Need help upgrading my amp

gmcman

Here's the deal, I let a B&K amp slip away now I need to repair the trauma I caused myself.....

Just too close to xmas to unload that much coin but i'm in the hunt now. Currently i'm using a ST-202 and I am looking into the 225-300 watt per channel range. I will likely keep the 202 as a center amp or for surround but I would like to keep that B&K sound if I need to venture into other brands.

Basically if you had to step away from the BK brand what would be a suitable match?

This was brand new.....grrrrrr.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/171184829432

tonyb

Having been a B&K fanboy myself.....check out McCormack amps. Though you didn't specify a budget, used they can be had at reasonable prices.

I'm also partial to Butler of course, Parasound....Moscode....Belles....Bat, all good brands that will give you a touch of warmth with boat loads of musicality.

gmcman

Would like to stay under $600 but I understand that's a stretch, I guess it depends on what comes avail. If it wasnt so close to Xmas that amp would have been mine. A 200.7 would be perfect so hopefully it happened for a reason.

tonyb

Then stay with B&K, their price to performance ratio is going to be hard to beat in that budget. I'll keep an eye out for ya too.

gmcman

I appreciate it.

I went through this awhile back and a few people recommended NAD also.

tonyb

I like Nad, but a tad more laid back than most others. Plus they have some quality control issues, so I wouldn't go out of my way to snatch one up.

bobsauto49

I'll echo guido (Tony) here! B&K is hard to beat less than a grands worth! That one u let slip away is a darling:-)

11tsteve

is this model of any interest to you? pretty close to what i paid for mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-and-K-B-K-Reference-2220-stereo-power-amplifier-/301029645970

tonyb

bobsauto49 wrote: »

I'll echo guido (Tony) here! B&K is hard to beat less than a grands worth! That one u let slip away is a darling:-)

Man...I'm taking my shots lately. LOL

kcoc321

B&K 7250 for $800
Power Rating 8 Ohms - 200 W
Power Rating 4 Ohms - 375 W
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-b-k-7250-serreis-ii-great-shape-2013-11-23-amplifiers-95050

gmcman

11tsteve wrote: »

is this model of any interest to you? pretty close to what i paid for mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-and-K-B-K-Reference-2220-stereo-power-amplifier-/301029645970

Yes, very interested...thanks, didn't see that yesterday. I put in an offer, we shall see.

gmcman

kcoc321 wrote: »

B&K 7250 for $800
Power Rating 8 Ohms - 200 W
Power Rating 4 Ohms - 375 W
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-b-k-7250-serreis-ii-great-shape-2013-11-23-amplifiers-95050

Very nice, slightly out of budget right now but it's one of those amps that is worthy of the asking price tag though.

gmcman

11tsteve wrote: »

is this model of any interest to you? pretty close to what i paid for mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-and-K-B-K-Reference-2220-stereo-power-amplifier-/301029645970

I retired for the night, took a shower and figured what the heck. Came back to the PC to purchase for the asking price and someone snagged it.

Seriously? Not sure what I'm thinking but next time there's no playing around...lol.

The Reference 2200 or the 200.2 is about what I'm after. Perhaps Adcom GFA 555 Series 2 but don't know too much about them. The earlier auction of the 200.2 I can get over, this one was foolish on my part. Lesson learned.

decal

Save up some money and get what you really want or you'll never be satisfied.

gmcman

decal wrote: »

Save up some money and get what you really want or you'll never be satisfied.

I agree, but on the flip side what I really want includes a second mortgage..

You're right though, in this case I hesitated and the rest is water under the bridge.

gmcman

So I'm venturing out to the Aragon 4400 Mk2 as well, keeping the Ref 2200 or 200.2 at the top of my list for now. I considered a Sunfire but these are also showing their age and I wouldn't know where to start with freshening them up and also the cost involved, if even needed.

The 4400 keeps coming up as a hot contender to the B&K, prices are close as well.

chumlie

New Parasound 5250V.2 at the bay for $400 with no bidders yet.

gmcman

gmcman wrote: »

So I'm venturing out to the Aragon 4400 Mk2 as well, keeping the Ref 2200 or 200.2 at the top of my list for now. I considered a Sunfire but these are also showing their age and I wouldn't know where to start with freshening them up and also the cost involved, if even needed.

The 4400 keeps coming up as a hot contender to the B&K, prices are close as well.

My apologies, the model number of the Aragon was supposed to read 4004, not 4400.

gmcman

chumlie wrote: »

New Parasound 5250V.2 at the bay for $400 with no bidders yet.

Man, what a shame it's not BIN. That would fit the bill nicely.

chumlie

gmcman wrote: »

Man, what a shame it's not BIN. That would fit the bill nicely.

Never know. You could get lucky.

gmcman

I have another monkey into the wrench. How does a MK2 Carver 500T hold up to a B&K 200.2, or the other way around? I may venture to a 200.5 but I assume the sonic signature is the same for the B&K in either .2, .5, or .7.

The modded 500T's have some serious juice but seems it's a non-common ground amp so there's an added expense.

gmcman

Just to update this thread, I did find a 200.2 at a good price and I'm in truly enjoying it over the ST-202. I do like the 202 but this an entirely different animal, naturally it should be but the clarity and soundstage is much improved.

Sorry for the bad cell pics but I also included a nudie.

zingo

Congrats on a nice looking amp! Interesting to hear the increased clarity and soundstage over the ST202 which is what I'm currently running.

Did you look at newer Hafler amps? Most of them use MOSFETs just like your favorite B&Ks, and some have strong power numbers too.

gmcman

zingo wrote: »

Did you look at newer Hafler amps? Most of them use MOSFETs just like your favorite B&Ks, and some have strong power numbers too.

The Hafler was a recommendation at the time of my quest to deviate from an AVR, but I wanted to stick with B&K after I started with the ST-202. I was using the 202 in conjunction with 2 different Denon AVR's as well as a Yamaha CX-1000 pre.

The 200.2 has the ability to keep the mids detailed throughout the volume range, where as the 202 started to run out of steam and the highs suffered as well. I know Jesse had pointed out that this is where I'm seeing the limitations of my current setup, when I noticed the highs were bright after I removed the AVR and introduced the Ref 50 as a pre. This is likely from distortion from the lack of current at higher volumes from the 202 but that's speculation.

The SDA's just like a lot of good clean power and mostly current. The 200.2 isn't really much louder but much cleaner, I would say that -5 on the pre with the 200.2 is about the same as -2 with the 202, but that's not exact and just gives you an idea. Where it excels is how clean it is and this in turns provides a wider soundstage. Where I used to turn my head and focus my attention with my eyes closed is now farther to the side.

I don't listen at crazy-high volumes but when I turn it up the impact that the 200 delivers over the 202 is very noticeable. Could also be the newer components inside the 200, the 202 has some years on it, but overall the 200 just sounds tighter and cleaner. keep in mind at 6 ohms it also has about 100 WPC more that the 202. Again, it's only a comparison, not a fair fight since the 200.2 is an entirely different animal but I highly recommend it.