Shopping for a power amp

madvb

Just got my tax refund and am now ready to shop for a power multi-channel amplifier in the price range of $900-$1400... hopefully this will help take my home theater to the next level. Something new or a couple of years old would be great. Ones I have found are:

Outlaw 755: 200x5 @ 4 ohm
Rotel RMB-1075 (used): 200x5 @ 4 ohm
Marantz MM9000: 150x5 @ 8 ohm
Parasound HCA-1205A (used): 200x5 @ 4 ohm
Sherbourn 5/1500A: ???

My current 5.1 setup is:

Receiver: Yamaha HTR-5760
Fronts: Polk LSi-7
Center: Polk LSC
Surrounds: Polk LSi-7
Sub: SVS PB1-ISD

Do I really need a 5 channel amp or will a 2-3 channel be enough and let the receiver drives the rest of these 4 ohm speakers? What would be a good wattage on the amp for these speakers? I usually listen at -20 below reference level and it sounds good. Heard that I'm really not getting the most out of these speakers at the moment. What would be a good amp in the $900-$1400 to go with the HTR-5760 and these 4 ohm speakers?

Thanks.

dorokusai

It may pain me to say so, but Outlaw is probably the most bang for the buck multi, brand new, on the market. I would suggest the Outlaw.

Invest in the future, not for today. This will allow you to eventually ditch the Yamaha for a much better unit, perhaps even an Outlaw.

Great warranty, solid performance, great reviews, large following.

Toxis

Sherbourn or Rotel would be my vote.

cfrizz

You can't go wrong with the Outlaw, Rotel or Parasound. Pick which ever one you can get for the least amount of money and have a blast!

I would agree, get a 5 channel amp then you won't have a case of I should have later on down the line!

Cathy

unc2701

+1 on what cathy said, however you can always beef up your front two channels, and leave the rest on the AVR... When you have more cash you can start filling out the rest of the channels. I've gone this route on two different rounds of upgrades and it works pretty well. That yamaha has just one power supply, so taking the fronts off of it is going to free up more power for the rest of the channels.

madvb

Thanks for the replies! I saw a few used 5-channel amps for around $700-$1000 that I might buy. What ever I have left will probably go to a universal remote and maybe a BFD.

mantis

The rmb1075 is a fine amp from Rotel, if you can get a good deal on it, I would be into that

Dan

venomclan

Hi madvb,
While I think that you will be happy with Rotel or Parasound, I think your best bet would be Outlaw. I agree with unc2701 to beef up your front channels. Most surrounds do not need that much power. I put 250w to my front 2, 200w to the center and 60 to my rears.

Perhaps 3 Outlaw M200 monoblocks would serve you well, at much cheaper.

P.S. Your specs on the 755 are wrong, its 200x5@8 ohms, 300x5@4ohms.

Good luck and let us know what you end up getting.
Venom

madvb

Good catch venomclan... I was so focused on the 4 ohm for the speakers that I forgot about the amp

The reason why I have the LSi-7 for the fronts and surrounds are because I got a good deal on all 4. If I can find a good deal on the LSi-9 and have extra cash, I'll upgrade the fronts.

The monoblocks might be cheaper, but I just hate having too many components in the rack, plus there isn't room for them. At first, I was about to get the new Outlaw 5-channel. Now that I have shop around and finding used amps for much cheaper, I am leaning more forward the used amps and have extra for other equipment. I'm keeping my eyes open on a used Rotel 1075 now.

I have never bought anything used that costs so much online before. Has anyone have any bad experiences with used equipment before? What if you get something that has a few more scratches, or the light on the power button is dead?

McLoki

Originally posted by madvb
I have never bought anything used that costs so much online before. Has anyone have any bad experiences with used equipment before? What if you get something that has a few more scratches, or the light on the power button is dead?

I purchased my amp used. It was very well described and had 2 out of 6 channels not working. (I knew this going in from the description). I consider it one of the best deals I have made so far in my Home theater and am very happy with it.

Just make sure whoever you purchase from has decent feedback and ask lots of questions about reliability.

Double check all facts from other sources. (reviews and that sort of thing.) - check to see what breaks or causes problems with the amp you are interested in and ask direct questions about whether those issues were ever a problem with that amp or to that owner.

Above all - take your time and look. There are alot of good deals out there, if you can - wait for a great one.

Michael

venomclan

Hi madvb,
I purchased my 2 Krell's and my Adcom used, as well as my B&W's were demo units. I have no problems with any of them.
No matter how high quality a product is, you can never tell if it is going to last you very long. Just a gamble. But buying quality never hurts either.

Bryston amps have a 20 year transferable warranty, cant beat that. They are pricey but you can get them used for good deals. I tend to go a step higher when I need to get a new product, that way I can upgrade other things and still use what I have.

Try Audiogon.com, a good place for used stuff. Also check out audioadvisor.com for their clearance stuff. I have purchased things from them in the past and they have very good customer service. Good luck.
Venom

madvb

Thought I have made up my mind going with the used Rotel RMB-1075. After doing some reading, a few are saying that the Parasound will be a better match than Rotel.

I'm kinda lost now. What would be a better match for my Polk LSi's and Yammie?

cfrizz

Both companies make outstanding amps. You can't go wrong with either one.

Early B.

The reason why I have the LSi-7 for the fronts and surrounds are because I got a good deal on all 4. If I can find a good deal on the LSi-9 and have extra cash, I'll upgrade the fronts.

If you're gonna upgrade, consider the Lsi15's. Depending upon your setup, the 9's may be a marginal upgrade. Use a single Lsi9 for the center if you like.

Tour2ma

There are no guarantees with used equipment. That said, I purchased both of my Sunfires used and could not be happier.

The [URL=C:\My Documents\ebay\Audio Buying\Sunfire\Grands\eBay item 5769182625 (Ends Apr-21-05 200816 PDT) - Sunfire Cinema Grand MK1 5 X 200W Power Amplifier.htm]Sunfire Cinema Grand MK1[/URL] goes for around $1100 used on ebay. At 5 x 200 wpc (8-ohm), 5 x 400 wpc (4-ohm) they'd be right in your wheelhouse.