5 Channel Ampliifers

M

mitch57

Audioholic
I'm looking for some suggestions on a 5 channel Amplifier with a minimum of 200 Watts per channel. I also want to keep it within the $2500.00 range. I've been looking at both Adcom and Sherbourn.

I will be using my Denon 3805 as my processor.

Any suggestions and Pros and Cons would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
RaT

RaT

Junior Audioholic
Interesting Mitch. I have a Adcom GFA 6000 Adcom, a 5 channel amp and GFA 555 II Adcom amp and was asking about whether it makes sense to keep my old preamp/processor or upgrade to a AVR like the Denon, Marantz, Pioneer etc. I have found that when not listening to music, I can always weld with the GFA 555 II, it seems pretty tough.
 
A

av_phile

Senior Audioholic
I use the 250wpc Acurus A250 Stereo power amp to drive my fronts and the 200wpc Acurus 200X3 three-channel power amp to drive my center and rears. Alternatively I could have used a single 5-channel Acurus A200X5 or the 5-ch 200wpc Rotel RMB1095. There is also an the Aragon 8000X5 if not mistaken. I think both Acurus and Aragon have models that are already discontinued and thus command disocunted prices within your range at ebay or some internet site. You may want to google search these.
 
M

mitch57

Audioholic
RaT,

Don't get me wrong. The Denon 3805 is an awsome receiver. But I have Def Tech BP 7002s which demand lots of power. They sound great with the Denon and the Denon can provide enough power. However, I like to listen to DVD Audio disks on the loud side and I've heard that having a seperate power amp can improve things dramatically.
 
A

av_phile

Senior Audioholic
The improvements can be subtle, especially if you're coming from an excellent receiver to another excellent separate amp. You would need to really know the material you are playing very well to distinguish.

In my case, from a flagship 97 Onkyo to an Acurus separates, the difference in power rating is already telling. The Acurus has twice the power - a good 3db improvement for the same volume setting. And anything louder is always perceived to sound better. The stereo image is more spaceous and precise courtesy of better channel separation. The instrumental details became more apparent, courtesy of a higher signal/noise ratio and lower THD/IM. The bass is more defined, thanks to a much higher damping factor, from 50 at 60hz to 500.

I guess the separates you are contemplating at really has to have superior specs to begin with. I will not discount the possibility that after reading the superior specs, you may have a psychological "power of suggestion" thing to expect better sonics. But psychological or real, the important thing is you perceive a difference. This hobby is almost always about perceptions.
 

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