can you help me choose a power amp?

[Bernardo Garcia Barros]

right now

Electronics:
Marantz PM8005 (will be used as a pre amp)
Marantz NA6005
Marantz UD7007

Speakers:
PSB Synchrony ONE


I need a power amp, my towers are power hungry..

options:

1.-Marantz MM7025
2.-Parasound Halo A23
3.-Emotiva XPA-2

my favorite would be the Marantz because I love the brand, but these 3 are pretty similar in power and price, and this got me thinking.. should the parasound or the emotiva worth making my sound system "ugly" all the marantz together looks so nice.. (and sounds great to me)

the Marantz and the Parasound are on sale this weekend Parasound a bit more pricier

 

[markw]

Sound wise, you can't lose with any of these. So, it boils down to power

The Marantz, with 140 watts, will double your available power so peaks will be about 3 db louder, which is barely noticeable.

The Halo has a bit less power than the Marantz so peaks will not be improved quite as much.

The Emotiva, with 300 watts, is the powerhouse of the bunch. It's got over twice the power of any of the other two amps in your list. I had a friend using one of these to drive my power hungry Magnapan 1.6's and it handled them with aplomb.

The question would be, how much power can your speakers absorb before they start farting out? They may be rated to be able to "handle" so many watts (sometimes short term peaks) without damage but there's no guarantee they will sound good doing so.

 

[PENG]

The XPA-2 could make a difference. For $719 it seems like a good deal.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I voted for the Marantz amp b/c I don't think your speakers need more than that and it looks better with the rest of your system.

 

[fmw]

The Marantz at least matches the preamp cosmetically. That seems to be the way to go.

 

[ImcLoud]

I have to say I would go with the xpa2, or a pair of outlaw 220 mono blocks, you can get bstock for around $600 sometimes...

I own both a system with an xpa2 and a system with the 2200's, I like mono blocks, but they both work amazing, pics in link below..

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Speakers:
PSB Synchrony ONE

I need a power amp, my towers are power hungry..

I recommend to read this first:
http://www.audioholics.com/home-theater-connection/connecting-an-external-amp-to-a-receiver

For reference: Your PM8005 is rated at 100Wpc at 4ohm and Your speakers are measured to be 88.3dB(B)/2.83V/m sensitivity and rated at 4ohm.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/psb-synchrony-one-loudspeaker-measurements

As to your original question - my vote is none. Keep PM8005 to do what it supposed to be doing integ-amp, unless you have huge space and listen at very high volumes.

I am willing to bet what room sub and/or room treatments will be much bigger positive effect than new amp

 

[brent]

I have some similar questions and hope this is the correct or best forum to ask for recommendations as to what options I have. I am a longtime fan of the Audioholics site here, rarely post but actively read and access the site several times weekly. Essentially I'm an older newbie. I live in Montana where there is little high end equipment for sale and not much available advice.

Here's my situation:
I have a pristine like new, lightly used B&K AVR 507 7.1 channel receiver (purchased as a demo from now-out of business Vann's Electronics in 2003). It supposedly has power output of 150 watts per channel-supposedly all channels driven at 20hz-20khz. It recently has been acting strangely. The blue led panel lights are very dim-almost unreadable and the receiver freezes when I try to set the speakers to 7 channel stereo using either the front panel multi function/mode dial or the MX 700 original remote and then when it freezes absolutely nothing works-volume, menu, remote etc. I have to literally disconnect all of the speakers before I turn it off using the front power button or it will blow them. Reason I know this-it blew my tweeter and midrange on one of my Energy RC 70 speakers when I turned it off at a low but not silent volume setting. I now don't trust the receiver even though it was highly regarded when I purchased it. I am aware B&K is no longer in business. I was lucky to recently get a new replacement tweeter and midrange for the damaged RC 70 from Klipsch which owns Energy.

I realize there is a place called Eastern Elite or something similar I have seen on the internet to whom I can send the B&K for repairs but I am thinking that will be costly and since the receiver is pre anything HDMI which creates connection issues with other/newer components I am thinking about repairing it and using it for a whole house 8 speaker ceiling sound system and starting over with separates for my music/av system in my basement.

I am thinking about an Outlaw 7700, an Emotiva XPR-7, used Lexicon LX-7 or used Sunfire TGA 7401 as an amplifier and a combine it with a new Yamaha CX-A5100 preamplifier. Am I on the right track here? I am concerned about heat dissipation and weight of the amps-I will have it in an open back AV cabinet but wonder if that is sufficient.

So, here are my questions followed by my room size, eclectic list of av components and budget:

1. What are your opinions on these amps especially as to sound quality, performance and reliability? 2.What factors should I use in choosing one? Do you have other suggestions?
3. Any compatibility issues any of them would have with the Yamaha preamplifier? Are there other preamps you would recommend?
4. Should I just go with a high end receiver such as a Yamaha RX-A3050 or a Denon, Marantz or Pioneer?
5. Is buying a used amplifier from ebay, audiogon or elsewhere a safe, less expensive alternative?

Here's my room size: 18 ' wide, 24' deep, 7 1/2 feet height, carpeted, 2 couches, recliner
Components: B&K AVR 507 7.1 channel receiver 150 wpc
Energy RC 70 Front left and right
Energy RC-LCR Front Center
Mirage Omni 550 for left and right surround
Mirage Omni 550 for left and right rear
Energy ESW 12 inch powered subwoofer
Panasonic TC-65PS64 wall-mounted plasma TV
Sony W2000ES CD changer/recorder
Samsung BD D6500 Blu Ray Player
Harmony 650 remote
Use: 70 % music/30% TV/DVD/streaming movies
Budget: Approximately $4000-$4500 for amplifier and preamplifier or $2000-2500 for a receiver.

I apologize for the long post-hopefully my information above helps.Thanks for your patience with an older newbie trying to update his av system. I tend to keep my equipment for many years and just enjoy rather than swapping it out every few years. I really appreciate any help/advice anyone can give me as we only have two home theater brick and mortar businesses and they mainly want to sell me new equipment they carry ( neither had heard of B&K). We have no av repair facility at all except Best Buy which I am not sure I trust and likely cannot work on the B&K anyway. Thanks again and if this isn't the correct forum for these questions please advise where I should go on this site and I'll post it there instead.

 

[PENG]

4. Should I just go with a high end receiver such as a Yamaha RX-A3050 or a Denon, Marantz or Pioneer?

I have tried different Denon AVRs and separates (currently) with my Energy speakers and I do not feel there is any significant change in sound quality but that's me. All those AVRs are good but I prefer D&M's because they come with Audyssey XT32 and Sub EQ HT. Something like an AVR-X6200W plus a good two channel power amp such as the Parasound A23, Outlaw Monoblock, Emotiva XPA-2 should get you two channel sound quality comparable to or better than that previously offered by your B&K 507.

If you can wait, it is better to pick up a X3100W (comes with the lower end Audyssey XT only) for $499 now and add a two channel amp for well under 2K total, and then upgrade to the AVR-X7200W for under 1.5K in a couple of years. The two channel amp will still be good. The new Marantz AV8802 alone will set you back 4K so you do the math and figure out whether it is worth it or not, depending on whether you will use most of the features that you will be paying for.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would just get a Denon X3100 (like PENG says) on sale for $500 (MSRP $1000) and stop right there.

Or the Denon X4100 for $800 (MSRP $1500) and stop right there.

If you feel you need more power later (which I doubt), add an amp like ATI, Lexicon, etc.

 

[brent]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I like the idea of a receiver combined with a two channel amp-hadn't given that any consideration. Looks like you both like Denon/Marantz over the other brands-what makes them your top choice?Thanks again-I'll let you know what I learn about repairing my B&K and what replacement for it I select if it is toast.

 

[PENG]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I like the idea of a receiver combined with a two channel amp-hadn't given that any consideration. Looks like you both like Denon/Marantz over the other brands-what makes them your top choice?Thanks again-I'll let you know what I learn about repairing my B&K and what replacement for it I select if it is toast.

Only because of the Audyssey features, otherwise I may prefer Yamaha, just slightly. All 3 brands seem to have a solid record on reliability, especially Yamaha.

 

[lsiberian]

I'd suggest getting the receiver among the reputable brands that fills the bill. Receiver are prone to failure regardless the price you pay so don't overpay for features you really won't use. Be sure to google the model number and make sure it's not issue prone.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I like the idea of a receiver combined with a two channel amp-hadn't given that any consideration. Looks like you both like Denon/Marantz over the other brands-what makes them your top choice?Thanks again-I'll let you know what I learn about repairing my B&K and what replacement for it I select if it is toast.

In Direct Mode and not using Audyssey Dynamic EQ, I would say they are a toss up.

But after I fell in love with Audyssey DEQ, there was no going back. I have to use Audyssey DEQ for everything.