Stereo Amplifier choices

[Randyrhoads1981]

I'm looking for an Amplifier for my
Control Room Monitors.
My original choice was the Crown D-75,
but it seems to be going for a
lot more $ than it did 6 months ago.
I need low-cost(around$60-$80) and high-quality.
Any ideas?

[darjama]

You might find a used hafler in your budget, but that's not much to spend for good quality.

[Randyrhoads1981]

You might find a used hafler in your budget, but that's not much to spend for good quality.

Yeah, maybe I should just save my pennies
for the Crown D-75, it's a good investment.

[calaverasgrandes]

I picked up my adcom 535 for that much. It had a "blown" left channel, which turned out to be the internal fuse on that channel. $2 fix.
So maybe keep an eye on ebay fo adcom 5X5 series with a dead channel?

[cgarges]

I did a lot of amp shootouts over a period of a few years when I bought my B&W speakers and I have to say that although I was mostly checking out higher-end amps, the Crowns were always WAY down on the list in terms of sonic performance. I was much more impressed with the Alesis RA-100 (which I have to say is a pretty great amp for very little money) and this Carver amp that belongs to a friend of mine that I don't think is very expensive.

I also think the Yamaha amps (including their home stereo amplifiers) sound rather nice.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[calaverasgrandes]

2nd on the yamaha NS series amps. the ones with the big old vu meters.
absolute beasts of amps. find them at pawn shops, swap meets etc.

ps ns=natural sound

[cgarges]

Even the home stereo amps sound great. If you have relatively efficient speakers that don't require boatloads of power for critical listening, those things would probably be fine on a budget.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[studiodog]

I have both the crown and a Alesis RA-100. I prefer the crown but both work great. Also the old Pioneer SA series amps are pretty nice.

[chorga1]

A used Hafler or Adcom would be my choice.

[calaverasgrandes]

Yeah I was pretty ambivalent about power amps until I got my Adcom 535. It really sounds amazingly snappy.

[chorga1]

An amp that can supply plenty of current is CRUCIAL to deep bass and powerful transients.

The difference between the Bryston I'm using now and my Old Harmon Kardon is night and day! There is easily an octave more extension on the bottom end, the highs are smoother and the imaging is ridic-u-lous.


If you can afford a used 2B - $300-500 depending upon age and options - you will be very pleased and you'll have an amp that will last the rest of your lifetime.

The adcoms are a great bargain choice if not!

[dsw]

Well, I must dissent. In my humble (*ahem*, I do mean humble) opinion the Alesis RA-100 blows. Grainy, blurry and just generally icky sounding.

Another great sounding amp that you may be able to find used is the Parasound line.
They are hi-fi amps designed by John Curl, and they sing like a Hafler, my other favorite.

Too bad Hafler is gone, but nobody buys power amps anymore.

[cgarges]

Too bad Hafler is gone, but nobody buys power amps anymore.

Yes, too bad Hafler is gone because most of their shit blows up at the most inopportune time and some of it is difficult to fix.

In my search for amps, I watched three different borrowed Haflers crap out, even though they sounded great. The older 500 series were especially good. I got a good deal on a brand new 3000 that lasted until just outside the warranty period before blowing up on me. Nice.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[calaverasgrandes]

There stuff was great but yes unreliable like Carver! Anyone ever see a PM series carver go into thermal before you can make it to the amp rack!
"whats that red light?" pooooosh!,,,grey smoke.
CRowns that are old may need new caps, since teh DC series had huge caps this can be pricey. But a DC300 is a hell of a power amp! Weighs a ton too.

[cgarges]

Huh. Got a Carver underneath the Bryston at the studio that's been on almost every day for about five years straight. (Since the last Halfer blew up, basically.)

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC