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Need help picking a power amp / pre-amp combo!

M

Megido

New Member
Ok so I have recently posted several times, seeking input on what I should buy. First, I was asking about tubes, then seperates vs integrated, and most recently, cambridge vs creek. Now I finally find myself in a good position to buy "something". I now have the problem of having slightly more available funds than I initially expected (Yay unexpected photography gigs! ). Now I am thinking that I want to do this right and put together a good power amp / pre amp combo.

Of course, to make my money go the furthest I am going to be buying used gear and am looking for suggestions.

As for what I want, I would like to have two speaker groups since I use my current receiver to power my audioengine p4s when I am working at my desk and my Vandersteen model 1s when I am simply wanting to listen to music. I do listen to a fair amount of vinyl so a good phono stage would be ideal. I also listen through my headphones (Sennheiser hd650) quite a bit, so it must be able to drive those. Finally I would like two pre-amp outs so that I can easily connect my velodyne subwoofer. Would like to stay around $600, below if possible.

Two power amps I have looked at are the Onkyo m-501 and the adcom gfa-555. The onkyo is the more affordable option and has two speaker groups. The adcom is pricier and only has one speaker group but I have heard such good things about it that I cant ignore it. I don't even know where to begin with pre-amps. I know very little about what is actually out there so any specific suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Ultimately I just want the best bang for my buck. I want the best sound within my budget. What I care most about is musicality. I want to be able to get lost in the music rather than be distracted by how bad my receiver sounds.

TLTR: Need suggestions for a good power amp / pre amp combo!
 
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A great sounding combo with moderate cost is a Nikko Alpha 2 power amp (dual mono) + Beta 2 preamp. This is picture of my combo,



PS: The Alpha 2 has 2 set of speaker outputs and the Beta 2 two outputs, as you wish.
 
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I'm a Carver fan myself. An excellent amp could be the M-500t, M-400t, M-4.0T which I'm currently using. IIRC, there is a beautiful M-500T for sale right here on AK ( look in BT). A great pre amp would be the Carver C-1. Usually relatively inexpensive with all the "ins and outs" you could possibly want.
 
well, I would prefer the Adcom myself because it is a high current amp so if maybe I stumble into a pair of speakers that need it, I already have that covered.
For a preamp - maybe look around for a Bottlehead Foreplay ? Mapletree if you could find the right price. Tough part is keeping it under $600 going that way tho, but if you were not in a hurry, you could probably get a Bottlehead and Adcom at that price

I do agree the Carver M-500T is a nice amp. I also really like the TFM series myself.
 
Would it affect the sound greatly if I used a speaker switch with the adcom to switch between my audioengines, and vandersteens?
 
The more I read about them, the more I want to get one of adcom amps. I found that the gfa-545 is half the price at half the power. Given what I have, would I be missing out by not going for the more powerful 555?
 
With your speakers the 545 would probably more than sufficient. Get a Series two model. It will be younger with more life left in the power supply caps.
 
I have never been an Adcom owner past or present, so please keep that in mind. However it has been reported on these boards that when the three digit series of Adcom amps fail, they tend to be catastrophic, with speaker damage a real possibility. So if you do buy an older Adcom amp, it may be wise to factor in the cost of a recap of the power supply.

Even in proper working order the 555 series of amps were known for being a bit sterile and dry sounding. Still a good value for the money, even when new, these amps do have a set of limitations, or if you will a personality. From what I understand the newer four digit series amps are reported to have improved sound quality.

My personal opinion is to look for the Acurus series of electronics, which was the affordable offerings from Aragon. These pieces offer excellent sound quality, nice overall build, and are quite affordable on Audiogon.

Another option is the Trans Nova series of electronics from Hafler. These were designed with the circuit designed by Jim Strickland of Acoustat, which was acquired by Hafler, and then Rockford. This is a serious set of electronics, and offer excellent sound quality. With careful watching, they can be had for a reasonable price off of Audiogon.

Finally, I wouldn't discount a Creek integrated. They have some models that are quite healthy in terms of output. Even on the used market you can spend up to $600 on a good clean later model Creek integrated. They are full and rich with great dynamic expression. I would strongly consider them as an option.

Only thing is I doubt these pieces will meet all your switching and headphone requirements. Especially multiple speakers, as this level of electronics is really set up to run one pair of speakers extremely well.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Thanks for the input. As I said, what matters most to me is that it sounds musical. Sterile is a term that I don't want around my music. I will look at the models you suggested as well as carver, and look more closely at the creek integrated amps.

Just to muddy the waters up even more, I found a review of my speakers that specifically says they sound there best with tubes.
 
Onkyo made some great amplifiers in the past. The M-501 is decent, but if you wouldn't mind infusing a little more money I'd say get the M-504.

ADCOM made some terrific amplifiers... and although some models lack speaker protection circuitry available on other amps, you can help avoid mistakes in power up/down sequence by using an ADCOM power conditioner (like an ACE-515 or 615). The GFA-555 is well liked by a number of AK members. And all you need is a speaker selector to deal with the lack of multiple speaker ports on the amp.

In the final analysis, it'll come down to what sounds good to you in your particular system and layout. Unfortunately, there aren't vintage showrooms around to visit! Often it's just a matter of buying, trying it out, then selling if it doesn't suit you. There are always buyers around and as long as you don't pay much above market value, you will break even most of the time.
 
Not sure of your location, if anywhere near California central valley check the Fresno Craigslist (no affiliation) Onkyo M-504 & P-304, sweet combo.
 
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