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Power amp for home stereo...

MrHeadfirst

MrHeadfirst

Active Member
im looking to buy a power amp, to possibly run 4 speakers for my stereo build,
im not opposed to using multiple amplifiers either, the speakers im thinking of building will possibly require up to 400 watts rms at 8 ohms, i may scale this project down a bit. but does anyone here have any suggestions of stereo power amplifiers that may fit the bill? im looking at professional PA amps to be more precise. but im open to suggestion, im just really not sure where to look.
here is one example of something ive been looking at: http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/dca/dca4/dca4.htm
 
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There are a few 400 watt RMS out there that aren't PA, in my opinion there is a reason why they are PA amps.
If you are looking for something for your home, I would look for vintage power amps, just read around here for a little and you may find a couple that strike your fancy.
 
There goes that PA amp nonsense again... :rolleyes:

Personally, for my multiple speaker setups I like to have separate stereo amps. Not that multichannel amps are bad, but if something happens you're probably dead in the water in many cases while it's being repaired.

At least with separate amps the show probably will still go on albeit at a somewhat reduced level.

I like QSCs but there are other good ones too. The PLX 2402 will give you 425wpc and can be found used for $400 each, give or take. New price for equivalent model is about $1,000 each, give or take.
 
lol, i understand what you mean about multichannel stuff, im just looking for options really, i know lots of you guys on here know more about this stuff than me, so im asking.
i want to build at least 2 speakers, and it looks like they may ask for a lot of power, so i was looking for amp options that would work and give me the power i desire..lol
looks to me like my home stereo has quickly become a monster beyond my control, im really not even sure why i think i need this ridiculous of a stereo, but man, it sure is fun.
 
I don't have big amps necessarily to blow out the windows. But, IMO, it takes more power than many people realize to crank up the tunes and have clean peaks/headroom.

If you're running some super sensitive speakers, fine, you don't need a ton of power. But if your speakers are of low or even moderate sensitivity, it's not hard to use lots of power on peak demands.
 
I have a QSC (forgotten what model#). It is a very reliable amp. The amp you linked to, above, will not give you 400 w. per channel. Some of the other QSC amps, will.
I've heard the older Crest and Crown amps are pretty good in a home stereo setup.

What kind of speakers are you building that require that much power?
 
whoaru99; Lets keep it a secret on how good the pro amps really are. Their only downfall that I can see is they won't win any beauty contests and they don't empty your wallet like some pretty amps tend to.
That being said I've had great luck with qsc amps and would highly recommend them for home use.
 
motorstereo said:
whoaru99; Lets keep it a secret on how good the pro amps really are. Their only downfall that I can see is they won't win any beauty contests and they don't empty your wallet like some pretty amps tend to.
That being said I've had great luck with qsc amps and would highly recommend them for home use.
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Funny you mention that. I was thinking the same thing last night before I went to bed.

Perhaps we should discourage more people from the idea so there are more left for us and hopefully at less cost too. :banana:
 
Gotta love those pro amps....I picked up a Crown Power Tech ll a few years back at a local flea market with 325 per channel at <.1 distortion. I usually use it to power a set of Peavey speakers at my brother's annual July 4th bash...But I've hooked it up for haha's at home, and it sounds as good as anything else I own....
By the way, I only paid $250 for the Crown, it's built like a tank, and you can find similar units like them without much trouble on the bay....
 
Keep in mind the sound factor tho. A lot of pro amps tend to be really noisy. QSC is in the middle. Mackie's are pretty quiet. Lower powered Crowns are in the middle as well.
 
Rick Vestal said:
Keep in mind the sound factor tho. A lot of pro amps tend to be really noisy. QSC is in the middle. Mackie's are pretty quiet. Lower powered Crowns are in the middle as well.
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I presume you mean fan noise?

I modded all my QSCs, $10 and 20 minutes each. Silent beyond 1 or 2 ft in a quiet room.

Wouldn't put 'em out on a tour with these fans, but more than adequate for home use...at least my home use anyway and I'm not shy to crank it up every now and again.

Even stock, I couldn't hear fan noise from my listening position when I was up just off idle with music. Main reason I modded them was for the HT use, you could hear them a little bit during scenes that were mainly low dialog.
 
Comeon now whoaru99 let em think the pro amps are noisy. Seriously though I can't hear my carver qsc pro pairing which have unmodded fans unless the music is at whisper level.
As far as noise other than the fans I have no idea because I've never heard any noise except for the new age stuff my chillun's bring over to play sometimes.
 
Dumb question but this may explain the "noise myth"...you walk past a PA system at a bar, club, wedding etc. and there's quite a hum coming out at idle...is that not noise? Is it coming from somewhere besides the amp then?
 
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