What amplifier brands sound the best

buymesome

I would like recommendations on amplifier brands that have high quality sound that you think I should be checking out on the used market

I plan on spending $300 -$500 for a 2 ch on the used market

If I decide to sell my stuff to a buddy then I will buy a new ssp and look for a 7 or 5 ch amp and be willing to spend $400 - $700

Latley I have looking at audiogon and clicking the " research this item" but its to much to take in and I think my search would be easy if you guys could give a novice like myself some recommendations beforehand

Thanks in advance for your time gents

I should add that I would prefer compatibility with electrostats and I would rather have quality vs more watts

reeltrouble1

you seek........Parasound or NAD or something better sold on the cheap from a widow or angry divorcee, do not though believe in false idols.

RT1

PS.....I am sure the peanut gallery will finish licking the Planters from their fingertips shortly and arrive with further anecdotes and products for your personal perusal, do the research, save the Rig.

george daniel

For two channel small amps(read not alot of watts,but decent enough power) try the little Adcom 535,,there was one in the FM recently. good luck.

Big Dawg

Do you know what speakers you'll be driving? What kinds of music do you like? How loud do you listen? How big is the room? What's are the most important aspects of music to your listening experience (for example, do you prefer slamming bass or sweet mids)?

If you listen to any kind of rock, but especially metal, techno, rap, etc., you'll probably want big drivers and an amp with lots of clean power, like the Adcom suggested above. Also, Carver, B&K, NAD, Yamaha, etc. can all be found cheap on the used market (I think I have a few extra lying around, in fact).

If you like more vocals (especially strong female voices), or any kind of acoustic music (like jazz), you might prefer something like a nice old Dynaco like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Dynaco-ST-35-Stereo-Power-Tube-Amplifier-Nice_W0QQitemZ290361951389QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item439aebc49d

I personally use a tube preamp with a solid-state amp - kind of gives me the best of all worlds (on my budget and to my ears and listening preferences).

I've found that the best part of buying "vintage" gear is that you can try it in your own system for as long as you want, and when you find something else that you like better, you can sell the original component for about what you paid.

Hope that didn't confuse more than help....

Dawg

buymesome

Thanks for the recommendation george I was thinking about the adcom 545 . I think concealer has one to sell but I'm thinking end of november I will buy somthing

Hey big dawg what kind of stuff at what prices do ya have stashed away ? It would be nice to know for future refrance.

Right now I use polk a3's borrowed from my brothers buddy who has my A5's but I plan on getting into electrostats and Ilisten to everything

Big Dawg

buymesome wrote: »

Thanks for the recommendation george I was thinking about the adcom 545 . I think concealer has one to sell but I'm thinking end of november I will buy somthing

Hey big dawg what kind of stuff at what prices do ya have stashed away ? It would be nice to know for future refrance.

Right now I use polk a3's borrowed from my brothers buddy who has my A5's but I plan on getting into electrostats and Ilisten to everything

Not sure I'm selling anything anytime soon, but then again I might....

I have a B&K ST-202 (150 WPC), a B&K ST-202+ (200 WPC) and a Carver M4.0t (375 WPC) (all WPC @ 8 ohms). Only need one, just don't yet know which one....

zarrdoss

I have Rotel, Adcom, and Carver, all sound great

nooshinjohn

You ask a rather loaded question, but the best answer I can give is that the best sounding amps of all time are the ones that your ear likes best. I love my Sunfire, but have also had great experiences from Carver, Yamaha, Hafler, Nakamichi and Denon

wallstreet

The ones that sound best to your ears (and within budget) are the ones I buy.

concealer404

buymesome wrote: »

Thanks for the recommendation george I was thinking about the adcom 545 . I think concealer has one to sell but I'm thinking end of november I will buy somthing

Hey big dawg what kind of stuff at what prices do ya have stashed away ? It would be nice to know for future refrance.

Right now I use polk a3's borrowed from my brothers buddy who has my A5's but I plan on getting into electrostats and Ilisten to everything

If you have a $300-$500 budget, i would suggest getting something a bit better than the 545, much as i'd like to help you out with it.

a3s won't need a ton of power, but the electrostats will.

ben62670

I like Burger King more than McDogfood when it comes to burgers, and McDogfood more for fries and chicken.

Ben

Hawkeye

Not sure of what what you really mean by "electrostats". If a true ESL, such as Martin Logan, you're going to need an amp stable at 4Ohms. The Spire will dip to .75Ohm which may wreck havoc on some amps.

Some recommndations of ESL users are a high current amp vice high wattage by PassLabs, B&K and of course my favorite, McIntosh! Buying an amp for an ESL takes a bit more research than buying an amp for box speakers. While any amp will work for a time, the accuracy of an ESL will quickly let you know if you made the right choice. I'd suggest:http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/index.php as an excellant forum or source for taking the leap into an ESL.

If you're talking about Maggies, disregard my info since I've never owned or experimented with them.

Gordon

thuffman03

Your budget allows you quite a few amps. Carver and Adcom are very good amps. You can pick up a Carver TFM 35 for about $350 and get into a Carver TFM 45 in the mid $400's and a TFM 55 should be at the top of your budget in the low to mid $500.

coolsax

What are y'alls opinons about the Emotiva amps? They seem to push quite a bit of power for a very reasonable price brand new. they seem to review pretty well and to tell you the truth on what i've seen its hard to find a 5 channel 200wpc amp for 800 used let alone brand new. I've heard some people don't really like the look of them.. but I do so i'm more worried about quality.

cfrizz

From what I have seen and read, for the most part they have good quality. However, all manufacturers can have quality control issues come up.

They are a good brand as well as any others you might look at & you won't have to rob a bank to get one. Go for it.

concealer404

The build quality of the two that i've seen couldn't be faulted. VERY solid construction, and that same quality carried over to their cd player. Damn thing may as well have been made from a solid chunk of steel.

I wasn't 100% impressed with the sound, but that's an opinion that'll vary ear by ear.

thuffman03

I never saw one or heard one. Anyone who has one seems to like them. They also have a 30 day money back if you don't like it.

coolsax

I saw that on the 30 day.. which is nice.. the 5 year warranty also is enticing as well