which power amp of these would you get?

[BC Dave]

Hello,

Still looking for a nice power amplifier to drive my VMPS Original Subwoofer (with new Megawoofer). There is a guy selling both a Harman Kardon Citation 24 and a Rotel RB870 BX for about the same price (around $300 CDN). Both are from the mid-1990s and are allegedly in great shape. Both are rated at 100 watts a channel and are bridgeable (200W for the HK and 300 for the Rotel.) For bass grunt and reliability which is the better buy? Thanks in advance!

 

[pearsall001]

Check out the Behringer A500 reference amp. New it sells for $199. Bridgeable for 8ohm speaker (440x1). Excellent sounding amp, runs dead silent (no fan). Perfect for your sub application or any other speaker for that matter.

 

[BC Dave]

tried Behringer EP1500

I had the use of the Behringer EP1500 and could not get anything out of it but 60 cycle hum. I have not had a ground loop problem with any other power amp I have connected to my Denon AVR-1603 through the sub out. I am a little leery about Behringer after that experience, but thanks for the suggestion. I have the temporary use of a McIntosh 105 wpc power amp and it works beautifully with the sub, so I am thinking the Rotel or HK would be worth considering, both being high current designs.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I had the use of the Behringer EP1500 and could not get anything out of it but 60 cycle hum. I have not had a ground loop problem with any other power amp I have connected to my Denon AVR-1603 through the sub out. I am a little leery about Behringer after that experience, but thanks for the suggestion. I have the temporary use of a McIntosh 105 wpc power amp and it works beautifully with the sub, so I am thinking the Rotel or HK would be worth considering, both being high current designs.

I am not sure what you or the company is saying about the claim of being a high current design?
The amp is rated to an RMS power into a load, continuous. How is that high current, unless the power is really high?

But, to answer your question either one would be fine. Get the one with the least price tag and the most power out. Unless, of course, there is preference reason for one over the other.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

HK Citation amps (on of my favorite) have had reliability issues. Make sure you know someone who can do repair work on amps for a reasonable cost if you go the HK route (just in case).

 

[bandit]

Have you thought about a dedicated subwoofer plate amplifier? Handy as they have phase controls, crossover controls, and some have a limited amount of equalization you can dial in. The drawback of course is that if you have to cut a hole in your cabinet to mount it or mount it in a stand alone box. They are quite reasonably priced and available on the net. I installed a rythimik audio a350 in my sub with excellent results. 250w into 8 ohms 350 into 4. I think they go for about $160 US. Rythmikaudio.com. (there are others out there to if you google subwoofer plate amplifier)

Good luck !!

 

[BC Dave]

thanks Bandit

I did think about a plate amp but it would be a real pain for a non-handyman like me to mount it inside the cabinet and seal it off with a box inside. I also don't have the skills to make a metal or wooden box that wouldn't look tacky as hell. And... I don't need a crossover and do not want any equalization messing with the superb sound of that VMPS. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[muzakluver]

Great sub amp

Hi All,

I use NAD 2200s for my sub amps. I use the crossovers in my pre/pro. The 2200s are bridgable (how I run them) and are rated conservatively for 200watts into 8ohms or 400 into 4 ohms bridged. They also have a proven 6db of headroom which equates to 800 watts into 2 ohms. They have a very high damping factor which means they will grab ahold of your drivers and not let go. I am using 2 of them them with the HSU TN1220s and they are rocking my world. The Hsu runs at 3-4 ohms, so I am getting a good flow from them. You can usually get them for 200-225 on ebay.

Incidentally, I have an Outlaw 755 (200wpc) and for powering the subs, the NAD beats the Outlaw about the head and shoulders.

Cheers!

Mark

 

[The13thGryphon]

HK Citation amps (on of my favorite) have had reliability issues. Make sure you know someone who can do repair work on amps for a reasonable cost if you go the HK route (just in case).

Not saying that what you said is inaccurate... but just wanted to state that my fifteen year old HK Citation Twenty-two amp is still going strong. Never had an issue. Is used almost daily, and has rarely been turned off in all that time (usually when I'm on vacation or a business trip). It's still running like a champ.

I am not sure what you or the company is saying about the claim of being a high current design?
The amp is rated to an RMS power into a load, continuous. How is that high current, unless the power is really high?

According to the In House Service Company of Setauket, NY, "Harman-Kardon has always used high current designs in their preamp and driver stages." Maybe that is what they mean, and not the amp's ability to double output power into a 4 ohm load.

 

[beppe61]

Check out the Behringer A500 reference amp. New it sells for $199. Bridgeable for 8ohm speaker (440x1). Excellent sounding amp, runs dead silent (no fan).
Perfect for your sub application or any other speaker for that matter.

Dear Sir,

I have purchased a Behringer a500.
I am finding it quite harsh in the mid range and weak in the bass.
I wonder if the situation will improve after some use (i.e. after the break-in completion).

Thank you very much indeed.
Kind regards,
beppe
Italy

 

[PENG]

According to the In House Service Company of Setauket, NY, "Harman-Kardon has always used high current designs in their preamp and driver stages." Maybe that is what they mean, and not the amp's ability to double output power into a 4 ohm load.

This high current thing still seem unclear, what exactly is high, higher than what?

If an amp can double the power into a 4 ohm load, it will deliver twice the current that it will deliver into an 8 ohm load. Is a 4 ohm capable amp high current? None of the current model HK receivers are rated for 4 ohms. S&V tested one (330 if I remember correctly) on 4 ohm multi-channel and it shutdown when asked to put out 25 WPC or somethin like that. It seems to me HK's high current claim is based on its ability to deliver something like 25 to 75 amps instantaneously, i.e. for a very short duration. If that is the case, others such as Denon and Yamaha can claim the same. If not, then I still don't know what they mean, may be HK can tell us. They are generally heavier, so their power supply may be relatively more robust, but their lower model such as the 140,240,340 are not that heavy, yet specified high current just the same.

 

[mulester7]

This high current thing still seem unclear, what exactly is high, higher than what?

If an amp can double the power into a 4 ohm load, it will deliver twice the current that it will deliver into an 8 ohm load. Is a 4 ohm capable amp high current? None of the current model HK receivers are rated for 4 ohms. S&V tested one (330 if I remember correctly) on 4 ohm multi-channel and it shutdown when asked to put out 25 WPC or somethin like that. It seems to me HK's high current claim is based on its ability to deliver something like 25 to 75 amps instantaneously, i.e. for a very short duration. If that is the case, others such as Denon and Yamaha can claim the same. If not, then I still don't know what they mean, may be HK can tell us. They are generally heavier, so their power supply may be relatively more robust, but their lower model such as the 140,240,340 are not that heavy, yet specified high current just the same.

.....good questions, Peng, you're seeking....I have been impressed with comments at this site about the products of Nad....aren't they the one that makes the 635 receiver and seperates too?.......

 

[PENG]

.....now let's throw the Carver Mt-1.0 into the mix, Peng....it claims 200 a side at 8, and 1000 mono at 8....it never thrilled me at 1000 mono, and that's probably because it boiled down to it not being stable at less than 8, know what I mean?....Peng, does that help clear things up?, haha.....good questions, Peng, you're seeking....I have been impressed with comments at this site about the products of Nad....aren't they the one that makes the 635 receiver and seperates too?.......

Clear things up? You are joking, right?
An amp that can do 1000 mono needs to push at least 11.18A (more needed for inducive load) into an 8 ohm load. That is more than the 10A (more needed for inductive load) needed to develop 400W with a 4 ohm load. So if a 200 a side or 400 mono into 4 ohm is high current, then so is 1000 mono into 8 ohm. It all depends on how you define things, and/or how you use relative terms.