Amp evolution ques. - what comes after a Harmon K?


Hi All
Just getting started in this. I bought a pair of I.Q. TED 400 floor speakers(used - from Germany) and power it with a 1994 Harman Kardon AVR 20 rated at 65 watts. System seems to play well, but i want to explore a little and have decided to try some different power before i go replace the speakers. i read the personal amp evolution thread to get some of the brand names. I will only buy used as i expect to trade around for a while; min 100 watts. Right now the local used shop has some Rotel, NAD, Adcom and a Haefler. A used 200c Cayin is also in the area. Or should i just wait and buy the next level up?
fivefasts

Showing 7 responses by fivefasts

Alternatively, the AVR 20 has pre-amp outputs so i believe i can hook an amp directly to the existing unit... or is this not worth it?
thanks for the input so far. Input is HK FL8400 five disk changer. Turntable is a Panasonic that i like the look and weight of; nothing special. Also use the Ipod on a dock, so now i'm getting clear of its limitations and the further limitations of the stock settings. Cables... embarassingly, really basic, although the speaker cable is pretty bulky, but i don't know much more about it.
thank you all
This ties into a my posting on my I.Q. TED 400 speakers in teh speaker forum. I think these speakers, based upon a report that was referred to by one of the members, supports a mid-fi category speakers, so now i need to find the right power to support them. I guess what you do is get a better amp, then better speakers, then better amp, ... and on and on down the road you go.

The local Cayin amp sold for $250... dang, i missed it.

thanks for all your advice.
Here are my current, local, mid-fi upgrade choices for used equip:
Two ways to go today:
1. Use my HK as pre-amp and buy an amp; or
2. buy a pre-amp/amp combo set.

For option 1. my choices are:

NAD 60w 2100 $300
NAD 100w 2200 $350
Hafler 100w DH200 $350
Musical Fidelity 70w P140 $400

Or there are a couple of preamp/amp combo units as well:
Rotel 50 W set RC850 RB850 $385
Adcom 100 w set GFP555 GFA545 $440

Suggestions?
Do you think that using the HK as my pre-amp ( it has pre-amp output jacks) taking too much away from the increased amp quality to make it worth it?
My concern is that the Musical Fidelity (MF)seems to be quite old (also, whats up with its dimensions??? its so thin, I think its about 2" high where most higher end equipment seems to be quite a bit larger than low fi equip)

I don't have the budget yet for the MF and a pre-amp. Is the HK going to hold back the MF amp so much that i won't notice the hi-fi amp? I should be able to get the new pre-amp in the next few months. Or would you recommend the Adcom set instead?