marantz ma500 bridged vs ma700

[flathead]

Occasionally I like to listen to my music very loud. I'm sure nobody else does this. My marantz 6001 is ok with it for a little while but eventually gets angry with me. I have a cooling fan on it but would prefer to simply not create the heat in the first place. I have been looking at the ma500 and ma700 to drive the klipsch rf82 speakers. it has become obvious that I can buy 2 ma500's for the price of one ma700. The extra power produced by bridged 500's is probably unnecessary, but having 4 500's seems more diverse in the case that the system gets modified, which it does. Am I missing anything that might make the 700 more advantageous?

 

[j_garcia]

Possibly some things to consider. 2 700s only have 2 power cords vs 4 (though I do recall it may be possible to daisy chain them) and take up less space than 4 500s. In bridged mode, the 500s would only be able to handle an 8 Ohm load; if the RF82s aren't 8 Ohm, then you'd risk damage. I've owned the 500s and they are good amps.

 

[flathead]

I have plenty of room, and the rf82's are 8 ohm. Which do you think would be easier to find?

 

[ski2xblack]

...the rf82's are 8 ohm.

I wouldn't be so sure on that. They have a "nominal 8 ohm" impedance, and a pair of woofs in parrallel, so... I would advise you to play it safe, and get amps that are adequately powerful without resorting to bridging.

 

[j_garcia]

I have plenty of room, and the rf82's are 8 ohm. Which do you think would be easier to find?

The 500s are definitely easier to find and less expensive like you said. Maybe just pick up a pair and try them out? By simply removing the mains from the receiver and giving each one their own power supply, it will still help. I had them with my Marantz, which is already rated at 120w and the 500s are only rated to 125w (both THX Select) and they were still an improvement. If it were me though, I'd probably look for 700s.

I wouldn't be so sure on that. They have a "nominal 8 ohm" impedance, and a pair of woofs in parrallel, so... I would advise you to play it safe, and get amps that are adequately powerful without resorting to bridging.

They should still be pretty easy to drive though with that sensitivity. 8 Ohms nominal means they dip low, but should not be a terribly difficult load. It might be OK like that, but like I said, I'd probably opt for 700s.

 

[GranteedEV]

My marantz 6001 is ok with it for a little while but eventually gets angry with me. I have a cooling fan on it but would prefer to simply not create the heat in the first place.

Big class AB monoblock amplifiers may disperse heat better due to their heavy heatsinking, but they're not particularily efficient.

If you really want a high powered amp that doesn't create heat, look into class D options - IE Wyred4Sound, SeymourAV, Crown XLS, Hephaestus. Channel Islands, and Hypex Ncore.

 

[flathead]

Thanks for the help everybody.