Amps vs Amps. Which one?

[elgrillo]

So many amps and so little money, what to do???? I have started narrowing down the amps a little bit and was hoping you guys can help me choose a winner.

1. Bryston 9B sst or 9B ST. 5 x 120. A little bit out of my range, but might get lucky on audiogon and I would be willing to stretch the budget a smidgent. 20 yrs of warranty is nice, but my concern is that many have said that they are bright, This true?

2. Sherbourn 5/5210. 5 x 200 Well within the budget. Uses the same mono block design that bryston uses and also comes highly reccomended from people. Cheapest of the bunch.

3. Parasound Halo A51 or A52. A51 250 x5 or A52 125 x 5. The A51 is a bit out of my budget range, but again like the bryston I would be willing to find something on audiogon and stretch the budget. Lookwise I think its the best looking out of the group, but that takes a back seat to sound. Also highly reccomended by many people here.

4. Classe CAV 180. 5 x 180. Supposedly a good match with "brighter speakers" . Would also take a used one and a budget stretch. Reccomended by many for horn speakers.

5. Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature. 5 X 400 older model or 425 newer model. Would have to get the older model due to price on audiogon or get the newer model and stretch the budget again. Got the most watts out of the group and also looks sexy.

I appreciate any help you could give me. By the way this amp will be used with the RF7 package. Course any of these amps will be able to drive these efficient speakers but I want to leave some headroom just in case I end up getting new speakers in the bedroom or whatever. Of course feel free to throw in any other amps, but please pick one of these 5 when you respond. Thanks!

[Trooper]

I think some "Indy-trip" attendees might also recommend the Aragon 2005, 2007 or 3005. I believe one of the demo rooms used the 3005 with a full RF7 system. I use the 2005 & 2002 with mine.

[michaelstano]

The Outlaw amps need to be on your short list, especially the 770, kin to the Sherbourn.

[chuckears]

elgrillo,

I seem to have answered this same question posed by your HTSpot self ("jigrillo")... I would go with the Bryston or the Sherbourn from your list; not from your list, the McCormack HT5 or the HT3+DNA.5... McCormack and Klipsch sound wonderful together, but if you're not in a big city, you may have to take my word for it, given McCormack's limited distribution network.

[elgrillo]

chuck I went posting crazy this morning, going to every audio forum I can think of. Seems that people are just giving me more options than just choosing one of the 5...he he. People have mentioned the B&K 200.5 or the B&K 125.5, Aragon 2005(which looks mighty fine), and now your McCormack which I read somewhere that they went out of business. Do you know if this is true? If so I would automatically scratch them off my list just because I would be scared of it dying on me.

[elgrillo]

As I keep up the research and off of your replies and in other forums, I am starting to lean away from some choices and I wish to include some others. Man I change my mind too quick. Well the wallet has a lot to do with this as well. Which is the main reason that I am getting rid of Bryston, sunfire, and classe(which has gotten the most reccomendations with klipsch) I just don't see myself finding a good enough deal to warrant the extra cash. To substitute for these I am adding 2 more.

So its between

1. Parasound Halo A52

2. B&K 200.5 or 125.5

3. Aragon 2005

4. Sherbourn 5/5210

Unless I can get the Bryston or Classe close to 2k I can't really consider them. Thanks again fellas. Any of you ever seen the Bryston or Classe amps close to this range?

[chuckears]

McCormack Audio is no longer directly owned by Steve McCormack; Virginia-based Conrad-Johnson owns the name, but the quality is still as good, if not better, than it was under its namesake.

Steve McCormack still works out of California, under the name SMc Audio; he has made a lot of the original McCormack users much happier (if less wealthy) by offering upgrades to the DNA .5, 1, and 2 series amplifiers, HT1 amplifiers, as well as the TLC preamps. The sonic gains made by these modifications have earned this equipment high critical praise.

You can find these older units on the used market for roughly half their original retail cost; Steve McCormack has responded to every email inquiry I have made, usually within 24 hours; I have also spoken with him by phone a couple of times back when I still had my DNA-1; he is very gracious and friendly; although I did not heed his advice about it being alright to use separate, different-brand amplifiers for the front soundstage in HT applications (I think the center and mains should be powered by the same, or at least the same brand\specs, amplifier), it was still a pleasure to actually speak to the designer of components as audio-inspiring as his.

The reason I no longer own McCormack components myself is purely financial, with a little bit of WAF (she was tired of spending thousands of dollars for equipment that was hundreds of miles away)... I am happy with my Rotel, but it honestly does not hold a candle musically to my former DNA-1.

I can relate to the struggle you're going through; my advice would be to think this out carefully, and bide your time until the best deal comes along. Remember that, if you buy used, you can generally re-sell fairly quickly, and at not too much loss to yourself. Remember also that used quality amps and analogue pre-amps generally sound better over time.

[Strabo]

Try the Lexicon NT512. It's the same as the Bryston 9BTHX but can be found regularly on Audiogon under $2,500. I've seen it under $2,000 on occasion but you have to be patient.

Friend of mine picked one up new at a brick and morter store for $2,000 but like I said, have to be patient and persistant.

[elgrillo]

what exactly do the different classes in amps mean? What is the advantage of having balanced inputs? I still haven't made up my mind because basically all those amps get reccomended by people so there is practically no way for me to seperate them.

Based on my research and keeping in mind theey are powering kllipsch, If I had to rank them now I guess it would be like this:

1. Classe CAV180

2. Bryston 9b sst

3. a. Halo A52

3. b. ATI 2005

3. c. Earthquake CineNova Grande 5

3. d. B&K 200.5

3. e. Aragon 2005

3. f. Sherbourn 5/5210

3. g. Rotel RMB 1095

3. h. Anthem MCA 50

Those last 8 I have assembled pretty much in the same group, but still in order of ranking because my research really hasn't led me to believe that one is actually that much better than the other.

Would you guys agree with this ranking?

P.S Do you guys know if any of these amps have fans that come on when they get hot? Thanks

[TauRus]

I would like to second Michaelstano on Outlaw Audio amps. Very musical, very heavy, very good build quality, many units are of identical construction as Sherbourne (I believe same OEM). Aside from multichannel amps, they also have monoblocks. Check them out before making your choice (www.outlawaudio.com).

[birdied17]

Elgrillo--

If you are still in the market for amps, I have 3 Palladiums and 2 8008's that I will be selling soon. They are about a year old. I also have a Stage One that I will be selling.

Please contact me at mrhodes@indy.rr.com if you are interested.

Mike

[elgrillo]

why are you selling your aragon stuff? What is your opinion on the aragon klipsch matching?

[J M O N]

I only have experience with one of the brands you mentioned, but not the same model you listed. That brand is Classe. I was very impressed with the Classe sound. Went very well with the Cornwalls I once owned. Without a doubt, Classe is one of my favorite solid state amps. I would suggest you look for something used, and you may very well find something within your budget.

[TheEAR]

El Grillio,

Chucky T has a great pointer here,McCormack power amps are very smooth sounding and dare I say tube like.Heard a good few McCormack products(amps,preamps)and I can certify McCormack would be ...probably the most refined and smooth choice for Klipsch(the best choice).

Dont get put off by the unimpressive looks,McCormack owns Parasound,Aragon in smoothness.

[cultrain88]

I have the Aragon 3005, and I am quit happy with the sound. I use it for H/T only now. But had my khorns and surrounds running with them. Power is distributed evenly. Which was a shock to me, when i first set it up. I had a Rotel and unfortunately didn't keep up with my needs. The Aragon and Klipsch are synergistically matched. No worries here.

Cultrain88

Aragon Stage One

Bat VK-200

Aragon 3005

Music Fidelity A3

Denon 2900

Mitsubishi 73909

Klipschorns 90 Ak-3

RC-7, RS-7's

(2)SVS 20-39 PC+

Tranparent and Straightwire Interconnects & Speaker wire

PS Audio and Transparent Line Conditioners

[nicholtl]

I know that if you are able to contact specific manufacturer dealers (which you should be able to since you frequent other forums where they all hang out), they can probably give you deals far and beyond what any store could hope to.

[elgrillo]

Those of you who have experience with McCormack, have you ever compared it to anything else? Ears I take it you would choose the McCormack in the $2k range? Well a used DNA HT5 I would say might be had for around 2k used. Would you say the McCormack HT5 is a better amp then the classe or bryston? So far I have pretty much decided to go with either the Bryston or the Classe, but if the McCormack can outperform these amps then I would definataly add it into the group, which at least now only has 2 in it.

[chuckears]

Hey,

It would be hard for me to offer an opinion based on personal experience; I have heard Classe only with Martin Logans and Paradigms, and what I know about Bryston is from what I have read others compare it to...

I do know that McCormack sounds terrific with Klipsch Fortes and Legend-series speakers, and I can only assume that it would with other Klipsch, as well.

My only complaint with the unit I owned was a slight hum that could sometimes be heard through my speakers; but I attribute it to my lack of a dedicated line for HT, along with a poorly grounded cable company connection... factor in the high sensitivity of Klipsch speakers in general, and a little hum is to be expected (I had the same with my Rotel amp, until I started using a line conditioner, the Monster HTS800; any hum is now negligible, and only noticable if the house is completely quiet, and you put your ear right up to the drivers).

If you can score the HT5, I would recommend it; if it failed to please your ears, the resale (provided the unit is in good shape) should be able to match what you paid for it... I sold my DNA1 on audiogon.com for the same amount I paid for it, three years after I bought it (used). In fact, I would possibly be one of those interested, if it featured XLR inputs (I can't remember if it does; if not, high-quality RCA's do just as well).

Once again, best of luck; I know how torturous this decision can be; it's a major expenditure (especially if you're working-class and of moderate means, like me); but be at ease with the fact that, after commiting to paying for quality, you are going to get a LOT of enjoyment out of it...