What Brand of amps tend to be Warm

Parasound, B&K, NAD....and the usual suspects of everytime this question is asked. You don't need that much power in reality....just worry about the fronts since the Onkyo can handle the rest just fine.

The amplifier may outlive you man....and 10 years is not odd for ANYTHING in audio. Don't go by year, go by quality and reputation. I'm not a Sunfire fan, maybe someone else can expound upon how awesome they are.

dorokusai wrote: »

Parasound, B&K, NAD....and the usual suspects of everytime this question is asked. You don't need that much power in reality....just worry about the fronts since the Onkyo can handle the rest just fine.

Add Rotel, Aragon, and Acurus to that list, and I concur.

My Rotel 50wpc amp lasted 18 years, and got daily use just as my Sunfire does now.

A vote for a B&K here.

I think I totally misunderstood your post. I guess your talking about warmth of sound and not how hot an avr is running. Truth be told though, my Yamaha when pushed gets hot and not in a good way.

Tube amps are warm and warm sounding.

dorokusai wrote: »

The amplifier may outlive you man....and 10 years is not odd for ANYTHING in audio. Don't go by year, go by quality and reputation. I'm not a Sunfire fan, maybe someone else can expound upon how awesome they are.

I am using a 20+ year old Parasound HCA-500 driving a pair of Monitor 60's .. it just does not give up...the 50 WPC is plenty for me ..they are honest watts.

erniejade wrote: »

McIntosh can be thrown in the ring also. How much are you looking to spend?

I've always liked the sound of B&K. I've a 7250 in my ht and it has been working well since around 1993. Perhaps that is why I moved to McIntosh. The sound is somewhat alike or maybe because they where/are made in New York?!:biggrin:

Gordon

I'm using all Parasound amps for my RTi A speakers -

HCA1000A for the CSi A6 (bi-amped), A21 for the RTi A7s, and the NC2250 for the RTi A1s and I'd agree that it warms up the slight brightness of these speakers. Plus the A7s pound when you turn 'em up

My research on Sunfire amps (and the one Sunfire amp I own) indicate a 10 Year shelf life for capacitors - particularly the filter caps. Then expect to pay between $150-$200 for repairs.

Perhaps not every Sunfire, but check it out online - you'd be surprised.

No one's mentioned Carver yet. They were built to sound like tubes and are quite warm sounding. The TFM's I've heard all sound warm. Also in the vintage category is Hafler amps sound warm as well.

And to answer the above question, electrolytic caps tend to dry up over time and resistors can drift out of value so a pre-emptive check up is certainly not out of the ordinary. It's just like checking the oil or the tires on a car. You don't wait for it to run dry or flat to maintain them.

Monster Jam wrote: »

My research on Sunfire amps (and the one Sunfire amp I own) indicate a 10 Year shelf life for capacitors - particularly the filter caps. Then expect to pay between $150-$200 for repairs.

Perhaps not every Sunfire, but check it out online - you'd be surprised.

In your research did you uncover why Sunfire amps have a 60% less shelf life than most amps? A properly spec'd and unabused electrolytic should last 20-25 years on average. 10 years is a very short life span for an electrolytic cap unless it's in extreme conditions. If that's the case, there must be a design flaw, or extremely inexpensive parts are used or some other thing at work for Sunfire amps.

H9

cnh wrote: »

Good point, Brock. That thought had crossed my mind as well when I read that post.

10 years is a 'very' short period of time for a good amp!

cnh

Perhaps there is a manufacturer recommendation to have them serviced at the 10 year mark. Thus, at the time, ensuring some factory service work (read income) that might only be marginally necessary or not necessary at all.

There are certainly extremes to the 20-25 year rule of thumb, some e caps will wear out quicker and some will last longer. Myself, I wouldn't even be concerned until about the 15th year. Even then it would be in the back of my mind. Obviously if one is having issues that are cap related I wouldn't ignore it because it's not at the 20-25 year mark.

H9

jbooker82 wrote: »

The Sunfire amp I was looking at the guy wanted 800 bucks for a grand cinima 200 x5. Said it was sent in about 2 years ago. If i buy the amp and then it needs work done I am just about at the price of new one.

Thats about what I paid for mine after shipping. Upon discovering the noise on all channels, I contacted the seller and he immediately refunded the amount of the estimated repair charge. I got it back and now and no problems; I have a pretty good local electronics repair shop to lean on. But early on in this crisis there was angst. If I could have gone back in time, I would have bought an Emotiva product instead of the used Sunfire. Heck, I'd still like to buy an Emotiva XPA-5 so I can side by side it against the Sunfire.

In response to Heiney's comment - I cant answer the question. I'd like to believe that Sunfire - a VERY highly respected company, uses superior internal components, but I don't know. I just know my singular experience and my research - which is not comprehensive by any stretch.

And in full disclosure, the Sunfire amp I have is 12 years old, not 10.