Which Pro amp to buy? Lots of models...

[rolyasm]

Hello all,
Just about to make a purchase on some pro amps. I know it is futile to even discuss the amps based on sound quality because there are so many opinions on this. So what it comes down to is price per watt, features and reliability. Some day I might be able to afford a nice, all in one, HT amp, but until then, this looks like an affordable solution. Looking at new amps, the winners seem to be these: 1) NADY XA 1100 at $.41 per watt and it has some nice features like Soft turn on, Volume Defeat and Noise free on/off. 2)American Audio VLP 1500 at $.27 per watt. 3)Behringer EP 2500 at $.3 per watt 4) Older Crown 602 (not B or D models) at $ .36 and some Gemsound models.
Then the decision gets even harder. I am putting these in a cold storage, out of site, and so I won't have to worry about fan noise. I have found quite a few blemished models, and the price is really reduced. Here are the brands and price. 1)American Audio $.14 2) Behringer $.18 3)Blue Ice $.29 4) and an older Crown 602 (not B or D model) for $.21 per watt. Also are various Gemsound models, are at low prices.
So basically anyone have any bad encounters with any of these? Any glaring negatives for any of them? I will be buying 4 amps, using the extra channel for some rump shakers. 7 speakers setup. Opinions are welcome. Thanks for the replies.
Roly

Edit: Most of the speakers I am looking at are 4 ohm, and I would like these amps to be able to play about anything, so I probably want a little more output non-bridged, or the capability to bridge into 4 ohm.

 

[majorloser]

I'm in the middle of hooking up seven Behringer A500's. I will be running them all bridged in mono for 500 wpc. Hopefully I'll have everything up and running by this weekend. I'll let you know how they compare to the B&K Ref 7270 they're replacing.

 

[rak_32]

Hello all,
Just about to make a purchase on some pro amps. I know it is futile to even discuss the amps based on sound quality because there are so many opinions on this. So what it comes down to is price per watt, features and reliability. Some day I might be able to afford a nice, all in one, HT amp, but until then, this looks like an affordable solution. Looking at new amps, the winners seem to be these: 1) NADY XA 1100 at $.41 per watt and it has some nice features like Soft turn on, Volume Defeat and Noise free on/off. 2)American Audio VLP 1500 at $.27 per watt. 3)Behringer EP 2500 at $.3 per watt 4) Older Crown 602 (not B or D models) at $ .36 and some Gemsound models.
Then the decision gets even harder. I am putting these in a cold storage, out of site, and so I won't have to worry about fan noise. I have found quite a few blemished models, and the price is really reduced. Here are the brands and price. 1)American Audio $.14 2) Behringer $.18 3)Blue Ice $.29 4) and an older Crown 602 (not B or D model) for $.21 per watt. Also are various Gemsound models, are at low prices.
So basically anyone have any bad encounters with any of these? Any glaring negatives for any of them? I will be buying 4 amps, using the extra channel for some rump shakers. 7 speakers setup. Opinions are welcome. Thanks for the replies.
Roly

Edit: Most of the speakers I am looking at are 4 ohm, and I would like these amps to be able to play about anything, so I probably want a little more output non-bridged, or the capability to bridge into 4 ohm.

what exactly is an amp? its an A/V receiver correct? sorry, i just keep getting things mixed up.

 

[Nick250]

You can hardly read through a thread in the past couple of weeks without tripping over the trolls.

Nick

 

[tomd51]

No kidding, what's up w/that? Was there a mass troll exodus on another site? -TD

 

[rak_32]

You can hardly read through a thread in the past couple of weeks without tripping over the trolls.

Nick

i can assure you, i am not a troll. i am a human being.

 

[bpape]

Back on topic...

IMO, there is no comparison. From what you've listed, the Crown is a hand's down choice if you're looking for a pro amp. It's built like a tank, has already been depreciated, etc.

I run a Crown on my sub and highly recommend them on subs all the time - especially if fan noise is not an issue.

 

[jcPanny]

Pro amps.

Some of the pro-amps like the larger Behringers have fans for cooling. These are not ideal for most HT setups unless you have a seperate closet where all your gear is located. The lower power Behringer A500 does not have a fan.

 

[einsteinjb]

Understand that I haven't had personal experience with the cheaper brands you mention, but if it was me, I'd avoid the really cheap brands like Gemsound and American Audio. They're NEVER used in the pro audio world, probably for good reason. Behringer used to be a major no-no too, was considered cheap junk, but today opinions vary on their gear and many folks seem to feel they've brought their quality up in the last couple of years. I have one Behringer piece, a hardware controller unit for mixing audio using pro mixing applications like Logic and Cubase, and it works perfectly. Their stuff is still definitely more cheaply made than the heavier stuff like Crown, but it's probably more than safe enough especially for home use.

I have a Blue Ice Z-5000 amp and recommend it highly, though the jury is still out as to whether the sound is quite on par with mid- to higher end consumer amps like Rotel, Parasound, etc. The sound is very good, but perhaps a bit brighter and not quite as smooth as the Rotels I'm familiar with. Definitely more than acceptable for home theater use, and it has plenty of juice.

The top of the heap for quality would be Crown and QSC. Anything by either company will sound amazing and last forever.

Nady is another company that's on a lower rung of the pro audio food chain than Crown or QSC. I'd want to hear a Nady amp before buying one as I've never really heard great things about them, but then you will find some people on the forums who love their Nady amps so that's up to you.

While you're at it you might want to have a look at Mackie amps. Not sure where they fit in price-wise with your other choices but they do make very good quality amps.

Besides online, also check out your local pro audio stores, including Guitar Center and any local (non-chain) stores. You might find a bargain.

Hope this helps.

Hello all,
Just about to make a purchase on some pro amps. I know it is futile to even discuss the amps based on sound quality because there are so many opinions on this. So what it comes down to is price per watt, features and reliability. Some day I might be able to afford a nice, all in one, HT amp, but until then, this looks like an affordable solution. Looking at new amps, the winners seem to be these: 1) NADY XA 1100 at $.41 per watt and it has some nice features like Soft turn on, Volume Defeat and Noise free on/off. 2)American Audio VLP 1500 at $.27 per watt. 3)Behringer EP 2500 at $.3 per watt 4) Older Crown 602 (not B or D models) at $ .36 and some Gemsound models.
Then the decision gets even harder. I am putting these in a cold storage, out of site, and so I won't have to worry about fan noise. I have found quite a few blemished models, and the price is really reduced. Here are the brands and price. 1)American Audio $.14 2) Behringer $.18 3)Blue Ice $.29 4) and an older Crown 602 (not B or D model) for $.21 per watt. Also are various Gemsound models, are at low prices.
So basically anyone have any bad encounters with any of these? Any glaring negatives for any of them? I will be buying 4 amps, using the extra channel for some rump shakers. 7 speakers setup. Opinions are welcome. Thanks for the replies.
Roly

Edit: Most of the speakers I am looking at are 4 ohm, and I would like these amps to be able to play about anything, so I probably want a little more output non-bridged, or the capability to bridge into 4 ohm.