Bubo Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 The best deals in amps are the used Surround Receivers, some costing thousands of dollars new with THX certifications and clean powerful AB amp sections. Yamaha, Pioneer Elite and the TOTL Sonys come to mind, read the reviews and then go on the hunt. You can pretty much name the price for used ones on Craigslist especially totl units without HDMI interfaces. Also included are the DAC and Decoder Chips sets for every format, SN may be in the 120db range. Also almost every connector is supported. Check the manuals, but most good ones can be configured to run as stereos and dowmix 5.1 and 7/1 to 2.0 or 2.1. There is no shortage of good stand alone phono pre amps, Emo has a good one for about $140. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Wow, I'm certainly glad I came here instead of continuing to search around on Amazon; I didn't realize there'd be so many great options in my price range. I've contacted the person on Craigslist with the Cambridge (Thanks for finding that, Bill!) and expect to get more pictures from them today. If things work out well, I do think I might move on that one. It seems to make plenty of power for my needs, and since it has a pre-out, I assume it could be used with a power amp at a later date if I find one I like. If that falls through, then it looks like there are tons of other great options out there. I do like the idea of finding dedicated pre/power amps secondhand if I spot a good opportunity. Right now, I'd say my most likely second option will be NAD equipment. A whole lot of it falls into comfortable pricing for me, and testimony seems very, very good. Whatever happens, I'll definitely post the results for the record books. The F20s already sound nice on the budget amp (excusing the occasional harshness for still being fairly new, of course), so I expect they'll be a real delight on something more quality-forward. Thanks for all the help, everybody! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Let us know what you end up with and how you like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) I've contacted the person on Craigslist with the Cambridge (Thanks for finding that, Bill!) and expect to get more pictures from them today. If things work out well, I do think I might move on that one Your welcome, I hope it works out. Maybe seller will give you a package deal. It seems to make plenty of power for my needs, and since it has a pre-out, I assume it could be used with a power amp at a later date if I find one I like. I have used my 640A v2 with RB-75's, RB-35's, Heresys, Heresy II's, B3's with no power issues at all. I have not tried it with my RF-63's though. I think the 640A v2 has a great preamp section so if you "need" more power, just hook up a nice stereo amp. Bill Edited May 5, 2015 by willland 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Ah. My bad guys. I'm afraid I won't be much help there, as I'm still learning the ropes on 2 channel audio myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) I have a pair of Outlaw Audio M2200 mono block power amps I might part with. Like new and 200 wpc @8ohms. They would definitely make your speakers sing. https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/2200.html Edited May 5, 2015 by teaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 I have a pair of Outlaw Audio M2200 mono block power amps I might part with. Like new and 200 wpc @8ohms. They would definitely make your speakers sing. https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/2200.html Definitely a tempting prospect! My only concern would be that my price tolerance might not line up with a fair price for them, since I'd also have to budget for a preamp. How are they musically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) They sound really nice. Good sound stage and definition. They are small and powerful, only 18lbs each and only about 2 inches high so they don't take up much shelf space. Nice factor is that the amps offer both XLR balanced connections and RCA unbalanced connections so you can decide what you like better. Personally I use XLR anytime I can! Feel free to PM me. I would want $400 for the pair plus actual shipping, which is easy on the wallet. Lots of preamp choices out there. If I'm not mistaken IbizaFlame has an Emotiva preamp for sale at a nice price.....would pair nicely with these amps Edited May 5, 2015 by teaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 I'm sorry to say that's a bit hot for my budget; it's certainly a fair price though, so I'm sure you'll have good luck moving them. I appreciate the offer, monoblocks are an intention of mine, though perhaps not immediately! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaman Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 No problem Chris, good luck with you search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxr dad Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 IbizaFlame, what preamp do you have for sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 If I'm not mistaken IbizaFlame has an Emotiva preamp for sale at a nice price.....would pair nicely with these amps It finally sold actually last week. It's singing to some people in St. Louis now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Say, does anyone know much about Adcom? A preamp and power amp from them have just gone up on Craigslist over in DE, and they seem like they might also be worth looking at. https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/5010647789.html Has anyone used their equipment before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Say, does anyone know much about Adcom? A preamp and power amp from them have just gone up on Craigslist over in DE, and they seem like they might also be worth looking at. https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/5010647789.html Has anyone used their equipment before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Why is there a database error on this thread page 2? I am making this post to see if it comes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 help the thread is broken!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2015 Page 2 is showing an error. I'll notify Chad to see if he can correct the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted May 7, 2015 Moderators Share Posted May 7, 2015 Chad has corrected the error. Check out the reviews on the Harman Kardon HK3490. It's 145wpc (drives my RF-7ii with authority) but also has preouts for an amp (in case you want that extra benefit of an amp). There are several on Ebay for less than $300 shipped. Just another option for you to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswhotakesphotos Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Chad has corrected the error. Check out the reviews on the Harman Kardon HK3490. It's 145wpc (drives my RF-7ii with authority) but also has preouts for an amp (in case you want that extra benefit of an amp). There are several on Ebay for less than $300 shipped. Just another option for you to consider. Looks like a slick idea! Mustang guy's also got me to start looking into some semi-pro power amps (Behringer and the like) which look cool as well. I'm starting to understand now how people end up with more amps than speakers. How are the RF-7 IIs, anyway? After hearing what can be done with 6.5" drivers on entry level speakers, one can only imagine what they've done with pairs of 10"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 (edited) That Adcom setup looks like it might be a nice start. If the amp isn't powerful enough, you can always get a bigger amp. I'd offer them $150 cash for the Adcom stuff and see what they swing back with. Stereophile rated the Adcom amp: http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/adcom_gfa-535_power_amplifier/ Edited May 7, 2015 by mustang guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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