Power Amplifier Price Ranges

larry777 · November 2010

After reviewing various Power Amplifiers on the market ( Even with the same wattage and channels ) I realize their is a HUGE PRICE DIFFERENCE between various makes and models. All you experienced Posters know these quality companies so I won't list them here. Why do we have such a hugh price range between companies,and does the SOUND QUALITY increase with the prices ? I suspect Diminishing Returns in a big way but I may be wrong. Bang for the Buck Emotiva seems to offer a lot ,as an example. Why would someone pay a lot more money if the Average Person couldn't tell the difference in sound quality, with nothing else in the house to compare your setup to ?

cfrizz · November 2010

Welcome Larry. As you have discovered, there are huge differences in prices. And although alot of people on here would argue with my point of view, what you are really paying for is the name on the box just as you would any other presumed "named" brand.

Are there better products than Emotiva? Absolutely, you just have to decide if it is worth the extra money to get those improvements. And as you pointed out, you might not have the ears to hear them.

You have to realize that a lot of people in this hobby just love to switch out gear, going higher up the ladder with every swap. For them, that is the fun. For me it's about making sure I have bought the best that I can afford, then sit back and enjoy the music & the movies being played on said gear.

Emotiva, and Outlaw make very good bang for the buck brand new seperates that is just right for a newbie to start out on. Or you can check out Audiogon for used amps which will allow you to get more well known "name brands" for less money.

I will tell you what I advise everyone. If you are into HT, get at least a 200wpc 5 channel amplifier, sit back and enjoy. This much power allows ALL of your speakers to operate to their full potential, and you will hear a clear improvement across the board with this much power.

I love my Sunfire amp. My speakers have got 405wpc at the ready for whenever it is needed, and it is the only 5 channel amp that I'm able to lift to put into place. It only weighs about 43lbs! I bought it used from a member here. I got a matching Sunfire prepro from Audiogon for only $1100.00.

Emotiva and Outlaw will satisfy you, if you want to know you are giving your speakers all the power that they need to operate to their full potential for years to come. You can utilize the amp, through all other upgrades to your gear. After which, it will be up to you to decide if you want to continue going up the ladder with more expensive gear.

heiney9 · November 2010

Many if not all price according to the components and design used in a particular product, not so much as Xcapri states.

You get what you pay for. Emotiva tends to be entry level in the audio world and it's priced that way and it sounds that way and components, topology used dictate an inexpensive product. It's really hard to make a recommendation based on the info you have given.

If you are just starting out perhaps the entry level stuff fits for you, but there is so much better out there for not a lot more. You have to experience it for yourself and decide how far down the rabbit hole you want to go in this hobby.

H9

angelsfann02 · November 2010

I agree with the other guys. While the Emotiva is priced well, I can get a well reviewed amp for the lsi9's im buying, like a parasound, which has been tried and tested by other members. Remember these other amps like adcom, parasound, carver, etc sold for alot more when new. It's just that guys like me get the upgrade bug and move onto even higher priced gear....

heiney9 · November 2010

xcapri79 wrote: »

Which amps do you consider to be entry level, which ones are mid level and which ones are top level?
Your perspective on this would be useful to other members.

I wasn't going to respond to this thread at all simply because this question has been asked at least 100+ times and a simple search and some time spent on CP and all answers are here.

So I guess what I'm saying, not trying to be flippant at all, is I've outlined my perspective well over 100 times and all one needs to do is research this topic here on CP to get a nice overview and answers to the OP's extremely general question.

H9

larry777 · November 2010

Thanks everyone as your replys are appreciated. I get the General Idea from your comments,,,,and the used market sounds like more Bang for the Buck in obtaining Higher Quality Brand Name products. I have to keep that in mind when I make any decision.

jinjuku · November 2010

larry777 wrote: »

Thanks everyone as your replys are appreciated. I get the General Idea from your comments,,,,and the used market sounds like more Bang for the Buck in obtaining Higher Quality Brand Name products. I have to keep that in mind when I make any decision.

Hi Larry, You are correct the used market is a great place for amplification. I picked up my Adcom GFA-5503 for $350 in like new condition and my Parasound HCA-1000a for $200 (used only for one weekend in a home expo).

With that said if you are on a budget and looking for new Emotiva/Outlaw isn't going to disappoint imo. I had a long weekend with the Emotiva XPA-3 and several other amps and it was as good sounding and well built as anything else I have or have heard considering the $$. Nothing was blowing each other out of the water. Your biggest return on sound quality is going to be in your speakers.

I have seen way too many $7K speakers paired with $5K in amplification when they would have been better with $11K of speakers and $1K of amplification.

reeltrouble1 · November 2010

the more expensive amplifiers sound better, look better and are better.

have fun.

NAD or Odessey make some great amplifiers to get you going.

RT1

larry777 · November 2010

Thanks for the additional comments, To answer xcapri79 I use Polk RTi10 fronts,CSiA6 center and CSI4 surrounds and an SVS Sub. AVR is Denon 888 but that will be replaced as no Pre Outs and it will be used in a seperate room. Another higher end AVR with a power Amp is one consideration that I am thinking about at this time. Bang for the Buck for decent Quality is high on the list and should be a step up from the Denon 888 only.

larry777 · November 2010

That should have been RTi4 surrounds and not CSi4.

jayman_1975 · November 2010

My friend you need to think hard about the Anthem MCA50 that is currently for sale in the classifieds here. That would be a perfect amp to get you going and IMO would suit most folks quite well for life. I had the MCA 5 (earlier model) and it was a stellar performer.

TORI3 · November 2010

Larry, I've totally been in your shoes. I ran a quick poll not too long ago in terms of finding the best amplifier for my RTi8s, RTi4s, and CSi3.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105380

This may give you a good framework to begin with in terms of what's out there. Hope this helps!!!

txcoastal1 · November 2010

TORI3 wrote: »

Larry, I've totally been in your shoes. I ran a quick poll not too long ago in terms of finding the best amplifier for my RTi8s, RTi4s, and CSi3.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105380

This may give you a good framework to begin with in terms of what's out there. Hope this helps!!!

Sunfire is nice and you can always bump the fronts to something later and expand speakers to other unused zones in the house. Nicely diversified.

steveinaz · November 2010

IMO, good, solid amplification can be found in the $1200-$2500 range with careful research. Beyond this price point, changes become more and more subtle, and you'll have to ask yourself if the differences are worth the extra coin.

tonyb · November 2010

Why does a BMW cost more than a Ford ? Difference in price usually equates to build quality, and that equates usually to sound quality. If your worried about diminishing returns this early on, you'll be missing out on alot of solid products with some good SQ for the buck. Go used...Nad is good,B&K is too, Parrasound, just too many to list. Just like speakers,receivers cdp's, everything has it's own value and sound quality to it,amps are no different. Read up,educate yourself,big wattage amps don't mean better sound. I've heard 80 watt tube amps that wipe the floor with 300 watts of solid state amps. Look thru some sigs here to see what we all use, varies alot but will give you an idea of where to start.

larry777 · November 2010

Thanks everyone for the replys and links to more info. This is all great information, and shows that everyone can have a different outlook or approach to building a system. But in the end, good quality sound is obtained by everyone even though some like Bright,Neutral or Warm Sound. I see that quality as being a very important factor as to weither or not a person is satisified with their system. So matching the correct avr/amp to get a warmer sound will be an important consideration for me. Some comments have already been made as to what amps are Bright and Warm etc which is good when I have to decide what to buy.

veerapaneni · November 2010

I have listened to the following Amps lately with my Paradigm speakers and they all sound different. I prefered Anthem for Clarity and McIntosh for Warm Sound. Make sure to get an amp with high current.

1. Sunfire Grand Cinema 7~400
2. B&K 200.7
3. McIntosh MC207
4. Anthem P5

Power Amplifier Price Ranges

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