gerbache Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Now that I have a pretty decent set of sources and speakers, it's time to look to getting a better amplifier than the dying receiver I'm using now. I've been eyeing one of the vintage integrated amps for a while now to be a pet project for fixing up (I'm in electrical engineering at a university, so I'm pretty familiar with a soldering iron and have access to some pretty spiffy equipment). The trouble with this idea is that I'm considering looking to upgrade to a multi-channel SACD setup in the future, since I'd like to upgrade to Cornwalls or La Scalas anyway, kicking the Heresies to surround duties. I'm not sure that I want to get an integrated setup with no options of expansion in the future. Instead of an integrated, I was thinking of getting into separates and trying to find a decently priced pre/power amp setup. The other option I was thinking would be to simply get a fairly high end a/v type receiver, but I'm concerned that this will prove unsuitable for my current, two channel setup. I wish I could afford having separate setups for stereo and surround, but on a student's budget, I'm scrimping to be able to afford this stuff at all. Speaking of, my total budget for this new amplifier setup is going to be somewhere under a thousand, preferably more like $600-$800 if at all possible, and I'm fully willing to go used. I've already been thinking about getting something along the lines of a Conrad Johnson PV10, which seems to go on Audiogon fairly frequently, and some sort of poweramp, but I wouldn't know exactly what would be a good bet in that department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I just haven't had very good luck mixing two-channel listening with surround. I understand the tight budget, but I'd choose one or the other and work on that for a while. What I found was that I simply didn't need the same volume in my HT system as with my two-channel, so as I started to build a HT system off my two-channel, I ended up spending big money trying to make all the pieces of the HT system keep up with my two-channel. In the end, I had a huge HT system that was barely being turned up when we occasionally watched movies, and the sound quality of my two-channel system suffered. JMO, but I'd keep em separate. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Before going to a full AV recevier, I used a Parasound P/SP-1500AV with very good results. You can bypass all the processing by running it in 2-channel audio (button on the front panel). You can read all about it here: Wardsweb's PSP-1500 Preamp Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.