need recommendations for "Best" Stereo amp under $2000

[destroyerzx1]

current system:
JBL Apollo C51
Emotiva UMC-200
XIANGSHENG 728A
HK citation 22
Borrowed emotiva xpa-2

setup is a bit wonky but it goes from my computer to the umc-200 and from there goes into the 728A down to whatever amp is hooked up. I have been tube rolling with the ( feels kinda silly have have $400 in tubes into a $320 pre but i wanted to get my feet wet) 728A and have found some really amazing tube setups (12at7&12au7). for the most part i have been running it on the xpa2 becuase it is clearer and more detailed then the hk but for the life of me i can not find a set that excels for piano and its driving me crazy. drums, vocals, guitars everything is just heaven then the piano comes along and it ruins it for me. I am shooting for the stars I want it to be able to do everything, rock,metal,blues,jazz,piano,tv,movies and it does everything up to piano and i should be satisfied and be happy that i have more pros then cons but I'm selfish. I'd prefer stereo class a 50-100 wpc @ 8 ohms (can be more) I kind of don't want to burn more money in tubes right now but if you truly believe that heaven is on the tube side of the rainbow then by all means I'll go hunting for the pot of gold same goes for price if I have to save for a few more months then i will but i need help guys, please....

 

[nj pheonix]

Incredibly open ended question. You'll likely get as many different answers as you get answers. I'm not trying to throw water on your parade but if you read our signatures you'll see at that price point a lot of different choices. Your best friends here are time, patience and opportunities to listen to different stuff. Good luck on your journey. Oh, BTW, if you change speakers you likely will have to start over again ( not an absolute, but it does change the dynamic). Good luck

 

[nj pheonix]

If you can find a Nelson Pass amp it might fit the bill. A Sumo 9 ( likely needs a restore but would still be in your budget ).

 

[destroyerzx1]

Incredibly open ended question. You'll likely get as many different answers as you get answers. I'm not trying to throw water on your parade but if you read our signatures you'll see at that price point a lot of different choices. Your best friends here are time, patience and opportunities to listen to different stuff. Good luck on your journey. Oh, BTW, if you change speakers you likely will have to start over again ( not an absolute, but it does change the dynamic). Good luck

completely aware of that but I'm just not sure where to start. I really enjoy these speakers that being said i enjoyed my last set of speakers till i heard these but noted none the less

 

[musichal]

Incredibly open ended question. You'll likely get as many different answers as you get answers. I'm not trying to throw water on your parade but if you read our signatures you'll see at that price point a lot of different choices. Your best friends here are time, patience and opportunities to listen to different stuff. Good luck on your journey. Oh, BTW, if you change speakers you likely will have to start over again ( not an absolute, but it does change the dynamic). Good luck

...and then his speakers may be where he needs to start, which is often the case for piano-focused listeners, at least that is what I have seen in the past... piano is a demanding instrument for speakers... though I may be in for you guys telling me how great his JBLs are... I don't know 'em...

 

[4-2-7]

You want everything!! How about 300 watts and 150 lb. of I can handle anything.

McIntosh MC 2300




Specifications
Power output: 300 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 600W into 8Ω (mono)

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.25%

Damping factor: 14

Input sensitivity: 0.5V

Signal to noise ratio: 90dB

Speaker load impedance: 0.5Ω to 16Ω

Semiconductors: 46 x transistors, 22 x diodes

Dimensions: 483 x 267 x 430mm

Weight: 58kg

 

[damacman]

You want everything!! How about 300 watts and 150 lb. of I can handle anything.

McIntosh MC 2300

View attachment 767910 View attachment 767912 View attachment 767913

Hard to argue with this. Many, many amps have come and gone, but I've owned a few dozen of these since 1994. Still have two and they get used every single day. Problem is, finding a nice one within that budget - quite the task now-a-days. Of the other dozens of non-McIntosh amplifiers that I've also owned since then, I would have to say that the Spectral DMA50 was one that I never should have let get away . . . the rest . . . meh.

 

[rottalpha]

I just got a Yamaha B-1/UC1 (less than $2k)...not easy to find one tho.
Really hard to beat the sound of a v-fet amp, but if If you want raw power and less headache (in terms of maintenance), go for a pro amp. That Mac is a beast. I would not mind having one either.

Good Luck!

 

[bluemooze]

Aragon 4004.

 

[rottalpha]

Aragon 4004.

I think he used the word "Best" in the title of the tread

 

[destroyerzx1]

...and then his speakers may be where he needs to start, which is often the case for piano-focused listeners, at least that is what I have seen in the past... piano is a demanding instrument for speakers... though I may be in for you guys telling me how great his JBLs are... I don't know 'em...

That may be the case if I do some amp shopping and can't find something that fill that void I may just have to buy a different set of speakers. No such thing as to many speakers anyways hehe

You want everything!! How about 300 watts and 150 lb. of I can handle anything.

McIntosh MC 2300

View attachment 767910 View attachment 767912 View attachment 767913


Specifications
Power output: 300 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo), 600W into 8Ω (mono)

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.25%

Damping factor: 14

Input sensitivity: 0.5V

Signal to noise ratio: 90dB

Speaker load impedance: 0.5Ω to 16Ω

Semiconductors: 46 x transistors, 22 x diodes

Dimensions: 483 x 267 x 430mm

Weight: 58kg

how...wen...na hmm, damn that looks impressive I'm going to have to up the budget and keep my eye's peeled for something like that. one things for sure if I have to up the speakers I would hope that would power them. It'd be basically idle with my speakers atm

 

[nyhifihead]

Used first watt/threshold or bryston 4bst

I also know the new Yamaha & luxman integrated are highly regarded.. Used in the 2k territory

 

[turnitdown]

This could be in the top ten hardest questions asked here in my short tenure. Acceptable piano reproduction is so personal/subjective. You need to be a detective and start with the best source material first. The gold standard piano recording, as it were. (I, personally,do not know what that may be.) Possessing that, work within the confines of your current system by changing configurations. If you cannot find a satisfying end product at that point, research what others say and weigh it before your next move. All of that is free and could pay off big.

 

[4-2-7]

I'm going to have to up the budget and keep my eye's peeled for something like that.

They are around at your price point...

one things for sure if I have to up the speakers I would hope that would power them. It'd be basically idle with my speakers atm

"but for the life of me i can not find a set that excels for piano and its driving me crazy. drums, vocals, guitars everything is just heaven then the piano comes along and it ruins it for me. I am shooting for the stars I want it to be able to do everything, rock,metal,blues,jazz,piano,tv,movies and it does everything up to piano"


For what your looking for you what clean sounding amps that have more power than your speakers, it's called headroom, You need amps that have power in reserve to handle transient peaks in the music. I bet you'v been using smaller amps than your speakers can handle, always look for amp that have 50-100 watts over your speakers.

I had grown up in a house with a piano so I know how it thumps the floor, and reverberates in the house. I know I have outstanding piano reproduction and how I got it but my setup is out of your budget. However I would look to the MC2300 with those awesome JBLs you have, they can handle more power than your giving them, that big woofer needs the speed of the amp to control it.

You should also add in a power sub to get really low down frequency in your system.

 

[mech986]

There are a few iterations of the driver load in the C51 Apollo cabinet. Can you provide pics of your Apollos with the grilles removed to show us the drivers and the crossover?

It may be useful to then determine if your speaker drivers and crossovers need attention. A consideration may be to biamp or triamp the speakers, or consider variations of this with SS/tube amps. I would also suggest getting some good vinyl sources of piano music and compare that to your computer files - see whether its the source material.

 

[trinhsman]

I found a used Pass Labs X150 for under your budget at a HiFI dealer in Reno. Don't want to possibly break any rules on naming a company, but the hint is there if you catch my drift. Sometimes they get one of these in and you will get a small warranty.

 

[BMWCCA]

There are a few iterations of the driver load in the C51 Apollo cabinet. Can you provide pics of your Apollos with the grilles removed to show us the drivers and the crossover?

I agree with Mech here. Many different versions of JBL drivers available in this cabinet. And all of those are old now and maybe not the best you can do or may not even be working as originally designed. So what load do you have in your C51s? The best available from JBL at the time was the S7 which included the LE15A LF 15-inch driver and the LE85 a good compression driver paired with the HL91 horn. If you don't want to take yours apart, let us know which model crossover you have on the back side. I don't even see a C51 load offered with a "real" UHF tweeter. How are the surrounds on your woofer?

If the 130A in your avatar is any indication, you have the 001 load with the LE175DLH mid-range horn and no UHF tweeter. At least you won't have surround issues on the woofer, if that's what you have. Lovely sounding speakers but perhaps not the range you're looking for.

Many would agree that the piano is one of the most difficult instruments to record properly. Have you heard your piano recordings on another system where they sounded better, or more lifelike?

 

[davidb1]

The JOB 225 has been getting good reviews and is in your budget. I had a JOB d/a converter I loved but it died after 13 years.
http://jobsys.com/products.htm

 

[Blue Shadow]

BMWCCA brings up a good point about the piano recordings heard the way you want to hear them somewhere else. The discussion about the condition of the speakers is also on point. My question is when comparing the two amps, does the difference in sound you hear make you believe that the lack of piano performance is the fault of the amplifier and that a different amp will solve this problem?

 

[destroyerzx1]

You should also add in a power sub to get really low down frequency in your system.

I forgot to mention I have 2 12 subs one is a jl 12w6v2 in sealed box powered by an o audio plate amp the other is a revel B1

There are a few iterations of the driver load in the C51 Apollo cabinet. Can you provide pics of your Apollos with the grilles removed to show us the drivers and the crossover?

It may be useful to then determine if your speaker drivers and crossovers need attention. A consideration may be to biamp or triamp the speakers, or consider variations of this with SS/tube amps. I would also suggest getting some good vinyl sources of piano music and compare that to your computer files - see whether its the source material.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8iNuRC0MejyQzhVNDJfVHh1Tm8