Does anyone know anything about Marantz amps?

[GregBe]

I have been thinking of adding a dedicated amp to my receiver to drive my 4ohm speakers. A local dealer has a Marantz 9340 open box for $1200 which normally retails for $2400. It is a four channel amp that they say puts out 400watts into 4ohms. It is only a 4 channel amp, but I really am only concerned about my front three anyway. Do Marantz dedicated amps compare well to Rotel, Adcom and the like? Do I need something special as far as my wall outlet is concerned with that much power so as to not blow a circuit everytime I power up?

Thanks
Greg

 

[zumbo]

Adcom would be my choice.

http://www.adcom.com/amplifiers/gfa5503.htm

Specifications
GFA-5503

Number of channels 3
Watts per channel into 8 ohms 200
Watts per channel into 4 ohms 350
Bridged power @ 8 ohms n/a
Rated THD 0.018%
THD + noise at full power into 8ohms/4ohms typical
20Hz 0.018% / 0.018%
1kHz 0.020% / 0.020%
20kHz 0.130% / 0.160%
Input required for 1 watt output 0.1 volt
Input required for rated output 1.4 volts
Dynamic headroom into 4 ohms 1.7dB
IM distortion CCIF full power any combination 4kHz to 20kHz <0.035%
Frequency Response 20Hz to 20kHZ +0, -0.25dB
Power bandwidth (-3dB) 3Hz to 130kHz
Gain 29dB
Input impedance: Unbalanced 49.9k ohms
Input impedence: Balanced n/a
Signal to noise ratio "A" weighted at rated power into 8 ohms >100dB
Power consumption
(all channels driven)
Quiescent 199VA
Maximum 1440VA
Dimensions (inches) HxWxD
Chassis 7 x 17 x 16
Maximum 7 x 17 x 16
Weight (lbs)
Net 57
Packed 63

$1699.95 with free shipping from an authorized dealer. I have purchased from here before. Very good site.
http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/gfa-5503.html

 

[corysmith01]

Yeah, audioadvisor has the same deal too:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=ADCGFA5503&product_name=GFA-5503 Three Channel 200wpc Power Amplifier

I'm thinking about adding an amp for the front 3 also, so if you're not opposed to used an the amp above may work, I scoped this one out earlier and am tempted (same amp, way cheaper):

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1144824852

 

[j_garcia]

You've heard mine and that one is nicer than mine. In fact, you probably don't realistically need that much power for your M&Ks. Power amps are much more powerful than anything you will find in 99% of all receivers, so you don't quite need to go as far up the food chain in terms of power with them, though you do want enough headroom to be able to handle peaks. $1200 is good for that amp open box, because you will still get the full warranty.

Shoot me an e-mail and let's get together Greg.

 

[zumbo]

Yeah, audioadvisor has the same deal too:
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=ADCGFA5503&product_name=GFA-5503 Three Channel 200wpc Power Amplifier

Not available. No free shipping.

 

[corysmith01]

Not available. No free shipping.

My fault...i shoulda checked that. Sorry.

 

[highfihoney]

the adcom 5503 that zumbo reccomended is a great amp,if you dont mind a few nicks here is a smoking hot deal on one.

as long as you keep the circut free from other high power draw devices you should be fine with most amps.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1144866447

 

[GregBe]

Thanks for the advice guys. John, I loved the way your Marantz sounded, but that Adcom 5503 deal on Audiogon that highfihoney pointed out was too good to pass up. It has some scratches, but it will be out of sight so that won't matter. I just purchased it today for $500. I noticed it doesn't have a 12V trigger. I would rather not have to physically turn it on with each use. Not so much for me, but for my family. I have everything set up with my Universal Remote, and ease of use is critical. Is it ok to leave it on 24/7? I have read about surge protectors that have the ability to switch on when it senses something else being switched on . Would something like this work as well?

Thanks again
Greg