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Best powerful NEW 2-channel amps for UNDER $1000.


kenratboy

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See if someone in your area sells Rotel and check an RB-1080. It's 200wpc and has a fairly quick slew rate. The only bad part is that it's not available through phone orders, kinda like B&W. I think I paid $900 for it.

The bad part is that this thing does not sound the greatest at low volume. Crank it and everything comes together.2.gif

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On 2/20/2003 7:25:33 PM tblasing wrote:

See if someone in your area sells Rotel and check an RB-1080. It's 200wpc and has a fairly quick slew rate. The only bad part is that it's not available through phone orders, kinda like B&W. I think I paid $900 for it.

The bad part is that this thing does not sound the greatest at low volume. Crank it and everything comes together.
2.gif
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I have always liked Rotel, just the design. I got to check it out.

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You bet Bryston,if you can find one used is the real deal.A warranty NOBODY else matches,quality sound,built.

Bryston is a winner,Rotel looks and feels like mass market gear.I had a 200w/pc and a 60w/ch integrated,so I know Rotel quite well.They sound good but are not built to last like Bryston.

Another Bryston competitor is SimAudio(Celeste,MOON),I have FOUR SimAudio amps,they have it all the built qulaity and above all sound quality to nearly match Krell and Mark Levinson.Another winner from Canada

ATI,great amp from the USA.Tank like construction,can drive just about any load and is priced right.Made in the USA,BTW I have the 1505 and 2505

1.gif

Rotel,blah any of my Celeste 40XX series takes any Rotel ever made for sound quality.16.gif

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I see the Bryston 2BlP lists new for $1150.00

BUT..you might be able to get one "broken in"

for around 850. US

check out some pro sound people for 2BlP-Pro

same amp with XLR in's and variable gains.

"yum"

here is a good website listing all the Bryston

http://www.aaudio.com/bryston_2blp.html

Also check out

http://www.mcintoshaudio.com/

They handle other used GOOD audio,besides Mac Tom can usually find a good used unit for you.

He's been a good help with my system.

check out the pic of the Bryston

hope this helps!

Rob

post-4645-13819246562268_thumb.jpg

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i think you need to provide a little more info...music tastes and speakers for example. By saying you want a powerful receiver, it sounds like you want solid state. If you have klipsch speakers and only want to use it for music, though, you may want to go with tubes. I have cornwalls and use less than 5 watts per channel and it is plently loud.

try posting in the 2 channel.

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I dont think that you have to go solid state though, I have heard perfectly good sound from well constructed, mammoth output Class A super amplifiers on super, ultra or extreme sensitivity horns, which did just as good a job in imaging, detail, attack and details as tube amplifiers or integrated tube amplifiers under $1,000. This unit was the Pass X250 and it usually found for only $4,000 used. Otherwise, if you want to be frugal about it, I would consider new ASL and Jolida integrateds, refurbished Scott integrateds, refurbished Dynaco, EICO, amplifiers, and especially, used Wellborne or Write Sound amplifiers. You see, he whispered softly, lest anyone perceive him rude: horns love tubes.

2.gif

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OK, this will be for HT and Techno/Trance/IDM/etc. So, loud and slammin' bass are must. I am looking at RB-5II's or the next gen. of stuff. I will want some power to make them sing.

I figure, even if they are only for fun, I WILL buy a tube kit (like one of the 3-5 watt SET or other) and tube preamp just for fun. But, for day-to-day use (like 8-12 hours a day), I want a reliable, powerful SS amp. Also, I will need something that can be turned on and off. I will not have hundreds of watts of expensive tubes heating my room. The SS amp seems better, and a tube amp for the weekends, if you will.

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I noticed that you just posted in another topic that money is somewhat tight. Outlaw Audio makes some very nice amps. Are they Bryston, doubt it, but they are an incredible value. You can pick up a pair of Model 200 amplifiers (200 watt monoblocks) for $574 plus shipping. I also noticed that you would be using the amp for HT. You could pick up a Model 7100 (100 wpc x 7) for only $899. These amps are rated with all channels driven. 100 wpc is more than you would need.

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On 2/24/2003 7:39:56 AM speed3 wrote:

I noticed that you just posted in another topic that money is somewhat tight. Outlaw Audio makes some very nice amps. Are they Bryston, doubt it, but they are an incredible value. You can pick up a pair of Model 200 amplifiers (200 watt monoblocks) for $574 plus shipping. I also noticed that you would be using the amp for HT. You could pick up a Model 7100 (100 wpc x 7) for only $899. These amps are rated with all channels driven. 100 wpc is more than you would need.
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Well, I am 18, so in the eyes of the audio world, I will be poor until I get out of college and get a job 9.gif

What I would want ideally would be a pretty powerful stereo amp (I am starting to question if for RF-3II's, their sensitivity, I would need more than 100 watts) and then another, maybe small 5-channel amp for all the HT applications.

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One of my favorite powerful amps:

Sunfire Stereo Amplifier Series II:

325 watts RMS continuous - per channel - into 8 ohms from 20Hz to 20KHz with no more than 0.5% THD.

650 watts RMS per channel into 4 ohms.

1,300 watts RMS per channel into 2 ohms - time limited basis.

2,600 watts RMS per channel into 1 ohm - time limited basis.

Also any used big brute McIntosh...my personal MC7200 (now sold) is an excellent example.

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jt1stcav,

Yep,the Sunfire Signature dual channel amp is a great value,it can deliver astounding power levels to speakers and the tougher loads they present the more juice will flow.

Being a Carver/Sunfire fanatic I feel ashamed for not even pointing the Sunfire Signature stereo amp.

But then again its well well above the under $1000 limit

Imagine three of these brutes driving an HT,almost LIMITLESS POWER.

Still watt for watt the Krell FPB600 is MAJESTIC,it will deliver 2.4KW RMS(into 2 Ohms) per channel with no time limitations like the Sunfire and sound better.There is a price however and its a heavy one.

The newer Krell 700 can deliver even more,2800W RMS into the same load!

There is one audiophile who wants to sell a FPB600,I was thinking of buying a second one.But at an asking 8000USD I have more important priorities now.Damn,I would love to have two

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On 2/24/2003 8:05:25 PM TheEAR wrote:

jt1stcav,

..."Being a Carver/Sunfire fanatic I feel ashamed for not even pointing the Sunfire Signature stereo amp."

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In their hay-day, I owned just about every major Carver product:

Carver M-400t "cube" amps (3 of 'em)

Carver TFM-35x amp

Carver Professional PM-700 amp

Carver Car Amplifier M-240

Carver C-4000 preamp

Carver C-1 preamp

Carver TX-11 tuner

Carver Compact Disc Player DTL-100

Carver SD/A-450 CD player

Carver baseball cap (still own that!)

Affordable high-end, I always said. Sadly to the audiophile world, Carver was only considered mid-fi; components with the goofy nomenclature (Magnetic Field, Sonic Holography, Digital Time Lens, Asymmetrical Charge-Coupled FM Detector, Autocorrelator Noise Reduction, etc.)

Their amplifiers were plenty powerful though...4.gif

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"I figure, even if they are only for fun, I WILL buy a tube kit (like one of the 3-5 watt SET or other) and tube preamp just for fun. But, for day-to-day use (like 8-12 hours a day), I want a reliable, powerful SS amp. Also, I will need something that can be turned on and off. I will not have hundreds of watts of expensive tubes heating my room. The SS amp seems better, and a tube amp for the weekends, if you will."

I think you would be a Push-Pull kind of guy, especially if your into Techno/Trance bass heavy sort of material.

I run my tube amps 8 to 12 hours a day pretty much every day. Tubes last a long time.

I have some Telefunken smooth plate 12AX7's from '58 that will probably outlive me, they are already older.

(I think they have a 5000 or 10,000 hour rating.)

The last time I checked, tubes amps have power switches.

Most tube amp owners will turn off the amps when they are not around.

The only ones that don't, never leave.

It's good common sense IMO to turn off tube gear when unattended.

That's the beauty of Solid State amps and pre-amps, you can leave them on unattended.

Hundreds of watts of expensive tubes heating your room?

What kinda tube amp do you have in mind here?

My little 5 watt Magnavox console amp probably dissipates less ambient heat than the Yamaha MX-1 440 watt SS amp I had.

Granted SS is way more efficient on dissipating heat than tubes, way more.

I haven't noticed any increases in the power bill.

But if you want to do the home theater thing, SS would be the best bet.

Save the fancy tube amps for after College, when you feel the need for it.

But don't hesitate to jump on a old vintage tube amp if you see one at a yard sale or whatever for peanuts.

They ain't hard to fix.

That 5 watt amp I mentioned cost me 3 bucks and about another 20 bucks in parts to get it going.

Don't think tube amps are expensive.

If I had a $1000 laid out for a 2 channel SS amp, I'd lurk Ebay or Audiogon with lotsa patience.

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