Your favorite proffesional power amplfier?

[JimJ[VT]]

What is the best professional amplfier that you have ever heard or owned?

I have read opinions on receivers, integrated amps and regular seperate power amplifiers, but never read opinions on professional power amplifiers.

They are probably not commonly used in home applications, but I have heard that some people absolutely love them in their home audio set ups.

So what is the best sounding professional amplfier that you have heard or have? I am only interested in your experience and opinion, I know there is really no best in audio.


Fire away everyone!

Crown, by far.

But I wouldn't hesitate to own a QSC Powerlight, either

 

[70salesguy]

Crown

I have lots of Crown amps, DC300AII, PS-200, PS-400, Power Line Four.

But my favorites are the PS-400s.

 

[Kim G]

I only have one. It is a Yamaha PC4002M and it is driving my Infinity RSIIs and I like it. So I guess that makes it my favorite.

Kim

 

[HappyT_Harry]

I've had good luck so far with my Yamaha P-2200, but I don't really have anything else to compare it to.

 

[Jovinyl]

Crown :thmbsp:, DC-300A. Needed more power for different setup. Poweer Tech III. Keep a DC-300A to build a guitar rig.

 

[fiddlefye]

I've only owned one pro amp but it's a good one, a Quad 520f. It isn't one of those 800 w/ch beasts, just 120 w/ch, but they're very healthy watts. No fan, it runs very cool with the big sinks on either end. It's a very tidy package with rack mount handles on the front and another handle on the back so it can be carried like a brief case. Mine was converted to Cardas RCAs and binding posts to make it easier to use in a home system. It uses the usual Quad 'current dumping' set up and sounds very sweet and detailed indeed. Just a bit different from the usual pro amp.

 

[jsixis]

I have a carver PM350 that sounds very nice, also love my older Samson S2000.

Yamaha's and Crown K2's are hard to beat and QSC makes some very nice amps.
Can't really say any sound better but they have never lacked power in live situations.

 

[sonix]

Very good information everyone. One of these days I will get one of these. Thanks for the great input. Anyone else just fire away!

 

[davew833]

Ok- so I'm still sort of a newbie here, but I remember back in the '80s lusting after the big Peavey amps the DJ's in my town used- they seemed really rugged and industrial. I'm not sure how they sounded- they were just 'Loud.' Is Peavey kind of a joke, like Soundesign or Emerson in home gear?

 

[JimInLhc]

I have a pair of Crown DC300a's driving my KLH model 9 electrostics to tolerable levels. Way back in the 70's we replaced the Crowns with Marantz 510's for stage work. They were good amps too... and designed for pro Work unlike the 500's.

I still like the Crowns. Not bad at all.

 

[Arkay]

Nearly properly, there where two sent to Europe:, I already was in contact with one of the owners, but 3000$ where not enough for him:tears:. Congratulations to your purchase and yes, now I'm jealous.

The "M" strands for the (VU) meters, which some do not have, but the numbers...?

But back to topic, +1 for the PC2002(M) especially in bridged mode. Never had the luck to listen to a 5002.

Ah, yes, I should have written "in Hong Kong or Europe". I have read online about the two that made it there. Interesting that you tried to buy one, and $3000 was not sufficient. Given how much more things in Europe cost than elsewhere (mostly because of VAT taxes) I guess it isn't surprising. It could cost someone that much to buy one from Japan and ship it, assuming one could manage to find and buy one in Japan, so there wouldn't be much incentive for someone to sell it for that.

I think if you really want one of these, you should try to find one in Japan. Definitely the most likely source, and much better than being "jealous".

There is one guy in Hong Kong who has a pair of these (two!). I saw them when he had them in a shop for recapping/overhaul. That was the first time I ever saw this model, and I looked like and knew I wanted one. (Grin). He runs them in his system, one per side, for a total of 1000+ watts. I'm not jealous of him. At least not any more! Maybe one day I'll find another one, and try them his way!

Seriously, if I ever see another one for sale in Hong Kong (that I am not buying ), I'll try to remember and let you know, so you can buy it.

I only have one. It is a Yamaha PC4002M and it is driving my Infinity RSIIs and I like it. So I guess that makes it my favorite.

Kim

Very glad that you like the Yamaha driving your RS IIs. I'm getting the 101M mainly to drive the RS IIs (like yours), and based that decision on other Yammie+Infinity combinations that sounded good. Since I still haven't heard the actual combination, every time I hear/read a comment like yours, it gives me more confidence that I have made a good decision. Sure hope so! (I"ll feel better --relieved, I guess-- after I've heard the actual combination in my living room, and like it!)

 

[whoaru99]

... Is Peavey kind of a joke, like Soundesign or Emerson in home gear?

Afaik, they have some OK amps I think.

I'd like to try out one of their new 7 lb, IPR series "digital" amps. They're getting decent press from what I've seen.

 

[wallacefl]

I used a Carver PM-1.5 to drive Martin Logan CLS for years. Very clean sound and I am convinced it could drive just about any speaker ...though I gave into a Bryston I would still like to have one if it were not for the fan noise.

 

[whoaru99]

Fan noise is easy to fix. The fans in these things are geared toward the intended use. Since home use is usually much less intensive than what the amps were designed for, fans with less airflow, thus much quieter, are an easy substitution and work perfectly fine based on my experience with the QSCs.

 

[BMWCCA]

I have lots of Crown amps, DC300AII, PS-200, PS-400, Power Line Four.

But my favorites are the PS-400s.

I'll add a +1 to that. I use D150, D150A-II, DC300A-II, PS-200, PS-400, and D75A. Some I've had for over 35-years in constant use in my home system.

 

[bowtie427ss]

Fan noise is easy to fix.

I agree, unless he's talking about the PM1.5. They use a rather odd, cheap, hobby motor looking thing, not your typical "boxer" type fan. They're one of the "worst" pro amps i've used in a pro application. Very mains sensitive, in venues without dedicated mains supplies for stage and FOH, you can count on about half of their rated power before clipping.

OTOH, below clipping, they are a good sounding and dynamic amp, and one of the first big amps you could rack multiples of and still have it be a one person handling job, very high power to weight ratio if fed a rock steady mains supply.

 

[whoaru99]

Ahhh...one of those sort of deals. Might have to toss a resistor (or something) in there then. That was the other fan noise mod I'd seen for those not inclined to replace the boxer/muffin fan.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

My favorite professional amplifiers are:

Bryston
McIntosh
Pre-Harman era Crown
Ashly
Peavey CS 400 and CS 800
Soundcraftsmen

Amps I especially dislike:

Behringer (they rip off other people's patented work and are known well for it)
Samson
Pyle


A note:

No Carver is a true professional product. They're not really built for demanding rugged use.

 

[audio-ed]

Looks like crown is the overall favorite so I'll add my com-tech 200's.Bought them at a divorce/moving sale.I believe they are 150 watts .

 

[Artie]

I have a crown D150A that is pretty sweet.

No need to post a pic of my D150A since it looks exactly like this. (Mini-pic in my avatar.) I've used mine to drive my NS-1000's for years. Super clean amp, with an almost clinical reproduction of audio. Which is what I like for studio uses. She's a workhorse that just won't die. (Been recapped once.)