ChipByrd Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Howdy, A couple weeks ago I asked some questions about Chorus speakers. I have since ordered new crossovers and tweeter diaphragms from Bob Crites. I have an Arcam rDac-KW that I will be using because I want to play my music from my digital toys. What I want to acquire next is a new power source. I want something under $1,000 and under $800 would be even better. New or used? A friend suggested this: Cambridge Audio - 650A Integrated Amplifier - it is $499. I was told it is second generation and that is why the price is relatively low. It is located here: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CA650A. Is the Cambridge a good alternative for me? Is there something far better in the above mentioned price range? There are so many options it is hard for a novice. Thanks for any help, Chip (the novice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Howdy,A couple weeks ago I asked some questions about Chorus speakers. I have since ordered new crossovers and tweeter diaphragms from Bob Crites. I have an Arcam rDac-KW that I will be using because I want to play my music from my digital toys. What I want to acquire next is a new power source. I want something under $1,000 and under $800 would be even better. New or used? A friend suggested this: Cambridge Audio - 650A Integrated Amplifier - it is $499. I was told it is second generation and that is why the price is relatively low. It is located here: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CA650A. Is the Cambridge a good alternative for me? Is there something far better in the above mentioned price range? There are so many options it is hard for a novice. Thanks for any help, Chip (the novice) I have not used the Cambridge amp or heard it. I believe your friend has a good idea though, if a quality integrated amp is a direction you are thinking about. At this budget and with high-sensitivity speakers it does seem the way to go. Cambridge is pushing out new models and this an opportunity to save on some well-regarded products. The pre outs allow you to go with a higher power amp down the line some day. Not sure you would ever want more power with the Chorus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 One of my friends on the forum, Matt(clermontcop), owned a 650A and used it to power a pair of Cornwalls and it sounded great. He also experimented using it to drive Heresys and KG-3.2's and the results also were great. One good thing about the 650A is that it has preouts so you could add an ouboard amp or a subwoofer later if you choose. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipByrd Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks for the input. As i said, this is tough for a novice. There are so many two-channel receivers for under $1,000 (my price range). When this the Cambridge Audio popped up for $499 it caught my attention. If there are any others you might suggest, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I run a Carver amp with my Chorus's and they sound great! I bought it used for like $250.......I love it. Good luck with your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I run mine with a Sansui 8080db and they sound amazing ! The bass will stop your heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 80's and 90's Denon integrated amps sound fantastic with the Quartet, Fortet, Chorus group of speakers. I own two Denon integrateds now and have owned three at one time. They are fast and punchy with plenty of detail. They make my Quartets and Fortes sing to no end. This PMA-2000R is a beast of an amp that will drive your Chorus speakers with ease. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-PMA-2000R-320-watt-Receiver-2-Channel-Integrated-Amplifier-/260936192422?pt=Receivers_Tuners&hash=item3cc10251a6 That really is a good deal for the Cambridge 650A. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillerman Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Chip, I am sure you have made your choice by now. As you gain experience with the Chorus in your room, you may discover that less maybe more regarding the power characteristics. I have owned a pair of the Chorus for about 15 years and use them in a 16 x 17' room. After many equipment changes in the front end, I have settled with 2 different amps, which I rotate seasonally in my system. My winter amp is a class A (Nelson) Pass F3 clone, which has < than 20 watts/channel. My summer amp is a restored Sony VFET TAN-5550, which is ~ 55 watts/channel. My listening habits max out at about 85dB at my listening position. As such, based on the very high efficiency of the Chorus (and most Klipsch speakers), I am using less than 1 watt of power on average. My point is that the quallty of the first few watts of amplifier power are the most important with high efficiency speakers. That said, if you have a large room and/or listen at higher levels, you may need more power to properly drive your speakers. Enjoy and good luck on your journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RT FAN Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I run my Chorus II's with an old McIntosh MC-2105 amp that has 100 watts per channel and am barely scratch the surface of the power supply. I am in the same boat as the Tillerman, no pun intended, pushing 1 watt or so is more than sufficeint for average listening. $500 for a good quality integrated amp from a reputable company is a great deal. New is nice, as is the upgradeable aspect of down the road adding a power amp. I run a Rotel integrated on one of my systems and love it, I also used a Sony ES Int amp for years. I love their flexability & think they offer a lot of bang for the buck. Keep us posted on your decision, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Harman Kardon hasn't been mentioned yet. Here is the 3490 from HK's site. Hunt around a little and you may be able to find it cheaper. I have the 3390 (earlier model, no optical ins, same power) and it goes well with Klipsch Heritage. Don't rush into anything. Shopping around is good fun. Getting rare these days, but do you have a brick and mortar audio store near you? Some will let you take a demo receiver home to audition. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoak Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm driving my Chorus IIs with a Harman Kardon HK3490 and could not be more pleased. I was able to get the 3490 for $259 from J&R Music World by way of Amazon with free shipping to boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockhound Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I run my Chorus II's with an old McIntosh MC-2105 amp that has 100 watts per channel and am barely scratch the surface of the power supply. I have this same amp with a JM Peach pre amp and love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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