Best monoblock amps for $2000 used


Thinking about going the monoblock amp way. I would like to purchase a used pair
with a budget of $2000. Any suggestions. My preamp will be a Jolida fusion.
markj941

Showing 2 responses by reubent

@markj941 - As already stated, for a $2K budget you are likely going to have difficulty finding quality tube monoblocks. If they are enough power, you could use something like the Bottlehead Paramours, however most were built as kits and you have to be careful about the build quality. I built a pair for myself several years ago and they were pretty darn good driving a pair of Reference 3A MM DeCapo speakers in a small/medium sized room. Otherwise, you might find a pair of rebuilt Dynaco 35's, but again you have to consider condition/re-build quality.

For something completely different, but also very good sounding, you could buy a pair of Monarchy Audio SM-70 Pro's. They are stereo, but bridgeable. I had a pair and thought they sounded very good. I did have A/C noise problems with them and had to run them off of the same outlet to get rid of the hum. But on the same outlet, they sounded really good. Should be well within your budget, if you can find them.

Honestly, with a $2k budget, I would stick to a stereo amp unless you simply had to get the amps off the audio shelf and located close to the speakers. You can buy lots of quality stereo amps within your budget.

@markj941 - You're going to need to provide more information to get any informed recommendations. What speakers do you have? Are you looking for tube or solid state amps? What is your room size? What type of music do you prefer? How loud do you want to listen?