA 2Bs home and haven't hooke them up yet. I'll do so later tonight. Thanks again. I appreciate your suggestions.

    Thanks, jeremymarcinko. The funny thing is I did not even think about a Yamaha power amp. For some reason, I thought that the Yamaha era peaked in the late 1970s/early 1980s and went downhill from there. I stand corrected and will look into some of the reviews on the Yammie power amps. Good tip. Thanks.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited January 2013
    Albany, NY. Hmmmm....!

    I usually run from Boston to Pa. at some point. Not sure if I could plot a short route that would include your area, but let me think about it. The reason being, that I have an Adcom GFA-555 in decent shape. Only problem, a few scratches and some fading of the paint on the heat sink fins. I'm not currently using it, but not sure if I would want to sell it, because you never know.

    As of now the only Adcom in use is a GFA-545 that I have on another system where I do NOT need 200 watts x 2 or 325 x 2 @ 4 ohm. If I decided to part with it, I'd let it go at a reasonable price and maybe even hand deliver. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen for a month or so. Have to wait for spring break window?

    If nothing comes up soon, or you're still interested at that later time, I'll keep this option in mind!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    cnh, thanks. I will keep that in mind. I appreciate it.
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  • bassaholic
    bassaholic Posts: 315
    edited January 2013
    Ill sell my monster power amps for the right price. Rated @250/8 ohms. 400/4 ohms. Monster is not well liked here but these amps are true power houses. The blue meters look sweet too.
    Pioneer SC-37
    RTiA9-fronts
    CSiA6-center
    RT55i-surrounds
    SVS PB13 Ultra & PSW650
    Monster Power 3250 amp
    Monster Power 2250 amp
    Monster Power HDP-2500 surge pro.



    Denon 3805,CS400i,RT25i's & FX500i's sitting in the basement collecting dust
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  • daboyz
    daboyz Posts: 5,207
    edited January 2013
    Just for the giggles are the 2B's 4 ohm or 8 ohm? If it is 4 ohm then the Parasound is rated at 200wpc and high current. Matches your criteria. No biggie, just saying.
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    edited January 2013
    If memory serves, my 2B studios are 6 ohms . . .
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited January 2013
    I want to thank all of the great Polkies who responded and offered advice and/or equipment. I really appreciate it. That is why I love this site so much. It is full of a great group of people willing to share the passion and knowledge of audio equipment and music. After getting my new pair of SDA 2Bs (with full tl upgrade) home 2 days ago and hooking them up to my Yamaha CR 2020 receiver, I have decided to stick with that combo for now and not go the pre amp and power amp route. I discovered that the CR 2020 does a fantastic job powering the SDA 2Bs. I was worried that its 105 watts (@ 8 oHM although the SDA 2Bs are 6 OHMs) would not be powerful enough to power the SDA 2Bs and that I would need a power amp to drive them. Well, I was quite wrong because the CR 2020 does a great job with the SDA 2Bs. The sound is clear and wonderful (and loud - I have the volume on my receiver only set at 1 out of 10 and it is quite loud). I am very impressed. I also have a pair of Dahlquist DQ 10s and those definitely need more power than the CR 2020 has and I had worried that the same would be true for the SDA 2Bs as I have heard that they are also power-hungry speakers like the DQ 10s. But the Yamaha CR 2020 drives my SDA 2Bs as well as it drives my pair of Polk Monitor 10As. I am loving the sound of the SDA 2Bs and am like a kid at Christmas . I cannot wait to get home from work and listen to music! At some future time, I will look into getting a power amp and pre amp but, for now, I am very very content and will let the staus quo remain. The SDA 2Bs are an amzing pair of speakers and I am so glad I got them! I always loved my Monitor 10As but the SDA 2Bs are definitely in a different class! Thanks again to all for your responses. I will keep you all in mind if I do decide to get a power amp in the future. Have a great weekend. I'll be listening to my new speakers!!!!!
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited January 2013
    Congrats! and pictures or it didn't happen... :mrgreen:
    Jake
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