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Im in the market for a 5 channel amp for a home theater setup that will mostly be used for 2 channel audio. I'm currently using a B&K ref 20 and AV 6000II, long story but the av 6000II and ref 20 are not mine and Im in need of an amp with at least 150 watts x 5, preferable more. I'll be using this amp to drive Platinum Reference 1's as the mains and Studio 2 center and rears, these speakers are fairly inefficient so the more power the better. Ive listened to the Golden Theater GTA-1, the Parasound 2205a, B&K 7250, Classe cav 150(out of my price range) and the Anthem MCA-5. Of these, the Golden theater was my favorite. My question now is should I travel about 100-150 miles to check out the ATI, Sherborn, Sunfire and EAD Powermaster 1000. Im really interested in the EAD, the reviews on its big brother have been great. My price range is from 1500-3000, I could go a little higher if needed, I'm looking for a long term solution here. Any input would be appreciated.Thanks Eric J
you are going to set-up your system and what you really need . Go to an article written by Doug Blackburn about How to Amplified Your Home Theater System at ( www.soundstage.com ). I'm sure you will be amaze of all the options you have to choose from .Best regards , Jose Garcia.
Thanks, that was very good article. Im going to have to stick to a 1 or 2 box solution for space reasons, but he gives me much to think about.
I am also waiting for my EAD Powermaster 2000 to come in. The price I am paying for mine is not very far over the $3000 mark brand new. Email me and I will go into more details. The same dealer also sells ATI, Bryston, Classe, and EAD just to name a few. He is a custom installer out of the MPLS. MN area that sells mail order also. Authorized in all the above mention brands, very knowledgeable, and a great guy to deal with.Also which magazines have the reviews out on the Powermaster 2000?
good luck
thanks
Mark R
EricIf you like the EAD why not go with the PM 2000 then you'll never have to worry about lack of power. I have one on order, should be here any day
in the mean time I'm just trying to get some one else to buy one.Phil
I don't believe I need that much power and I am trying to avoid paying more than about $3000-3200 is at all possible. I think the EAD 1000 will be enough and it fits the budget nicely. Thanks for the help!
Two suggestions:#1 - consider combining two and three channel amps. That way, you don't limit yourself to only 5 channel boxes. Plus, allows you to allocate your budget; e.g., spend more on a higher quality 3 channel amp for the front speakers, and buy an inexpensive, lower powered amp for the rear effects.
#2 - look for used equipment. Substantial savings off retail. For example, I use a combination of Aragon's 8008BB and 8008X3, which list for approx $5k combined. Recently, I saw an 8008BB for $1400; i.e., $1k off of retail.
I am very happy with my Aragon's by the way. They aren't Mark Levinson's, but they're a very reasonable value. Understand the same holds true for Bryston amps.
You have given me a great idea regarding using 2 amps. Would you suggest a nice 2 channel for the front mains (audio reasons) and a 3 channel for center and rears or would you prefer a good 3 channel for the front and a basic 2 channel for the rears. The reason I ask is that good 2 channels are relatively easy to come by. Thanks for the advice!
Oh God, I thought of one other route.Consider instead getting monoblocks all around. For the money, I like Marantz's. They have two models, which I understand differ just in power ratings (the higher powered ones of course cost more). But, either way, they don't cost a lot. So, you could start with the 2 or 3 of the high powered units, and then buy more (of the same rating, or the less expensive lower powered units) over time.
One of the problems with this route is all the power cords you'd have to deal with. But otherwise, it would give you a lot of flexibility, both in spreading out the cost of your investment over time, and in placement of the amps (you could put them all together and have long speaker wire runs, or place one by each speaker, and use short runs of speaker wire, which is supposedly better).
That's it. Think we've covered all the various ways you could go. Hope this has been helpful, not confusing. Good luck.
Thanks for the help Larry, Im going to go with a good 2 channel because my priority is audio. The monoblock is a good idea but I dont have the room for 5 seperate amps. Also, I think I've decided I'm going to buy a home this summer and it will(cross my fingers) have a theater room, at which time I would like to seperate the audio from the theater and having a good 2 channel will allow me to use my main speakers, CD Player and 2 channel amp for audio and add speakers and a moderate 5 channel, like a Anthem MCA5 or Acurus 125x5 to complete the theater room. Thanks for all the advice!
One other point I just thought of. In the next year or so, Dolby EX might take off (is DTS coming out with something similar?). That'll require yet another amp channel. So, if you allocated your money for a high quality 3 channel amp now, you could upgrade later on by purchasing an identical 3 channel amp for the 3 surrounds. Or, the way I'd go, you could buy an even better quality 2 channel amp right now, and plan to get a good 4 channel amp later on (they can be found).For example, you could get a great 3 channel amp for $2,500, and look for a used HK Citation 4 channel amp (I've seen them used on the net for less than $1,000). That would give you the 5 channels you need now, plus an extra channel for future needs. If you buy a 5 channel amp, and if EX becomes important later (possibly a BIG if, but Dolby has a lot of clout), you'll end up looking for a monoblock amp (wouldn't be a problem to some people - depends upon your preferences).
Kind of confusing when you try to plan long term. But, that's the fun (or frustrating, depending upon how you look at it) part of this hobby.
What's most important to you first? Music or video? I had limited funds, enough to buy either an average 5 channel amp, or stretch to something better (for me, the 8008BB was a stretch cost wise). My primary use then was 2 channel music, so I decided to get as good of an amp I could for the front left & right, and an inexpensive, used Acurus 3 channel amp for my center & surrounds. A couple of years later, I traded in that amp for the 8008X3.IMHO, I don't think spending big $$'s for surround speaker amps is all that necessary. Usually, the LF for those channels is routed to a sub, and I at least do not have audiophile quality surround speakers. OTOH, if you've spent the big $$'s for superior surround speakers, the ones that could benefit from a great amp, you can also afford a suitable (probably hi priced) amp.
Alternatively, you could look for a great 3 channel amp, for the front three speakers. Again, my opinion, for what it is worth to you, is that the surrounds don't necessarily need expensive amps.
Eric,I spoke with EAD Friday (Feb 18, 2000) and was told that the Powermaster
1000 will not be available for another 6-8 weeks :-(If it sounds as good as its bigger brother, it'll be quite a piece.
The Bryston is going to be a good solid amp -- if you're going that
route, you might want to think about going with Power Pac 120s all
around. It's the same amplifier module, as the 9B-ST (and the 8B-ST)
built as a monoblock. You could then put the amplifier with each speaker
and have minimal lengths of speaker cable.Other considerations: If you don't mind multiple boxes, for around
US$3K try to get your hands on the Marsh Sound Design amplifiers,
model a200s (2x125 watts @ $1295) and ht500s (3x125 watts @ $1395).
The downside of the Marsh amps is that they have a very short warranty
(2 years), especially when put up against the Brystons.
Thanks for the information, Im not sure I wanna have 5 seperate amps due to setup limitations, however a 2 box solution is one that I am considering and I will look into the Marsh Amps, Thanks!!
There are currently a lot of fantastic choices out there. I just read reviews on Rotel and B&K 5-ch amps that indicated that they were very good for the price. I went with a Bryston 9BST for several reasons. The 20 year warranty is wonderful, and the sound and power reserve is absolutely amazing. I have driven my system to ridiculous levels (not my usual listening style, but I wanted to see what this amp would do when pushed) without the amp even so much as batting an eyelash. Smooth sound top-to-bottom with no sense of treble grit or strain. Well rounded with superior imaging and soundstaging. The build quality is fantastic and I couldn't be happier with the sound. Strongly recommended that you do NOT make a purchase without first auditioning the 9BST.
Hope this helped!
How much would the Bryston cost me?
Hammer is right--about $3800 list, but you'd be a fool to pay that much. I got mine 10 months old from a guy in Canada for $2600! I'd check out Audiogon.com, Ebay, etc. to see if you can pick up a used one first (but don't hold your breath--these amps are incredible and I don't expect you'll find them too often on the used market). The transferrable warranty protects you 100%. Bryston does indeed stand behind their products 100%.
Each amp is thoroughly inspected and burned-in 300 hours before it ships. Each comes with a "birth sheet" which specifies specs as tested. Mine is approximately 155 watts/ch with around .003% THD+N. Mind you that those 155 watts are clean, clean, clean from 1-155. The amp acts like it has more like 250 or 300 watts IMO.
Definitely check it out and feel free to ask me more questions if you wish--I think that you'll be hard pressed to find a better amp in it's price class.
Power is a real big concern for me, my Platinum Ref 1's are very innefficient about 84db and they are 6 ohm nominal. With that said, you said your amp is rated at 155 per channel, is that from the birth sheet and what is the power at 6 ohms VS. 8 ohms? I have been using a B&K that is 135 x 5 and I can drive it to clipping with DD or DTS sources. I need enough power to prevent clipping over the long run. I'm sure the amp sounds great, never talked to anyone who did not love the Bryston amps. Thanks!
Eric, I'll have to crawl up in the attic and pull it out of the box, but the 155 is into 8 ohms, so you're going to get more into 6. How big is your listening room? Do you watch your movies at calibrated levels? With the power reserves that the 9BST has, you'd have to have a huge room and drive your system to insane levels to clip the amp. Let me know the size of your room and your volume preference and I'll pull the sheet for you in the meantime.
Room size is 24 x 19 with 9ft ceiling. I like it pretty loud on movie nights, the B&K I think is overated as far as sheer power goes, plus its THD is more like .1 at 135 in 8ohms. I think the Bryston might do it, Im gonna go give it a lsiten, I appreciate your help!
Eric,
I would have to agree with Gary's suggestion. The Bryston 9BST is an awesome amplifier. The list price is $3800 but you should be able to do better than that. The extra you'll end up spending will even out in the long run. Very few companies stand behind thier products like Bryston does.
Visit thier web site and get the 800 number and ask them some questions and you'll see what I mean. 20 year warranty with this quality is piece of mind. The warranty is transferable and helps maintain thier products value.
-Hammer
I went through the same process and ended up with an ATI 1505. If you are power hungry, the 2505 might be worth a listen.
Ive added this one to my short list, its reviews look good, Thanks!
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