meuge Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I currently have a pair of RF-3IIs running off a Pioneer VSX-811S. It works great as a processor and produces very good sound, but during some more intense passages in rock or classical, the music seems to lose some of the detail and the soundstage. I thought that one of the reasons may be amplification. I heard a lot about the old Mondial amps, which are supposed to provide awesome power and warm sound for reasonable prices. I was looking at an Acurus A100 2x100 amp that I could get used for around $300. So I was wondering whether: 1. Is there any sense in upgrading to an offboard amp and using the receiver as a pre/pro. 2. Will it fix the issues I noted. 3. Is the A100 a good choice, or is there a better choice within the same price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiob Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 For the money your looking at spending, and what it seems your trying to do, the best luck I have had in the past,for 350 is an old Accoustat SS 200 watt per channel amp. It is a real powerhouse, and sounds good with klipsch, it is not as bright as many others which I have had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Your Pioneer VSX-811S already has 100WPC so you won't be gaining any headroom and that should be enough juice for RF-3IIs IMHO. What are you using as a source? How big is your room? How loud do you listen? Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted July 14, 2004 Author Share Posted July 14, 2004 My room is 10x17, my source... well... - it's an M-Audio Revolution sound card, doing coaxial digital out into the receiver. And no, I don't listen to MP3s, so that's not the issue here... I don't like switching CDs, so I ripped all my CDs to my hard drive using lossless FLAC. As for listening levels, I listen at about 75-80dB avg, 90-95 dB peaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnellis Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 If you have the opportunity, look into a Hafler 9130 (65 wpc) or 9170 (105 wpc)amp. These are very warm, tube like sounding SS amps and can usually be found for anywhere between $175.00 and $275.00 depending upon condition. IMHO, they sound wonderful with Klipsch. Bigtime bang for the buck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Bryston 3b can often be had used for that amount or slightly more. They are rated amongst the best amps period. They offer a 20 year, fully transferable warranty. They are always in demand. Using an outboard amp with a receiver is frequently done. The largest benefit in my mind is the reduced load on the transformer in the receiver and the better transformer in the offboard amp. Bryston's normally tend to be rated extremely neutral although I have heard the odd claim they are bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmyforte Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 i power all my klipsch with Acurus amps, they are a huge improvement over any A/V receiver. worth every penny. i have an A200x3 powering the front 3, and an A100x3 powering the rears. and a 100wpc acurus amp is really 100w. your pioneer would be lucky to acheive 60wpc with all 5 channels driven at less than 1% distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullahisland Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 ---------------- On 7/14/2004 11:48:18 PM Anarchist wrote: They are always in demand....---------------- So is BOSE, but that doesn't make them good. Actually, the Bryston 3B is good, but due to the high demand, they're far from what I'd call a "bargain". The Hafler 9XXX recomendation is spot on. Any of their TRANSNOVA amps are very warm with well-controlled bass. Very tube-like, indeed. Another great buy is the Muse 100. You can find these for about $350. And finally another one to look for, which is basically just an earlier version of the Hafler, is the Acoustat TransNova Twin 200 (200wpc) and Twin 120 (120wpc). These are also pure MOSFET designs. They also look very cool in their brushed stainless steel chassis. Very nice. You used to be able to find these for a couple hundred bucks...people are catching on and the used prices are climbing, but still well within your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiob Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Yea that was it, the transnova from accoustat. I had one of these 8-10 years ago with a pair of K-Horns, it did sound very good, at 200 wpc, it was the best sounding SS amp which I have heard on my K-horns.Boy did it plain rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Even though both the Pioneer receiver and Acurus amp are both rated at 100wpc, you'll probably find quite a bit more detail, smoothness, bass slam, and just about anything else that matters -- with the Acurus. A used B&K 200 watter might be able to be picked up for around that amount -- or just a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Check out the Crown XLS 202...I just bought a 402, but my speakers are also much lower in sensitivity. I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet, but the specs are rather amazing for what you're paying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted July 16, 2004 Author Share Posted July 16, 2004 (redundant) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted July 20, 2004 Author Share Posted July 20, 2004 I think I've settled on a B&K 150wpc ST-2020 amp that I can get for $300. Does anyone here think it's a good/bad buy or have any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abc Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Well, I can't think of anything for much less bucks than the Sonic Impact 5066(15watts/ch) for under $30.00. It's little gifts like these that make experimenting with HI FI fun again. Hook these little guys diriectly to each driver's voice coil, utilizing a good x-over circuit, and have some fun. If you don't like'em, throw'em in the trash. Chip amps are the proverbial Dixie Cup of amplifiers. I hope that chip amp technology opens alot of interesting doors. High efficiency speaker systems have the potential of magnifiying crossover distortions that are common to so many amplifiers, like a magnifiying glass does for the naked eye, whereas low efficiency systems bury this misinformation deeper into oblivion. I would say that "horn haters" are often, unknowingly, zooming in on the micro-nonlinearities of electronics and blaming the wrong piece of gear. Perhaps that is why so many people are sold on SE amps. They have NO crossover distortion that gets in the way of the waveform during those precious low level pieces of information which are so important for the nuances of reproduced sound. A high efficiency speaker will let you know when an untruthful amp crosses the line...literally, so don't shoot the messenger. Good luck on your research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JjR Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 ---------------- On 7/14/2004 9:00:19 PM meuge wrote: I currently have a pair of RF-3IIs running off a Pioneer VSX-811S. It works great as a processor and produces very good sound, but during some more intense passages in rock or classical, the music seems to lose some of the detail and the soundstage. I thought that one of the reasons may be amplification. I heard a lot about the old Mondial amps, which are supposed to provide awesome power and warm sound for reasonable prices. I was looking at an Acurus A100 2x100 amp that I could get used for around $300. So I was wondering whether: 1. Is there any sense in upgrading to an offboard amp and using the receiver as a pre/pro. 2. Will it fix the issues I noted. 3. Is the A100 a good choice, or is there a better choice within the same price range. ---------------- I was quite satisfied with the Yamaha CR-2040 receiver (so its not a amp) but the preamp section is excellent. Alother thing is that the variable loudness controll which is sweet. The 2040 is 140 WPC DIN. Also most of the Yamaha CR 1020, 1040 lineup is also very nice as well as the slightly newer (1980ish) R-2000. All can be had usually for under $300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 A question like this is always interesting, because you're likely to get as many product recomendations as there are amp manufacturers. You might do a search on some of the various manufacturer names in this forum, and you'll be able to get a good cross section of opinion on the products of those manufacturers. Frequently recommended amps that you might search on are: Adcom Rotel NAD B&K Monarchy I happen to own all of the original Adcom GFA 500 series (535, 545, 555), and I love what they do for my system. As with my or anyone's suggestions, your milage may vary. Be prepared to audition any amp before buying, to be sure you're buying a product that meets your objectives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 There are several B&k's I've seen for about 350,the Haflers are also a good deal I see often.Check Audiogon.com,2ch amps for a big variety.The 811 while good at its price would be lucky to hit 40 watts per ch,5ch driven with high distortion,it still sounds pretty good at lower volumes,an amp may really help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 I've made the jump - I got a B&K ST-2020 150wpc amp off audiogon. It's already been shipped and I'll post soon when I get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76scalas Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Early Hafler (DH200,DH220) best SS I have heard with Klipsch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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