Intimidated by beefy-looking amps?

arkaig1
arkaig1 Posts: 45
edited January 2009 in Electronics
Ok, so maybe I am! Should I be?

Should I be intimidated by Carver amps, with their protruding handles? How about other, "rack-mounted" or "professional" amps? Are there any safety features that they might be missing that would be good reason for newbies like me to shy away from them? :)

Barry
Post edited by arkaig1 on
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited January 2009
    the handles on an amp have nothing to do with it's performance...

    stay away from professional amps.. they are not for home use... they are for use in PA systems and night clubs. they will work in a home theater, but their sound isn't all that good. Pro amps were not designed for home use.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,000
    edited January 2009
    Those are 90 pound weaklings compared to a real he-man amp like this one....

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1237236058&/Krell-KSA-150-Just-serviced

    or this one.....

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1237250910&/Manley-Neo-Classic-250.--Mono-



    Like Al says, stay away from the "pro amps."
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited January 2009
    hey Jess, wheres the pic of that 10bazillion watt Krell that you need a fork truck to move? I'd look for it but here at home I have slower than dialup, and it would take me a year to find.
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  • ESavinon
    ESavinon Posts: 3,067
    edited January 2009
    F1nut wrote: »
    Those are 90 pound weaklings compared to a real he-man amp like this one....

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1237236058&/Krell-KSA-150-Just-serviced

    or this one.....

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1237250910&/Manley-Neo-Classic-250.--Mono-



    Like Al says, stay away from the "pro amps."

    Do you know anyone selling a pair of mda-500's?
    I'm looking for a pair locally ;).
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited January 2009
    I don't see how an amplifier having handles would affect it's performance at all...

    As others have said though...shy away from the Pro power amps. They're designed for PA's and live music...in much bigger settings than your living room. They won't really give you the best performance in a home theater setting.
    The nirvana inducer-
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited January 2009
    I agree about the pro power amps... though in fairness, I'm using a Samson 1,000w rackmount amp to power my SVS and Buttkicker.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,000
    edited January 2009
    dudeinaroom wrote: »
    hey Jess, wheres the pic of that 10bazillion watt Krell that you need a fork truck to move? I'd look for it but here at home I have slower than dialup, and it would take me a year to find.

    And what makes you think that I know where the pic is....LOL


    Ed, no.;)
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,561
    edited January 2009
    I'm trying to figure out why anyone would NOT want a MANLY scary looking amp???
    Dan
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  • I-SIG
    I-SIG Posts: 2,243
    edited January 2009
    mantis wrote: »
    I'm trying to figure out why anyone would NOT want a MANLY scary looking amp???

    I agree, but I'm put off by the "industrialness" of the AR gear, despite them having what I may want in a preamp.

    Wes
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited January 2009
    mantis wrote: »
    I'm trying to figure out why anyone would NOT want a MANLY scary looking amp???

    That's what I'm trying to figure out. The more manly and badass it looks...the better it would sound...lol

    Even if it doesn't sound good...it intimidates you into thinking that it sounds good.:p
    The nirvana inducer-
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    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
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    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • arkaig1
    arkaig1 Posts: 45
    edited January 2009
    Thanks all. I'd wondered why you folks typically shyed away from professional amps, in spite of their power ratings. I also came across a bunch of used Carvers, which all had those handles on the front, even if they didn't have rack mounting holes. Also, I now note that their handles were only half as manly as Manley ones. :D Seriously? I was just noting pro power amps more often than hifi power amps in the lower budget 200 wpc range. I also figured this was good for a laugh too. Thanks again all, for the tips.
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