If you had $4,000 for a amp????

CH46E

Ok.... so as a few of ya know, ill be divorced soon. We are using a mediator instead of blood sucking lawyers. Most, if not all equity in our home is ours. 50/50

Besides finishing my Infinity RS-II, I want a new amp. I don't want to spend a penny more than $4K for a amp. That means if it is 20 years old i need to deduct $500 for a recap. So for older amps $3,500..... newer amps $4K.

What would yall recommend.

I've never had a Krell, but have always wanted one. I would also like to try a Mark Levinson or Proceed product. Of course a Mc Intosh would be a contender. Pass labs??

tratliff

Hope the mediator works better for you then it did me. Was just an additional cost in the proceedings. That was actually one of the most expensive days as “we” paid the mediator, who was a lawyer, and two lawyers. And I use the term “we” very loosely. As the majority of the funding came from one side.

mhardy6647

What's the going rate for an MC275 today?

Sorry to hear about the circumstances, though

JayCee

I'm sure this won't surprise you....since you know I'm smitten w/my 250. The mono 300's, bigger brother's to the 250, are used at PSA HQ to run the mighty IRS-V. And, BHK designed for Infinity. Later this year I'll be using the 250 on my Genesis II's. No plans to switch amps but Pass would be on my short list if I did.
https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/ps-audio-bhk-signature-250-stereo-tube-hybrid-amplifier-bhk-250-black-used/

CH46E

Please guys..... don't apologize. Its just time to split.

CH46E

JayCee wrote: »

I'm sure this won't surprise you....since you know I'm smitten w/my 250. The mono 300's, bigger brother's to the 250, are used at PSA HQ to run the mighty IRS-V. And, BHK designed for Infinity. Later this year I'll be using the 250 on my Genesis II's. No plans to switch amps but Pass would be on my short list if I did.
https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/ps-audio-bhk-signature-250-stereo-tube-hybrid-amplifier-bhk-250-black-used/

The Genesis should be a hair raising experience man! Plus extra cool points that Paul developed the amp you will use on the Paul and Annie developed speakers.

RIP Arnie!

Clipdat

Benchmark AHB2.

CH46E

I guess I should say I need a amp that is 2 ohm stable and can put out 400 watts or better @ 4 ohms.

Looking up that Benchmark here in a min.

Clipdat

Oh yeah it won't put out that much power.

CH46E

Clipdat wrote: »

Oh yeah it won't put out that much power.

That Benchmark looks killer man. They make some very bold claims. I'm sure you would not recommend it had it not made a impression on you.

The way they rated the amp's power at only .0003 distortion tells me it will put out a lot more at the usual .01 level. I think this amp might actually be plenty powerful for my needs.

Took me a while of reading to figure out why it only weights 16 pounds. I thought Class D. Apparently its a Class H tracking Power supply.

They claim "The AHB2 rivals the efficiency of class-D amplifiers while exceeding the sonic performance of power-hungry class-A designs."

This amp will be high on the list!


What did you think of the bass performance?

Crap man. I just noticed it has no unbalanced inputs.

CH46E

JayCee wrote: »

I'm sure this won't surprise you....since you know I'm smitten w/my 250. The mono 300's, bigger brother's to the 250, are used at PSA HQ to run the mighty IRS-V. And, BHK designed for Infinity. Later this year I'll be using the 250 on my Genesis II's. No plans to switch amps but Pass would be on my short list if I did.
https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/ps-audio-bhk-signature-250-stereo-tube-hybrid-amplifier-bhk-250-black-used/

Dang man. I thought these were unobtanium for me. I thought they were $10,000 amps. As you know. It would be fed off your old Anthem Pre 2L you sold me.

BTW. The NOS Matsushita/National 7dj8 tubes from Upscale audio, have burned in nicely. Very much enjoying them. They were VERY bright at first, especially when paired with JBL Titanium 035 tweeters.

invalid

I've read a few reviews that said the ps audio bhk amps don't drive 2ohm loads. They said it shuts down at higher volumes with low impedance loads.

motorstereo

CH46E wrote: »

I guess I should say I need a amp that is 2 ohm stable and can put out 400 watts or better @ 4 ohms.

Mcintosh mc2500

mantis

CH46E wrote: »

I guess I should say I need a amp that is 2 ohm stable and can put out 400 watts or better @ 4 ohms.

Looking up that Benchmark here in a min.

What speakers do you need an amp stable down to 2 ohms @ 400 watts minimum? How big is your room? The Infinity's don't seem to need none of that kind of power.

If you really NEED that kind of power then I would look no further than Bryston. Their amps are about as rock solid as any amp on the market dollar for dollar.

You can get a 4B SST amp used for around $3500-$4000. It would be the last amp you would ever need to own and worth repairing if it ever needed.

They go for around $6700.00 new which at that price still way worth it IF you need all that.

There are plenty of other amps out there that are cheaper and probably could get the job done. One thing to keep in mind is a few things when shopping.
1- How big is your room?
2- How loud do you ever listen?
3- Ohm rating of your speakers
4- How far away do you sit from your speakers?

Sometimes or really most of the time we all over spend on amps because of the MAN factor. We all think we need hundreds of Watts and super high dampening factor etc can arc weld with it and won't clip on a dead short etc etc etc. But in the real world under real conditions, you would be surprised how little power you actually need.

I say this because you can get a smaller Bryston Amp like the 3B SST which has less power but sounds exactly the same as the 4B does for less money. They are usually $1000.00 less and used maybe even less compared. The 3B is a stupid killer amp that feels like it has limitless power and probably will have more reserve power then you will ever use..

We usually don't listen at stupid high volumes as most of use would like to keep our hearing as long as possible. The older we get the more we lose and cranking it up to god knows how loud will just accelerate the loss of hearing.

invalid

If you really need an amp that's able to drive those low impedance loads, you can't go wrong with vintage krell. I don't think any amp under $4,000 will have as stout of a power supply as a vintage krell. Take for instance the ksa 250, its power transformer is bigger than both of the parasound jc1 monoblocks combined.

nooshinjohn

Be on the lookout for a set of Carver Raven 350’s... great amps and on the used market, are right where you need to be.

TroyD

If you are looking to drive the RS-II's.....I gotta say if the PS Audio will drive the IRSV's then.....

Now, that being said.......I'd consider a Sunfire. Mine has driven the Thiel 3.6's (which are notorious amp killers) without breaking a sweat. Even with sending in for freshening up, it's WELL under your price point and musical, unlike what I've found with a lot of high powered amps (Krell comes to mind....YMMV but I've found Krell ((and yes, I've owned Krell)) to be harsh and bright)...

4K buys a lot of amp so the choices are many.......

BDT

audioluvr

Divorce sucks! I know I've had 3! If you remarry make sure she's filthy stinking rich!

Back on topic, for that coin I'd look at newer class A/B's like Belles, Bryston, Parasound or Pass Labs. Monoblocks are nice too because you can plug them into separate circuits.

Edit: I do like that BHK 250 @JayCee pointed out

JayCee

CH46E wrote: »

JayCee wrote: »

I'm sure this won't surprise you....since you know I'm smitten w/my 250. The mono 300's, bigger brother's to the 250, are used at PSA HQ to run the mighty IRS-V. And, BHK designed for Infinity. Later this year I'll be using the 250 on my Genesis II's. No plans to switch amps but Pass would be on my short list if I did.
https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/ps-audio-bhk-signature-250-stereo-tube-hybrid-amplifier-bhk-250-black-used/

Dang man. I thought these were unobtanium for me. I thought they were $10,000 amps. As you know. It would be fed off your old Anthem Pre 2L you sold me.

BTW. The NOS Matsushita/National 7dj8 tubes from Upscale audio, have burned in nicely. Very much enjoying them. They were VERY bright at first, especially when paired with JBL Titanium 035 tweeters.

Glad you like the Mats...I thought you would. I think they're great @ their price and, as a general observation, I've found all my tubes have taken 150-200 hrs to break-in before I can make a fair assessment. Some of this is also getting familiar with "different" when you're used to a particular sound signature. I'm a firm believer that both the gear and ears need time to acclimate.

So, I've found PSA to be similar to Polk w/cost vs performance. During the past year, when times were a bit tougher, there was a guy on the PSA forum selling his 300 monoblocks for about the price of a new 250. Had I known the Gen II's were in my future I'd have jumped on them. There's a BHK 600 in the works and set to reveal in the coming months. Rumored, though, it'll be north of $12K.

When I tested your Anthem prior to selling, it was with the 250's and was a nice match. Can speculate that w/the Mat's it'd be even better. I'll say, too, if you project into the future and wanted to move on from the 2L the matching BHK pre is spectacular.

Lots of choices in your price range w/many good manufacturers but at used prices...the BHK line is really a solid choice. If the 250's a contender for you....I'd suggest calling PSA's staff and ask for their take driving the demanding loads you predict.

Tony M

Hi Chris.

I like my NAD gear A LOT so...this might be an option at 2800.00 new. and weighs in at 67 lbs. wait...that's shipping weight. The amp weighs in at almost 52 lbs.

Master Series M3

https://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/107nad/index.html

JayCee

invalid wrote: »

I've read a few reviews that said the ps audio bhk amps don't drive 2ohm loads. They said it shuts down at higher volumes with low impedance loads.

Missed your comments when I posted my last response. I've never had the 250 shutdown and it's been driving the uber modded 1.2tl's (lots of BIG copper...1000VA dreadnaught/Solen SDA inductor) since day one.

I'm fairly conservative w/the volume but have pushed them on occasion. My understanding is the 1.2's, as I've modded, can dip into the 2 ohm realm? I'd like to summon the "all knowing one" for confirmation. Paging Mr. DK (@DarqueKnight).

TroyD wrote: »

If you are looking to drive the RS-II's.....I gotta say if the PS Audio will drive the IRSV's then.....BDT

To clarify....the IRS-V's are powered by the BHK 300 monoblocks. Not the 250. Cut from the same cloth but definitely more capable w/dips. Have the coin? Get the mono's...but not doable in Chris's stated price range.

invalid

I've gotta say if the PS Audio will drive the IRSV's then...


The IRSV's are easy to drive


Krell ((and yes, I've owned Krell)) to be harsh and bright).



I used to believe that also, but if you use the right upstream ancillaries it's definitely not bright. A lot of people say the krell KSA 250 to be warmer sounding than most other krell amps. My KSA 300s was bright until I inserted a tube preamp in front of it.

CH46E

Thanks guys. Some great suggestions here. I'll dive into some reading tonight.

@Tony M am also a fan of NAD.

Clipdat

Used Bryston would be a solid choice. They have a 20 year warranty which speaks to their build quality/longevity.

TroyD

I’m pretty confident in saying that if PS Audio BHK amps are capable of powering the IRS V’s….I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for the RS II’s.

Many folks dig Krell and that’s groovy. I’ve owned a couple of their amps and am similarly confident in the quality of my gear and my hearing to arrive at my conclusions without reservation.

SIHAB

The X got the NADs in my divorce. Good luck.
I couldn't afford Shiit for some time. I
just picked up the Aegir for small room near field listening.
Guess this doesn't help.

invalid

I’m pretty confident in saying that if PS Audio BHK amps are capable of powering the IRS V’s….I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for the RS II’s.


The BHK 300 monoblocks didn't do that well driving a 2ohm load when stereophile measured them, John Atkinson said he wouldn't use them below 4ohms. The IRSV's are any easy load, they have powered bass towers.

CH46E

SIHAB wrote: »

The X got the NADs in my divorce. Good luck.
I couldn't afford Shiit for some time. I
just picked up the Aegir for small room near field listening.
Guess this doesn't help.

If she goes after my stereo equipment I will take it personal. I really dont think she will try any of that noise. We have or so I think, put all or most emotions aside.

Meeting with a moderator won't happen until the 2nd week of AUG. Realtor comming tomorrow. Houses here are selling in days to weeks for 10s of thousands over asking. I think we are going to do VERY well on the house. Fingers crossed.

SIHAB

I very bad time and I wish you the best.

TEAforONE

What about something from Plinius? I've heard the SA 103 driving a pair of Splendor D7's and I was very impressed! That might be a little under powered at 125wpc?

It's so much easier spending other people's money!

CH46E

SIHAB wrote: »

I very bad time and I wish you the best.

Thanks man. I'm pretty sure she is just as interested in not wasting my TSP savings and the home equity on lawyers.

But I'm sure I'm just one smart **** remark away from destroying all that!