Warm amp wanted...

blueboxer
blueboxer Posts: 621
edited December 2010 in Electronics
Well, not in terms of running temperature, but I have always found the NAD, Arcam, and Parasound warmth appealing. I am currently running a Mythos ST system and will be adding a Paradigm system upstairs in the near future. Both rooms are approximately 20x20x10.

I have looked at the Bel Canto offerings and loved their sound in stereo setups, but haven't heard a Bel Canto HT setup or Nuforce setup, but both sound appealing. My concern is that they may be overly bright with the Def Tech setup. There is a Anthem/Arcam dealer nearby so I hope to hear some combinations of the D2 with some of the amps they carry, but would appreciate any feedback or recommendations in the meantime.
Post edited by blueboxer on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • samnor
    samnor Posts: 155
    edited December 2010
    parasound hca 1500 or the 2200ii or even the 3500 would be pretty decent.
    you cant go wrong with those... other alternatives would be the b&k/nad's.
    Fronts: Wharfedale diamond 9.6
    Sub: Wharfedale sw250
    Rears: Wharfedale diamond 9.1
    Center: Paradigm cc-350
    Pre-amp: Oppo dv981hd
    Amp for fronts: Parasound hca-1500a
    Amp for rears: Adcom gfa-5400
    Amp for center: Marantz MA500 monoblock
    Polk multimedia speakers for PC setup
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 961
    edited December 2010
    I'd second the B&K.
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin U2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC:T+A DAC 200 Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Infigo Method 6 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Cardas Clear Reflection SC/IC, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited December 2010
    I third the B&K.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 909
    edited December 2010
    Interesting... so what would be the parasound hca 1500 or 2200ii or 3500 equivalents in the b&K world?

    I may try one of their amps next when I start working on amplification for my HT system...
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited December 2010
    blueboxer wrote: »
    Well, not in terms of running temperature, but I have always found the NAD, Arcam, and Parasound warmth appealing. I am currently running a Mythos ST system and will be adding a Paradigm system upstairs in the near future. Both rooms are approximately 20x20x10.

    I have looked at the Bel Canto offerings and loved their sound in stereo setups, but haven't heard a Bel Canto HT setup or Nuforce setup, but both sound appealing. My concern is that they may be overly bright with the Def Tech setup. There is a Anthem/Arcam dealer nearby so I hope to hear some combinations of the D2 with some of the amps they carry, but would appreciate any feedback or recommendations in the meantime.



    Everyone's warmth is different but my Rotel and ST setup sounds great. They're still breaking in but so far so good. The place I bought my Mythos from had a Parasound amp connected, but coming from RTI's everything sounds warm to me.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,490
    edited December 2010
    Pass, Belles, BAT

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited December 2010
    Also good thing about the mythos setup is you won't need a ton of power they're very efficient.

    Im not a big fan of Carver gear but many say the Sunfire is an outstanding warm amp.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    Used Parasound or B&K to start....Pass and Belles for when you graduate.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • smglbrth
    smglbrth Posts: 1,496
    edited December 2010
    dorokusai wrote: »
    Used Parasound or B&K to start....Pass and Belles for when you graduate.

    ...up to a big fat wallet...:biggrin:
    Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    smglbrth wrote: »
    ...up to a big fat wallet...:biggrin:

    Like Leroy said, easy to drive so no reason to go full on high end for no reason. Wet your RCA's on some cool, not quite common mans' gear and work your way up.

    You could stay in the Adcom, Parasound, NAD, Cambridge, blah blah for a long time and be super happy. They also offer higher end stuff, weird models, special stuff and the cooler stuff is actually older......you just never know.

    That's not being a snob, it's being sensible and cost effective. If you don't jump at a solid deal that makes you a little bit wary AND pushes your boundaries, why are you doing this at all?

    Don't follow trends, follow ideas and see where you turn up. I not sure what this forum has actually done for me aside from a love of Reel2Reel. The rest is subjective and I can't wait for CES 2011.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,077
    edited December 2010
    dorokusai wrote: »
    If you don't jump at a solid deal that makes you a little bit wary AND pushes your boundaries, why are you doing this at all?

    .

    Well said Mark....
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • smglbrth
    smglbrth Posts: 1,496
    edited December 2010
    Ditto, "everything" is subjective...
    Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    Well, I just pulled the trigger on an Anthem D2, I am looking at an Arcam P-7, Anthem MCA50, and B&K 200.7 as the front runners. I also found a couple Cary Cinema 7B and Audio Refinement Multi-5 for some slightly older, but respected models. A Rotel 1075 definitely looks like a budget friendly start, I can always pair it with my Denon 2809 later if I upgrade to one of the larger amps.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    No personal experience with the Anthem MCA 50 or Arcam P7? Hoping to make the final decision this weekend. Wish I could find a used Nad M25, but no such luck. I loved the Arcam AVR 600 sound, but realize that is an entirely different animal with G class amps and a new design, but not sure how much different it would be from the Arcam sound of the P7.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishbones
    fishbones Posts: 947
    edited December 2010
    B&K amps rock!!!
    ..... ><////(*>
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dacoupedeville
    dacoupedeville Posts: 83
    edited December 2010
    Odyssey...anything
    HT: SRT's.....Pioneer SC95, Oppo 105D; ps4; Mitsubishi 1080p 82" DLP; DirecTV

    2 ch: SRS 1.2tl's.....Odyssey Stratos monos, Dynaco PAS pre w/Mods, Arcam DV-135, Music Hall MMF 5, AQ wires

    Bedroom: SRS 3.1tl's, RTA 8T (phantom center), Pioneer sc-lx701, Mitsubishi 1080p 82" DLP, DirecTV, ps3

    Car: SR 6500's.....Planet Audio HVT752 tube hybrid amps (2), Alpine dvd-a double din HU, two 12" Kicker's
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    I like the B&K 200.7 out of those choices.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • newrival
    newrival Posts: 2,016
    edited December 2010
    I really like the B&K amps for HT. I've owned 2 AV-6000's (one was a mkII) and they were really great. After those I moved up to the ref 200.7 WOW what an amp. and for the going rate is pretty unbeatable. For HT I really like it. It is very dynamic with good bass. Not my cup of tea for stereo, however.
    design is where science and art break even.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • rdb2001
    rdb2001 Posts: 791
    edited December 2010
    newrival wrote: »
    I really like the B&K amps for HT. I've owned 2 AV-6000's (one was a mkII) and they were really great. After those I moved up to the ref 200.7 WOW what an amp. and for the going rate is pretty unbeatable. For HT I really like it. It is very dynamic with good bass. Not my cup of tea for stereo, however.

    I like my B&K reference amps. I agree about the multi channel versions not being as good for stereo, but I have the 7250 and the 2220 and the 2220 is an amazing stereo amp in my opinion.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    Man, right when I decided to go ahead and get the Anthem MCA 50 and Arcam P7 to try out and sale one of them after the fact, everyone posts for the B&K. I was looking at some older Classe amps as well on the 'gon, but the standouts for bang for the buck were the other three. Decisions, decisions, decisions. . .
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited December 2010
    This is the one I'm look at Parasound Halo A52. The A51 is sweet but is very pricey.
    125 watts should be enough for the Mythos.

    http://www.parasound.com/halo/a52.php
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    I was really interested in that amp as well, there was one for sale on the gon, but it was gone before I had a chance to even think about it. As vain as it sounds, I also hate mismatching black and silver face equipment. I almost picked up an Arcam AV9 to pair up with a parasound halo amp, but the D2 was just too tempting.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited December 2010
    blueboxer wrote: »
    I was really interested in that amp as well, there was one for sale on the gon, but it was gone before I had a chance to even think about it. As vain as it sounds, I also hate mismatching black and silver face equipment. I almost picked up an Arcam AV9 to pair up with a parasound halo amp, but the D2 was just too tempting.



    Let me know how you like your new amp when you get it. I'm also running a ST setup and looking for a 5 channel amp. Soon as a used a52 pops up I'll get it. The silver is a big turn off also but I shouldn't be able to see it in my cabinet with the tinted front glass. I'm just hoping 125 watts will cut it.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    Leroy, I ordered an Anthem MCA 50 for a matching system, but I will also be getting the B&K 125.7 or the Arcam P7 and comparing the amps. Hopefully, I won't take too much of a lost on reselling one of the amps. I haven't seen any Halo amps out there on the market, if I do I might grab that one to compare and will let you know.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blueboxer
    blueboxer Posts: 621
    edited December 2010
    Looks like the polk gods have spoken, the Arcam sold so it is down to the B&K for the demo.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    Older Parasound will be very similar to B&K but the HALO series is much different on the top end.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    edited December 2010
    If you want a warm sound go with tubes.
    2Ch Tube Audio Convert
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    edited December 2010
    Someething from rogue audio would be nice.
    2Ch Tube Audio Convert
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited December 2010
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    If you want a warm sound go with tubes.

    I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned tubes by now, if that's what he was looking for. As far as warm goes, even tubes can have some of the same characteristics of SS amps in regards to sonics.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    edited December 2010
    dorokusai wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned tubes by now, if that's what he was looking for. As far as warm goes, even tubes can have some of the same characteristics of SS amps in regards to sonics.

    Just throwing out the option especially if he's not interested in HT, then wattage isn't of a concern.

    Some class A amps like monarchy are nice warm amps (heat and soundwise).
    2Ch Tube Audio Convert
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter