5 ch amp decision- opinions please


In upgrading my HTS I am trying to decide on a new power amplifier-

It has come down to these-

Anthem MCA-5
EAD Powermaster 1000
Parasound HCA 2205A
Sunfire Cinema Grand serII

I use my system about 50/50 music/theater, so musical performance is important.

Any opinions about how these compare? All dealers usually only carry one line, so I haven't had the chance to do a controlled comparison.

Rest of components:

Fronts- Proac Response 1.5s
Center- Proac center channel
Surrounds- JM lab 905
Processer B&K Ref 30 (thinking about going to Anthem AVM20)
rickmichaelson

Showing 1 response by ellery911

I have been researching 5 channel amps to death myself...from what I have read, price & performance factors are steering me towards the ead powermaster 1000 myself. It seems to be getting great reviews all over...but then again...who knows. I just think that for $2000 it is a steal and that the other 5 channel amps that it is being compared to are krell and other ultra pricey amps. Another one that also gets favorable reviews is the simaudio line. Anyhow, happy shopping...also, I have noticed that when people put up a post with 4 or so choices that they have narrowed it down to...more often than not, people will add to your confusion by suggesting even more options...not to say that they arent recommending fine components themselves, but I am now realizing myself what an utterly exhausting thing it can be researching home audio equipment.
still...I would go with the EAD