Just purchased two MINT Soundcraftsmen Pro Power 10 AMPS!

XJRGUY · March 2006

Hi,

I just picked up a matched pair of these amps!

They are in mint condition and I'd like to see if anyone has any detailed info on them.

I was originally going to get a Sunfire Signature, but saw these two Soundcraftsmen Pro Power 10's and had to have them.

From what I gather they are 4 channel, 240 watt per channel amps.

They can be bridged to 2 or 3 channels as well, the 2 channel mode being 600+watts per channel into 8 ohms. I am going to use one amp in this mode to drive my new Polk RTi12's.

The other Pro Power 10 I am going to put into 3 channel mode and run my CSi5 and FXi5's.

Since I am coming from a Sony STR-DA777ES Receiver as the powersource and now migrating to the two Soundcraftsmen, what can I expect?

Thanks in advance.

Tim

audiobliss · March 2006

Wow! Sounds like you're stepping up to a LOT more power! You can expect more volume, cleaner sound, more headroom, etc. Congrats!

Lowell_M · March 2006

XJRGUY wrote:

Since I am coming from a Sony STR-DA777ES Receiver as the powersource and now migrating to the two Soundcraftsmen, what can I expect?

Thanks in advance.

Tim

....Complaints from the neighborhood and blown out windows.

Lowell_M · March 2006

...and some amount of hearing loss.

audiobliss · March 2006

Followed by an increase in listening levels...

audiobliss · March 2006

...soak, rinse, repeat...

XJRGUY · March 2006

Cool, thanks guys.

I remember these amps from reading about them in Stereo Review and Audio magazines from the mid 1990's.

Does anyone have any info on these specific amplifiers?

I've searched the forums and most if not all of the posts are about the 5002 and others.

Any technical, setup, or related info would be most appreciated

Can't wait to get them and see how the big RTi12's wake up with the power. The STR-DA777ES drives them admirably, but I can definitely tell that to move those 6 drivers in each speaker will require more than what it can deliver, not to mention the other drivers in the center and rear arrays.

Tim

EricT43 · March 2006

You should notice a nice improvement with the amps. Better dynamics and clarity, punchier and better controlled bass, improved imaging...pretty much everything gets better with a good amp!

Polkersince85 · March 2006

I've got an old MA5002, if yours are anywhere near as good, they will roundhouse kick you and make your girlfriend have an **** at the same time.

XJRGUY · March 2006

Man I can't wait until they get here. I couldn't just buy one of them so I splurged for them both.

I'm really looking forward to see how the RTi12's react to some hard hitting power. I might even re-visit what my Cerwin Vega DX-9's sounds like with a proper amp.

The CV's are 102db sensitive speakers, 4Ohm's, horn tweeter, 6 1/2 midrange and a huge aluminum basket 15 inch woofer with two ports on the back you can put your fists through.

I bought these suckers back in 1997 and they are STILL not broken in yet because I never got a chance to turn them up or power them properly.

Seems like that is the case for the RTi12's I just bought them last month and even with the Sony 777ES (which is a legendary piece) I can't get the bass drivers moving that much on those speakers, even in 2 channel mode. It sounds really good, but there doesn't seem to be much happening bass wise, hence why I bought the PSW1000.

My fiance is very very very forgiving when it comes to A/V, so I am very lucky there.

How do the amps I bought stack up to whats out there now? I've heard the Soundcraftsmen gear is pretty much bulletproof and overbuilt. I am getting the original manuals, along with the in house test sheets of how each amplifier rated at the factory before it shipped.

From the looks of the gear, it appears they were lovingly kept and owned by an audiophile that didn't abuse them.

Once again I appreciate all the replies and I am glad to be a part of this community.

Tim

madmax · April 2006

I have a few brochures at home, I'll look and see if they include the Pro 10. I love the upper level Soundcraftsmen amplifiers. They are the closest to sounding like tube amplifiers I've heard other than some megabuck amps. The class H mosfet designs are awesome!
Congrats!
madmax

XJRGUY · April 2006

Madmax,

Thanks for the reply.

If you have those brochures and wouldn't mind scanning them in and sending em over to me I will buy you a beer.

I appreciate it very much!

audiobliss · April 2006

Be sure and let us know what they spec'd out at!

XJRGUY · April 2006

My two Pro-Power 10's arrived at my office today!

Man oh man they are in PERFECT shape, down to the original manuals, warranty cards, boxes and ORIGINAL STYROFOAM packing material.

Cosmetically one is a 9/10 and the other an 8/10. The interiors are spotless with no dust or funky looking components.

I have both of them, plugged in directly across from my desk with the evil LED power meters glowing at idle.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME AND HOOK THESE THINGS UP TO MY STR-DA777ES and my RTi12's!!

I am trying to decide on a config.

Run one of my amps in four channel mode and Bi-Amp the Rti12's with 450 watts for each speaker, and the other amp for center and surround

or.

Bridge the amp into 2 channel mode and run 600Wpc stereo with the other amp for the center and surround.

I guess I will have to experiment, but your thoughts are definitely appreciated.

F1nut · April 2006

Since I am coming from a Sony STR-DA777ES Receiver as the powersource and now migrating to the two Soundcraftsmen, what can I expect?

Higher distortion levels I would think. Pro amps are not known for clean sound...maybe these are different.

XJRGUY · April 2006

The amps were tested when built at the factory, and the official test sheet was included with the amps.

The THD for any of the channels measured at 20hz, 1Khz or 20Khz never goes above .037. That is at rated power. The higher THD being measured at the 20Khz end of the spectrum. 1Khz THD measurements fall around .019 to .023.

Signal to Noise ratio is 105db for all four channels.

Keep in mind these aren't measure in the bridged mode, but should give an approximate idea.

Also, the test sheet shows a solid 400 watts per channel rating in four channel mode with a 4 ohm load.

The 8 Ohm load shows a 240 watt per channel rating in four channel mode.

Bridged 2 channel stereo is 600+ watts per channel with an 8 ohm load.

Bridged 3 channel is 200 watts per channel for 2 channels, and the other remaining channel rated at 600 into an 8 ohm load.

The amps are 2 ohm stable as well.

Slew rate greater than 50 volts per micro second.

XJRGUY

XJRGUY · April 2006

F1nut wrote:

Higher distortion levels I would think. Pro amps are not known for clean sound...maybe these are different.

If I am not mistaken, these were developed and marketed for home use.

Due to their prodigious power output and rugged construction, they were used in some DJ/Public Address scenarios.

XJRGUY

disneyjoe7 · April 2006

Sounds Sweeet

F1nut · April 2006

XJRGUY wrote:

If I am not mistaken, these were developed and marketed for home use.

Due to their prodigious power output and rugged construction, they were used in some DJ/Public Address scenarios.

Eh, what do I know. Anytime I see the word "Pro" in the name I think, not good for home use. It would seem these are different and a switch to the usual pro amp being used for the home.

I hope they work out for you and that you enjoy the sound.

XJRGUY · April 2006

F1nut wrote:

Eh, what do I know. Anytime I see the word "Pro" in the name I think, not good for home use. It would seem these are different and a switch to the usual pro amp being used for the home.

I hope they work out for you and that you enjoy the sound.

Thanks for the comments and the well wishes.

I will hopefully have a report once I rearrange the A/V system and integrate these into the mix.

Tour2ma · April 2006

XJRGUY wrote:

Run one of my amps in four channel mode and Bi-Amp the Rti12's with 450 watts for each speaker, and the other amp for center and surround

or.

Bridge the amp into 2 channel mode and run 600Wpc stereo with the other amp for the center and surround.

or...

Bridge each to 3 ch mode.
Run bridged ch's to the RTi12's.
Run 1 ch each to a surround.
Y-split your center ch pre-out and bi-amp your center with the last two.

Advantages I see here is that it:

splits the big load, your 12's, evenly between both; and
uses all eight ch's

The one catching the bass for the center ch will end up with a tad more duty, but ends up more even than either of your schemes. And if you route LFE to mains and run the center and surrounds set to "small", the inequity will be minimal.

No info on the Pro 10's, but here's a blossoming website for you...
http://www.soundcraftsmen.com/index.htm

Have a blast...

XJRGUY · April 2006

Tour,

Thats another great idea.

I didn't have time tonight to do anything other than rack the amps into the entertainment center.

The look on my girlfriend's face was priceless when I fired them up, and they made that noise that high powered electrical devices make when sucking the initial current out of the wall, not to mention the lighting in the living room flickering at power on.

LOL

Tomorrow my mission is to re-organize the A/V components and wire these suckers up. I just had too many pressing "honey-do's" to do today.

Thanks again guys for tuning into my thread. I'll post pics when I am done too.

XJRGUY · April 2006

All I have to say is OMFG (figure it out!

)

I got both of the Soundcraftsmen amps setup tonight.

I am completely blown away.

At first I just hooked up ONE amp in bridged two channel stereo mode to my RTi12's and played track eight of Sarah McLachlan "Surfacing" CD. Unbelievable sound. The power meters on the front of the amps really make you appreciate what ONE watt can do, let alone 600+ flowing into one speaker.

The Sony STR-DA777ES really is one very nice piece of kit, but I never thought external amplification could make such a difference. The sound is much more enveloping, warm, and cleaner sounding. Also you can definitely tell that there is some reserve power sitting there for ANY passages that may come through the RCA inputs into the AMPS.

It's honestly OVERKILL for my application, and I will go into how I configured the amps later.

The RTi12's TRULY, HONESTLY come alive with clean power.

I just got done finishing up wiring the entire system and putting the components and furniture into final config. It's 12:33am so I can't enjoy it until tomorrow, but I did get to pump the volume up about 3 hours ago and make the LED's dance when I did the 2 channel demo earlier.

My configuration finalized with:

SoundCraftsmen Pro-Power Ten Amp #1 in Bridged Stereo mode, outputting up to 600+ watts per channel into my RTi12's.

SoundCraftsmen Pro-Power Ten Amp #2 in Bridged 3 channel mode outputting up to 600+ watts into my Center CSi5 and 240 watts per channel into my rear FXi5 pair. This configuration goes WAY over the power handling of the center channel and a bit over the rears. I think I will be okay here as long as I don't abuse the volume control.

I am well aware that there are WAY better configs out there, but nothing puts a smile on your face more than Polk speakers, some clean amps and a good tune or movie.

Thanks guys! I'll be taking pictures when I get more time.

Time for bed, and hats off to my significant other for the patience and understanding during this configuration change.

XJRGUY

Tour2ma · April 2006

I can almost hear you grinning.

As for overkill, it's a good thing. While you're correct that you do have to temper your volume control urges, your ears will provide ample protection and the speakers can all handle transients well in excess of their rating.

madmax · May 2006

Hey XJRGUY,
I finally ran across the soundcraftsmen brochure which has the pro power 10 amps. It was in the 1990 edition. I can make you a copy if you like.

Pro-Power Ten 2/3/4 Channel
205 wpc (4-channel) @ 8 ohms, less than 0.05% THD. 300wpc @4 ohms (4-channel). 600wpc (2-channel) @ 8 ohms, less than 0.05% distortion. s/n ratio:-105db, slew rate:50v/uS, 55 pounds.

Smart phase control power supply, optional hardwood side panels, mosfet output compared by many to vacuum tube powered amplifiers...

madmax

XJRGUY · May 2006

Madmax,

Thanks for remembering and for the post.

That was totally unexpected.

If it isn't much trouble I would totally appreciate a copy of that info.

Thanks in advance!!!

Tim

steveinaz · May 2006

Leave'm connected in the conventional manner, bi-ampimg is a waste of time without external crossovers. TRUST me, been there done that, many, many times.

XJRGUY · May 2006

steveinaz wrote:

Leave'm connected in the conventional manner, bi-ampimg is a waste of time without external crossovers. TRUST me, been there done that, many, many times.

Thanks for the tip. I am going to leave it alone as it sounds incredible.

Having the ability to put 1800 clean watts across the LCR is mindblowing to me.

Tim

steveinaz · May 2006

I've had a number of Soundcraftsmen amps, they have a warm tonal quality and are great if your source is a little over-analytical/cold. Tons of reserve power and run cool. My last "pair" were PM-840's I had bridged for 600watts/rms; they were sold here to members. They were 15 yrs old and still ran perfect!

XJRGUY · May 2006

steveinaz wrote:

I've had a number of Soundcraftsmen amps, they have a warm tonal quality and are great if your source is a little over-analytical/cold. Tons of reserve power and run cool. My last "pair" were PM-840's I had bridged for 600watts/rms; they were sold here to members. They were 15 yrs old and still ran perfect!

Steve,

I got really lucky with my ebay purchase.

The two amps are in mint condition.

It really was a night and day difference between powering my RTi12's, CSi5 and FXi5's from the STR-DA777ES to the outboard amps.

The sound is cleaner, soundstage is wider and I can FEEL/SEE the results of clean power via the excursions on my speakers.

It's amazing how I can get the cones to dance now at moderate levels.

Seeing those RTI12's come to life is pretty fun to watch.

XJRGUY

XJRGUY · May 2006

I still have to post pictures of these amps.

I will do that this weekend. I still can't believe the difference in quality and punch these things have brought to the table over my STR-DA777ES.

XJRGUY

Just purchased two MINT Soundcraftsmen Pro Power 10 AMPS!

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