BarrettFan

Thank's to everyone who gave advice. I took everything into consideration. I finally decided to go with a McIntosh MC2125 amp, and a C33 preamp. It sounds AWESOME!!!! Everything in the house shakes, and the music is as clear as a bell! It blows away my Yamaha multi-channel system with homebuilt speakers, which I thought sounded pretty good. I am still considering new crossovers, and maybe a new hi-def tuner. And I need to vibration proof everything! But anyway, Thanks again for all the advice!

Hey, thanks for the replies! I'm not partial to Carver at all, that's just what they were hooked up too. If another amp would be better, I will go with it. That's why I came here for advice. I will be playing cds mostly. I have quite a few albums, but they are not perfect by any means, and I have replaced most of them with discs. I will play one now and then though. I don't really want to take the amp to get it upgraded, I'd rather get a good one that I can plug in and go. I am interested in the BEC crossovers though. Where can I find them and is there a certain model # to get? As far as budget goes, I guess I can go up to around $2000. Maybe a little more if I have too. Less would be better though[] My main concern is to get a reliable setup that I can leave on for hours at a time without overheating or anything going wrong. I looked at the B&K: Reference 125.2 - 125w x 2 @ 8 ohms and the Reference 200.2 - 225w x 2 @ 8 ohms It looks like I gan get the 125.2 and a b&k preamp new for around $1300. Is this enough power? Would this sound better than a Carver? The 200.2 would add around $700. Is it worth it, or would this be too much power and cause damage? The Musical Fidelity looked a little out of my price range, unless I can find a deal somewhere. I've heard some good McIntosh amps, but they are pricey as well. So the hunt continues. I just don't want to spend a bunch of money and not be happy, and I know you guys have a lot more experience than I do. THX for the replies, and keep 'em comming!

Hello all! I recently got my hands on a pair of La Scalas and a SW-15 subwoofer, and am wondering what would be the best amp and pre-amp for them. I want to get the best sound that I can get without going overboard. They were hooked up to a Carver amp and pre-amp, but I don't know what models they were or anything like that. A couple of Carvers I am looking at are the: TFM-55x (380 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms), or the A500x (250 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms), or maybe the M500t (250 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms) Are these amps to powerful, or should I be looking for a McIntosh or another brand? Should I go with a tube or a s.s. amp? Should I get an integrated amp/pre-amp? Is there going to be much of a difference? I listen to classic rock Pink Floyd, early Genesis, Doors, stuff like that. The crossovers in the La Scalas are the AL-3s if it makes a difference. Also I was wondering if it would be better to run to the sub with high level then out to the speakers, does this cross them over better? or run from the pre-amp to the amp and the sub separately with low level cables, is this the cleanest? or run from the pre-amp to the sub and back out to the amp with low level cables, I don't know what this would help but it shows this option in the manual?? I am sorry if this post is too long, or If it starts a little brand fan war, although that's always fun [] I have searched the forum, and haven't had much luck, I've looked at a lot of the members equipment lists, but most people have so much stuff, it's hard to tell what's hooked up to what. I figure you guys would know best, and any advice is appreciated. THX for reading my post!