2. amps-preamps
  3. 161302-150442

Amplifier upgrade advice under $2000

Hi!  I have a new pair of speakers on order and want to upgrade my power amplifier to be ready when they arrive.  My current system is Klipsch Heresy III, Onkyo M504 amp, MiniDSP SHD preamp/streamer/room correction, and SVS SB12 sub.

Scheduled to arrive in December are Ohm Walsh 2000.  Research indicates these like a lot of power.  If the Ohms don’t work out I’ll shop for a used B&W 804, so still probably needs good power.

So, with a budget under $2000, wondering if I can get something that sounds significantly better than the Onkyo.  Used is fine.  Brands I have seen come up in the price range are Classe (ca-150), Vincent (331MK), Krell, PS Audio, Parasound, Bryston, etc.

I want to know if this would be a significant upgrade in this price range.  My sense is that brands like Rotel, Adcom, Emotiva, etc. would probably not change the sound all that much.  I also have a Crown ps-400, for example, that sounds pretty much identical to the Onkyo.

I recently tried out a Rogue Atlas Magnum tube amp.  It sounded great with the Heresys, a definite upgrade. Unfortunately  it created a loud speaker hum that I was unable to fix.  But it did make me crave the tube sound.  But it seems like finding a high powered tube amp to work with the Ohm Walsh is going to be challenging.

Sorry for the rambling, basically, is it worth spending $1-2K on a new amp or should I wait until I can get into a higher price range before ditching the Onkyo (which has those awesome green meters!).  Thanks!
judsondickie
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,974 posts
 
OP, I understand the itch. If you spend too quickly, you may wind up second guessing your purchase (as you keep reading!) or wind up needing to sell at a loss. A trial period is crucial.
tyray
582 posts
 
@b_limo,
I just looked up your preamp and that’s a cool little piece. Probably a better pre than I originally thought.
You ain’t kiddin. I think mijostyn here on Agon uses Dirac for subwoofer and other audio correction and the OP’s mention of his using the MiniDSP SHD (preamp) as a (stand alone?) preamp sure as heck got my attention. As did the below response from a MiniDSP SHD preamp owner reviewing the preamp.

OP sorry for getting off topic but your mention of your SHD is/was the first time I’ve actually looked into Dirac before and the application of Dirac/preamp as I said before, got my attention.

+1 The Vision Set 400 Amp New
      Used Clayton S40 Amp

Read more about review stating More Than Just a Component Level Upgradent subs. Unlike many, I believe most high end speakers cannot reproduce the bottom end faithfully.

I run a 2-channel system with a couple of excellent subs.
The SHD was a desperate attempt to improve what I knew were problems. My assumption was that the room, placement and timing of the drivers was causing the less than pleasing sound hitting my ears, and I knew my equipment is capable of producing much better performance.

And get ready for it--I inputted my phono Preamp through the analog inputs. This produced no strange digital coloration or changes to my expectation of that sound profile. The resulting room correction far outweighs the neurotic audiophile purist concerns I originally had. A/B testing proved this to me. My analog sound lost nothing and gained everything. I’m over it

judsondickie OP
7 posts
 
Tyray, yeah, so far the MiniDSP SHD has been really interesting.  A definite improvement in different speakers i've tried.  Night and day difference with the Heresy III after a proper calibration (which is a little bit of a pain).  Even without room correction it sounds nearly identical to the Rotel 1550 preamp I had before.  Think the built in streamer quality is really good too, (great reviews on audiosciencereview forums). Much better than the Klipsch Gate streamer I was using.
mike_in_nc
1,147 posts
 
I have an SHD in one of our systems and think it’s great.

You have a lot of good recommendations already for power amps, so I’ll keep this short.

I owned the AVA Fet Valve 400R and liked it a lot. It has been improved by AVA since and now is available with balanced inputs, if you want them. Frank is great to deal with, and the gear competes with more costly stuff, for sure.

Also, you might find a used Bryston 4BSST for about $2k. While that’s two generations behind current, it is a great amp -- it still might be under warranty, too. I owned its bigger brother (14BSST), which replaced a conrad-johnson MF-2300 and was better than the c-j in every way, at least with all the equipment I tried it with.

Have fun with your Ohms! I knew John Strohbeen at MIT (when he started Tech HiFi). He is a really great guy, and sincere.

P.S. The Bryston is rated at 300Wpc into 8 ohms, or 500Wpc into 4.

ultrabright
6 posts
 
MF a1008 integrated is a really interesting design and you can find them used at your price point. I have run Gallo Reference 3.0’s, Spatial audio M4 turbo S’s (with a REL T5 for that 44hz roll-off), and a pair of original B&W matrix 801’s. The external power supply and internal dual monoblock design is very cool, and it has enough juice to drive even the most cantankerous speakers (the Gallo’s). With the B&W’s it turned my listening room into a night club. With the M4’s and the rel it was like being transported to the recording studio. It’s worth considering.
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