7-channel power amplifier recommendations

[PhilCohen]

I had been saving up money to buy an Outlaw Audio model 7220 power amplifier....until today, when Outlaw imposed an outrageous price increase (from $2799 to $3499), so now I must look elsewhere. Outlaw's executives are out of their minds to impose such an increase when this country is headed into a new Great Depression.
I had considered buying an Emotiva XPA-7 Gen.3, but the general consensus is that Emotiva amplifiers have problems with buzz & hum. I had tried to buy an XPA-7 Gen.3 in January 2019, but Emotiva got into a skirmish with U.S. customs, and their amplifier manufacturing had to halt for a while. I cancelled my order, and got a refund.
I ask you, dear readers, what options I have in 7-channel power amplifiers with anything from 185 watts to 220 watts per channel into 8 ohms. And, I'd like to have XLR inputs, if possible.
And before any of you recommend the Monolith amplifier, I should advise you that it is no longer available.

 

[Gmoney]

EMO did the same thing put out a lot of low cost gear than guess what? went up on All their prices.
Nothing new that’s Corporate America’s number one rule build a mouse trap and they will come. RBH did the same thing with a low end speaker with there cheap Impression speaker. Maybe check out Adcom or Parasound, ADTG is a member on AH great guy he can help with getting ATi amps and some other’s I believe shoot him a inbox message.

 

[Movie2099]

I had been saving up money to buy an Outlaw Audio model 7220 power amplifier....until today, when Outlaw imposed an outrageous price increase (from $2799 to $3499), so now I must look elsewhere. Outlaw's executives are out of their minds to impose such an increase when this country is headed into a new Great Depression.
I had considered buying an Emotiva XPA-7 Gen.3, but the general consensus is that Emotiva amplifiers have problems with buzz & hum. I had tried to buy an XPA-7 Gen.3 in January 2019, but Emotiva got into a skirmish with U.S. customs, and their amplifier manufacturing had to halt for a while. I cancelled my order, and got a refund.
I ask you, dear readers, what options I have in 7-channel power amplifiers with anything from 185 watts to 220 watts per channel into 8 ohms. And, I'd like to have XLR inputs, if possible.
And before any of you recommend the Monolith amplifier, I should advise you that it is no longer available.

Anthem is having a sale on their amps and AVR's. Check them out.

 

[Pogre]

I'd wait for a Monolith myself, but I have a decent receiver on backup so I wouldn't be in a rush and wouldn't be without sound.

 

[PhilCohen]

EMO did the same thing put out a lot of low cost gear than guess what? went up on All their prices.
Nothing new that’s Corporate America’s number one rule build a mouse trap and they will come. RBH did the same thing with a low end speaker with there cheap Impression speaker. Maybe check out Adcom or Parasound, ADTG is a member in AH great guy he can help with getting ATi amps and some other’s I believe shoot him a inbox message.

These days,ADCOM makes only 2-channel amplifiers. I would have prefered ADCOM. My present day 5-channel amplifier is an ADCOM. But my next generation surround set-up will be 7.1

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

EMO did the same thing put out a lot of low cost gear than guess what? went up on All their prices.
Nothing new that’s Corporate America’s number one rule build a mouse trap and they will come. RBH did the same thing with a low end speaker with there cheap Impression speaker. Maybe check out Adcom or Parasound, ADTG is a member in AH great guy he can help with getting ATi amps and some other’s I believe shoot him a inbox message.

Mike, currently ATI is only selling their 200WPC NC amps (like AT527Nc) and 300WPC amps (like AT6007).

 

[lovinthehd]

Why is a 7ch amp of equal capabilities per channel the best solution to the situation in the first place? Just askin'.....

 

[M Code]

Note on E-Bagger a guy has a brand new Monolith 200Wx7 amplifier still in the box unopened @ a good price. He resides in SoCal near LA. Here is the link if U are interested..

Monoprice Monolith 7X 200 Watts Home Theater Power Amplifier XLR Inputs | eBay

This item has never been used. in it's original box and everything included. this is for local pickup in los angeles/north los angeles area.

www.ebay.com

Just my $0.02...

 

[PhilCohen]

Well, I don't live in Southern California, so local pick-up is not possible.
As far as I know, there are only six manufacturers of 7-channel power amps: Integra (Not enough power: 140 wpc), Marantz (Not enough power: 150 wpc), Monolith (not presently available new), McIntosh (far beyond what I can afford), Outlaw Audio (A poor value due to recent $700 price increase & steep shipping charges) and Emotiva (Reasonably priced, but rumored hum & buzz problems).
For now, I'm not going to buy any amplifier. It was going to be part of my "museum grade" system; an entire spare set of home theater equipment that won't ever be played, unless my previous system were to break down and become unrepairable; a spare system being bought while my state is one of only five which doesn't have an internet tax. I've already amassed Klipsch speakers(4 x RF-7III, 2x RP-502S, RC-64III & R-115SW), an Oppo Ultra high definition Blu-Ray player(UDP-205, Modified code-free) and an Integra A/V Processor(DRC R1.1). I'm sure that it's all good equipment. Maybe someday I'll play it....or maybe not. (I did test the subwoofer for 30 seconds, to confirm that its amplifier works!)
I had been considering buying an OLED television, but concerns about the long-term durability of the sets and reports that it can't show rapid movement as well as my (11-year old) Panasonic plasma T.V. have detered me from buying OLED. On YouTube,, technology "expert" FOMO got into a discussion with visitors to his channel, several of whom have 11-year old Panasonic and Pioneer plasma sets that are still going strong, and FOMO leveled with people. He said, "The Best television is the television that you already own, that works". As FOMO reports, T.V. technology (and which OEM "panel"manufacturers are ending the production of certain types of panels) means that T.V. technology is in an uncertain transitional phase. It's not a good time to purchase.

 

[TLS Guy]

Well, I don't live in Southern California, so local pick-up is not possible.
As far as I know, there are only six manufacturers of 7-channel power amps: Integra (Not enough power: 140 wpc), Marantz (Not enough power: 150 wpc), Monolith (not presently available new), McIntosh (far beyond what I can afford), Outlaw Audio (A poor value due to recent $700 price increase & steep shipping charges) and Emotiva (Reasonably priced, but rumored hum & buzz problems).
For now, I'm not going to buy any amplifier. It was going to be part of my "museum grade" system; an entire spare set of home theater equipment that won't ever be played, unless my previous system were to break down and become unrepairable; a spare system being bought while my state is one of only five which doesn't have an internet tax. I've already amassed Klipsch speakers(4 x RF-7III, 2x RP-502S, RC-64III & R-115SW), an Oppo Ultra high definition Blu-Ray player(UDP-205, Modified code-free) and an Integra A/V Processor(DRC R1.1). I'm sure that it's all good equipment. Maybe someday I'll play it....or maybe not. (I did test the subwoofer for 30 seconds, to confirm that its amplifier works!)
I had been considering buying an OLED television, but concerns about the long-term durability of the sets and reports that it can't show rapid movement as well as my (11-year old) Panasonic plasma T.V. have detered me from buying OLED. On YouTube,, technology "expert" FOMO got into a discussion with visitors to his channel, several of whom have 11-year old Panasonic and Pioneer plasma sets that are still going strong, and FOMO leveled with people. He said, "The Best television is the television that you already own, that works". As FOMO reports, T.V. technology (and which OEM "panel"manufacturers are ending the production of certain types of panels) means that T.V. technology is in an uncertain transitional phase. It's not a good time to purchase.

Why a 7 channel amp? I think that is a bad idea. There is little advantage over a receiver. Four two channel amps are a much better solution. Buy rack mounted amps and it will look neat and tidy. I think that will be more economical. You can buy four of these for $1400.00. QSC amps have a good reputation and are reliable.

You have more than enough money left over to buy a nice 19" rack for them. I think that is better then any of your other options.

As far as OLED I have had a 77" C class LG OLED running for six months. So far so good. Obviously this is new technology so I'm a little nervous. The picture is excellent and no burn in so far. I did by extended warranty from Best Buy. I have heard that LG have very poor warranty service which is a concern.

I personally use Quad 909 amps. These are now replaced by the Artera, but that is well outside your budget.

 

[PhilCohen]

Receiver?But I've already got an excellent A/V processor (I.E. preamp). the Integra DRC R1.1 . I only need amplification.

 

[TLS Guy]

Receiver?But I've already got an excellent A/V processor (I.E. preamp). the Integra DRC R1.1 . I only need amplification.

Receiver or pre/pro. it makes no difference. Your Integra will be fine with the approach I suggested.

 

[gr8eyes]

Not sure how long you can wait but according to the Monoprice Website they haven't quit making them they have just run out. It appears they are scheduled to get more in 7/20

Hope this is the case because I'm looking to get one and a 9 Channel for a HT application.

Maybe you could get the 9 channel and have 2 spares?

 

[PhilCohen]

My 94 year old mother has urged me to not buy any equipment for now. As for manufacturers who only sell direct to the public, let's see if they are still able to manufacture(and reliably supply) their products during the present crisis, and, indeed, which manufacturers will survive a possible new Great Depression. There's going to be an extreme drop-off of people buying non-essential luxury goods, which makes Outlaw Audio's drastic price increase look flat-out insane. Despite what what was said in a 1980's movie, greed ISN'T good.
I'll wait and see if Monoprice/Monolith resumes selling their 7-channel amplifier.

 

[DigitalDawn]

I know the owners of Outlaw very well, and I can promise you that the price increase had absolutely *nothing* to do with greed.

 

[Outlaw Audio LLC]

Dear Phil,

We wanted to reply to your post about our "outrageous" price increase on our Model 7220.

First, as everyone who has been following CE is aware, long before Covid-19 there were major tariff increases placed on imported Chinese goods.

While the Outlaw Model 7220 is assembled in the USA, many of the high performance components that represent a significant percentage of the product are imported from China and other offshore vendors. While we would prefer it not to be the case, most of these components are simply not available from domestic sources at anything close to a reasonable price. Yes, they "might" be available at military spec ("mil-spec") quality levels at the cost of many multiples of consumer prices, but then the Model 7220 would cost no less than $6,000 and we wouldn't be here talking about it. Strange as it may sound, the tariffs on imported parts are actually much higher than they are on imported finished goods.

Second, to make matters worse, the Covid-19 epidemic shuttered many of the factories that build these parts. As these factories are slowly reopening and starting to build again with limited staff, the demand from a variety of companies that use these parts has increased and prices have additionally gone up.

Finally, air-freight costs have gone through the roof and sea freight costs (which are a slow way to ship) have also increased drastically.

So we have been faced with dramatic increases in all of these costs and have been forced to make one of two choices:

1. We discontinue this product.
or
2. We offer the Model 7220 at a higher price reflecting our new reality and the costs that are being passed along to us from our manufacturers and shippers.

We have chosen the latter and, quite frankly, we are not better off from this change in pricing. One of the reasons that many other companies are out of stock on similar products is that several factories are still shuttered and those that are operational are, like us, facing massive cost increases and severe supply chain disruptions.

The idea that we are taking advantage of the Covid-19 situation is just not the case. We are doing our best to continue to provide the high quality products and ongoing support to our customers at the best value we can afford. Hopefully the Covid-19 and tariff situations affecting everyone's costs will at some point change in a positive direction that will allow us to revisit the pricing on this product.

We hope this gives you a better understanding of the situation.

Best regards,
The Outlaws

 

[Pogre]

Note on E-Bagger a guy has a brand new Monolith 200Wx7 amplifier still in the box unopened @ a good price. He resides in SoCal near LA. Here is the link if U are interested..

Monoprice Monolith 7X 200 Watts Home Theater Power Amplifier XLR Inputs | eBay

This item has never been used. in it's original box and everything included. this is for local pickup in los angeles/north los angeles area.

www.ebay.com

Just my $0.02...

So what's wrong with this one MCode posted? Looks like it's still available.

Monoprice Monolith 7X 200 Watts Home Theater Power Amplifier XLR Inputs | eBay

This item has never been used. in it's original box and everything included. this is for local pickup in los angeles/north los angeles area.

www.ebay.com

*Edit: Crud. I just saw it's local pickup only.

 

[TLS Guy]

Dear Phil,

We wanted to reply to your post about our "outrageous" price increase on our Model 7220.

First, as everyone who has been following CE is aware, long before Covid-19 there were major tariff increases placed on imported Chinese goods.

While the Outlaw Model 7220 is assembled in the USA, many of the high performance components that represent a significant percentage of the product are imported from China and other offshore vendors. While we would prefer it not to be the case, most of these components are simply not available from domestic sources at anything close to a reasonable price. Yes, they "might" be available at military spec ("mil-spec") quality levels at the cost of many multiples of consumer prices, but then the Model 7220 would cost no less than $6,000 and we wouldn't be here talking about it. Strange as it may sound, the tariffs on imported parts are actually much higher than they are on imported finished goods.

Second, to make matters worse, the Covid-19 epidemic shuttered many of the factories that build these parts. As these factories are slowly reopening and starting to build again with limited staff, the demand from a variety of companies that use these parts has increased and prices have additionally gone up.

Finally, air-freight costs have gone through the roof and sea freight costs (which are a slow way to ship) have also increased drastically.

So we have been faced with dramatic increases in all of these costs and have been forced to make one of two choices:

1. We discontinue this product.
or
2. We offer the Model 7220 at a higher price reflecting our new reality and the costs that are being passed along to us from our manufacturers and shippers.

We have chosen the latter and, quite frankly, we are not better off from this change in pricing. One of the reasons that many other companies are out of stock on similar products is that several factories are still shuttered and those that are operational are, like us, facing massive cost increases and severe supply chain disruptions.

The idea that we are taking advantage of the Covid-19 situation is just not the case. We are doing our best to continue to provide the high quality products and ongoing support to our customers at the best value we can afford. Hopefully the Covid-19 and tariff situations affecting everyone's costs will at some point change in a positive direction that will allow us to revisit the pricing on this product.

We hope this gives you a better understanding of the situation.

Best regards,
The Outlaws

I can't speak for Phil, but I figured everything you mentioned was a factor.

Going forward, I think there is going to be push back against sourcing from China. I have little confidence of a lot of stuff that comes out of China.

I think we do need to move goods production here, and get better paying jobs. There does need to be a return drive to quality. I use Quad amplification exclusively and have done for at least 50 years. There was always a drive for quality. Peter Walker used to regard any failed unit of any vintage as a personal failure. So his gear has been durable and there are reliable estimates that 90% of his produced gear is still in working order. It now fetches more on eBay than its original price and is in high demand.

So there needs to be a drive to quality. There is way too much gear getting recycled prematurely that in fact ends up being toxic waste. To me $6000.00 dollars for a decent robust 7 channel amp does not sound far off. One of the tricks is elegant design. When you look at Peter's designs you see very few components compared to others, and when you look inside there are neat boards with a low part count. That is the best way to control costs, and then there are also less parts to fail.

 

[CajunLB]

Adcom makes a 5 channel amp but not 7.

 

[PhilCohen]

Adcom makes a 5 channel amp but not 7.

Check ADCOM's site. They make only 2-channel amplifiers now.