whats a good 2ch amp to supplement a receiver

[mike c]

first of all, am i right to assume i can remove the 2 front speakers from the receiver (e.g. yam1500) plug in the 2ch amp to the front LR preout and plug the 2 front LR speakers to the 2ch amp (to be used for movies and music)

1) 2ch amp ... i need something thats cheap but has good power
2) anybody use tube amps for movies? or just music?

 

[MDS]

Yes, you have the connections right. I'm sure others will be along with recommendations for 2 channel amps.

 

[DaveOCP]

One thing, cheap and tubes dont mix. The very best tubes sound unbelievable. I've heard an all Audio Resarch setup through Dynaudio Evidence Temptations several years ago, and nothing since has come close to that kind of experience. A cheap tube amp will either sound terrible, or it will give you 3-5W of power.

I suggest Parasound's Model 275. I believe retail is around $600, and since it has terminals for 4 speakers, its capable of driving two bridged speakers at once for an output of 200W per channel.

 

[jaxvon]

Mike, a tube amp with enough power to drive non-highly efficient speakers will cost a lot of money. I realize that you're trying to stay within a budget, so I think that you should either stick with your receiver, or look for an inexpensive pro amp from Behringer, QSC, or Alesis. These will have oodles of power, a low price, and excellent specs to boot.

 

[sts9fan]

you could also look into getting two Outlaw m2200s

 

[mtrycrafts]

A cheap tube amp will either sound terrible, or it will give you 3-5W of power..

Let me see here. The Lamm ML2 puts out 18 watts, a bit above your 5 watts, it costs $14, 645, has .7% THD at idle, 1watts, and 3% THD approaching 18 watts. So, I suppose it meets the category of not being cheap

 

[mtrycrafts]

first of all, am i right to assume i can remove the 2 front speakers from the receiver (e.g. yam1500) plug in the 2ch amp to the front LR preout and plug the 2 front LR speakers to the 2ch amp (to be used for movies and music)

1) 2ch amp ... i need something thats cheap but has good power
2) anybody use tube amps for movies? or just music?

As MDS mentions, yes, you have it right. But, if you go this route, make sure that you get substantially more power in the new amp otherwise, why make a change???

 

[MacManNM]

What is cheap?
Would you consider used?

New, A mackie 1400i is a great amp with a ton of power, would do you good. It is around $500 I think.

Used you can pick up an Adcom GFA555 for around 300. That is also a good unit.

There are tons of decent amps out there on the used market, and they are all going to sound pretty close to the same.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

first of all, am i right to assume i can remove the 2 front speakers from the receiver (e.g. yam1500) plug in the 2ch amp to the front LR preout and plug the 2 front LR speakers to the 2ch amp (to be used for movies and music)

1) 2ch amp ... i need something thats cheap but has good power
2) anybody use tube amps for movies? or just music?

This is nice for the price. Just make sure you trust the seller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-Citation-16-power-amplifier_W0QQitemZ5813299483QQcategoryZ39783QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[mike c]

i just discovered i had 4 of these ... (used and old of course)

http://www.wnmeshop.com/cms/General.asp?whichfile=Karaoke+Amp+/+Mixer&ProductID=76&CatID=

i wont be using them of course, but its just funny i have them lying around

 

[DaveOCP]

If used is ok, a Parasound HCA-1000A can be had for maybe $250. Excellent power amp.

 

[mike c]

bi-amping the front LR

ok ok ... point taken re: using an amp that cant beat the 1500 in the first place

bi-amping the front LR:

so i use the yammy 1500 (120wpc RMS); i still have my yammy rx-v 640 (85wpc RMS)

which do i use for the woofers and which do i use for the mids and highs

additional question:
if a speaker was bi-amped ... which volume control is followed?

 

[DaveOCP]

You want the woofers to have the most power. With self powered studio monitors like Events or Mackies, the woofer usually has 2-3X the power of the tweeter. It takes much more muscle to move a bigger driver and larger magnet. Thats why you see subwoofers packing 1000W+ of amplification. No tweeter could withstand anywhere close to that amount of power, and if it could, I certainly wouldnt want to be in the same room with it.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

As MDS mentions, yes, you have it right. But, if you go this route, make sure that you get substantially more power in the new amp otherwise, why make a change???

Here's a 120watt amp that will definitely make a difference. I respectfully disagree with your statement.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MCINTOSH-MC-2120-POWER-AMP-PERFECT-LIKE-NEW-L-K_W0QQitemZ5812976836QQcategoryZ71548QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[mike c]

very nice pictures! is it just me or most of these amps are designed to be flush into the wall? why are all their front plates larger than the rest of the body

 

[mtrycrafts]

Here's a 120watt amp that will definitely make a difference. I respectfully disagree with your statement.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MCINTOSH-MC-2120-POWER-AMP-PERFECT-LIKE-NEW-L-K_W0QQitemZ5812976836QQcategoryZ71548QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

How so?? Please explain. It has a DF of 14 or more. I just don't see why you think this.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

How so?? Please explain. It has a DF of 14 or more. I just don't see why you think this.

Take that Yamaha to 1% thd and let it run full bore. Then take the McIntosh to 1% thd and let it run full bore. See which one runs out of steam first.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Take that Yamaha to 1% thd and let it run full bore. Then take the McIntosh to 1% thd and let it run full bore. See which one runs out of steam first.

OK, when are you doing the experiment??? Or just guessing on the answer?

Also, what will it tell you if one runs 3 hrs and the other 4 hrs? Will that tell you which sound different? Which will play music or a movie better?

Or, are you looking for an amp to use in a club to run all night at 120 watts or whatever their full power is, continuous? I am outa that club in a flash.

It's almost like asking which car will run at red line for the longest?

 

[Yamahaluver]

Look for 2 channel Yamaha MX series amps on eBay, very nice sound and good power rating.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

OK, when are you doing the experiment??? Or just guessing on the answer?

Also, what will it tell you if one runs 3 hrs and the other 4 hrs? Will that tell you which sound different? Which will play music or a movie better?

Or, are you looking for an amp to use in a club to run all night at 120 watts or whatever their full power is, continuous? I am outa that club in a flash.

It's almost like asking which car will run at red line for the longest?

It's an educated guess based on the weight of the units/size of the heat sinks. I would think running the Yamaha at full bore would trip the protection circuit after a few songs, not hours at levels just below clipping.

Try running each amp to some 4 ohm, 85dB towers, and time would most likely be of concern comparing the Yamaha and McIntosh.

I was simply providing an example why one amp would differ from another with the same wattage rating. I can't speculate how large people's listening rooms are, nor their listening tastes. I listen to my system quite loud - not rock concert levels, but do enjoy the slam of a good bass drum, something very hard to obtain with my 3805 and RTi10's compared to my audio system in my truck (even with a 12" HT sub). *A lot of that has to do with the spl/Hz rating of the speakers, as does the size of the listening environment*

A guy over at the AVS forum asked if a mid level receiver would power his Polk CSi5, RTi12's (front), and RTi10's (rear) in a very large room. I would be much more comfortable recommending he obtain either a flagship unit, or a Yamaha 2500 with at least a two channel amp (like the McIntosh) to take the load off his receiver.