Budget Audiophile Looking For Amplifier Suggestions

There is a upgraded 555 on audiogon from musical concepts, musical design same company for 590 bucks. Thats a lot of amp for the money.

Adcom 555mk2, i think you can find them used for around 500. then in time send it to Musical design for upgrades. I owned the 555 and its a tank a real workhorse.

I have had the McCormack DNA-125, the Odyssey Stratos and the Parasound A21. I have had a few other amps and I would say the Parasound is by far the best. BTW I know many have had a great experience with Odyssey, mine was a nightmare. If you are considering that brand I could tell you about all the problems I had by offline by email. I would not buy from Klaus again.

Bryston makes and did make in that period very solid reliable, neutral sounding amps. Very reasonable used.

I would suggest an Exposure Dual 4 regulated. 90 watts High current. Similar to Naim many prefer it. 1100 used gets their 2nd best amp. 5k retail. Super musical, fast open sound. Competes very well with newer amps. Maybe not as resolving as some of the 5-10k newer stuff but gives nothing up in musicality.

I would second the Sim recommendation, and add a couple things. One, that also an integrated Sim amp like an I-3, I-5, etc in that genre if Sim equipment in the early to late 2000's. Under $1500 for sure, and can be found for $1000-1200 with a couple months of patience. The watts on the Sim will say less than 120-150 watts, but the output power will be just as much, if not more with proper attention given to proper low end reproduction. 

Next, don't rule out the Naim gear. Same time period as above, similar prices, similar performance, but more emphasis in PRAT and less low end authority than the Sim gear. A 50 watt NAIM integrated will be as much power as a commercial product that rates its amps at 120-150 watts.  

 The good news is that you can't go wrong with either of them! 

As mentioned above, I'd suggest a McCormack DNA .05 or 1.0 amp.  I have the former and it is the most musical amp I have had in my system in 45 years. It is very powerful and musical.   A few DNA .05's are available currently on the aftermarket and they can be upgraded by SMc Audio if you are inclined.  Odessey makes fine amps, but the McCormack amps are a glimpse of nirvana.  Sunfire, in my experience, while well-made, are decidedly mid-fi to my ears.  The Plinius 8200 MKII integrated amp, running as power amp, is very powerful and, to my ears, warm and engaging.  I wish I had never sold mine.    

Most of the great ones for your need have been mentioned. Personally, I like the McCormack, Odyssey and Sunfire suggestions. Most of the Sunfires have choice between voltage and current outputs, which let you tailor the sound to "tubey" vs. more traditional SS sound, which can be a benefit. The Odysseys allow for monoblocks which will give you better stereo separation and potentially less noise. All of these would be good choices. Cheers,
Spencer

McIntosh has a signature sound that does not appeal to all of us hi fi people.  Some think of it as being a notch below what really good gear should sound like despite it's universally appealing blue meters and stunning prices.  It is solid stuff, made right here in the U S of A and nevertheless, must be  in high demand to sell for those prices, which are never on sale, if new and current.
I own an ancient SS small power amp by McIntosh, which synergizes remarkably well with my old Klipsch La Scalas and Heresys.

I have had great luck with older Classe  gear made in Canada . Plenty of power and beautiful sound . I am currently running a Classe  Model #10 power amp at 100wpc and a Classe Model 20 Preamp .I bought both pieces refurbished and should be good to go for another 20 years.Sound is a little on the dark side and I love it .Sounds very much like my friends Mark Levinson set up .Good luck in your quest . 
P S I also had Adcom gear in the past and was always impressed with the product but the Classe  gear is a major step up .

Odyssey Karthago  Klaus is a great guy.

at that price, i would go for a good Marantz in the upper line, little else will beat it at that price, unless you can find an old XA.30 Passlabs or a FirstWatt.

Another vote for McIntosh, and where to buy I would recommend Audio Classics. They are located very close to McIntosh Labs. They are a reputable and very reliable company to deal with. Steve Rowell is the owner and Ryan Kilpatrick is one of the sales staff, and I have had the pleasure of talking to both by phone or email. I’m sure they will have something within your budget.

I bought a MA6200 back in August, and I have been very happy and a very happy with the whole transaction.

As some have mentioned, a moderately priced tube amp may also nicely do the job. Right now I'm driving my Maggie 1.7s with a very moderately priced, USA made Rouge @ 100W per side and it does a very nice job in terms of timber, stage and dynamics. 

Good luck,
Jim

My bid would be, as some have mentioned, a Adcom, either GFA555 or GFA5500, ($350.00 - $500.00 used) or, for a bit more money, a Bryston 3Bsst ($1,200 - $1,500 used). Both the Adcom and the Bryston amps require a substantial warm up to sound their best, but when warmed up properly, compete with many much more expensive amplifiers. Also, both the Adcoms and the Brystons are high currant and able to nicely handle demanding loads.
I've had a few more expensive amps but dollar for dollar, still love the Adcoms and Brystons.,

I would be looking for a Conrad Johnson MF 2300A. I have had a lot of amps and this one is the best sounding in this price range besides a McCormack DNA-1 with upgrades. The MF 2300A sounds good from the start but continually improves for up to 24 hours.

In 2001 I bought a Conrad Johnson Sonograph SA 400 power amp (200 wpc) and SA 25 preamp, which retailed for $1800 and $1100. I recommend either or both highly; I sold them only because I moved to tubes. The $1100 125wpc SA 250 was Stereophile Class B at the time. CJ MF series power amps from that era are also in your price range.

Note that the use of McIntosh products can lead to forgetting to use commas in forum posts. Also, I had a Forte Model 55 that sounded great, but not as great as my previously mentioned Jolida which, as I also mentioned earlier, has tubes stuck in it that GLOW…who wouldn't want that? You can take a tube out and roll it around in your hand (assuming the tube is not still hot as hell) and admire it…do you take out a transistor and roll it around in your hand and admire it? NO YOU DON'T…I rest my case.

Hello Mikte15 I just bought new amps and I have a Odyssey 150 black finish. works great, I will sell for $600. I my opinion these Odyssey amps are the best bang for the buck.  I also owned the Carver Sunfire its good but the Odysseys beat them.

From that era, I would recommend the Jeff Rowland Model 1 Amp, wonderful sound and gorgeous build.  Jeff Rowland still owns his Company, so new upgrades and service are still available, and last Summer Jeff developed a new Circuit for the Model 1.  If you need more power, buy another Model 1 Amp and Bi-Amplify.  
And I agree with Meadowlark, I think that you will be happier with the Sound of a small, affordable, low feedback, Triode-capable Tube Amp like a Rogue Audio Stereo 100.  I would also look for older Cary Audio Amps like the Rocket 88, the CAD-50M's Ver.2 or Ver.3, or maybe some SLAM-100's.

Rob

My question is does 10 year old gear perform as well as same price current production gear? For instance, something like the new Peachtree line made in Canada.

Muse Model 100, older B&K, Adcom, etc. can still sound great in a budget system. I'm still using a Muse Model 100 as my center-channel amp with no complaints, while my other amps are Mark Levinson.

Anthem I225 Integrated Amplifier. Tons of power on tap. 225 8 ohms/310 4ohms. Awsome low end grip. It will run circles around NAD.  Can be found for $900- $1100 on A'gon regularly. Parts Connexion lists them occasionally with one year warranty. Phono and headphones onboard. Pre-output gives you options. Good luck!

N

Bryston or NAD 

I would 2nd or 3rd Krell. From my experience I would not go NAD or Arcam. Best of luck.

Aragon 8008?

Acurus DiA-100 mk2, it requires good components to be paired with it, but it has lots of power and a passive pre-amp. And you can pick one up for $300-400.

Hi Mike,

I suggest the Electrocompaniet Amplifiers.

Best,
Ari.

Dave mentions Mcintosh above.

I've looked at Macs for a long time and never saw one that I thought was reasonably priced;
talk about holding value!

I see an integrated suggested and would like to hear more recommendation there as well.

I bought a Sunfire Symphonic reference 200W for $900. Recently I bought Rotel RB-1090 for $875 on Audiogon. 

Aragon 4004

I have a pair of the odyssey stratos special edition mono blocks stable down to two ohms, I run them with a tubed preamp and Kef 107.2s I love them! only paid $1,200.00 for the pair on C.L they come with a 20 year transferable warranty :) I also own a Adcom GFA 555-11 amp that does a great job as well only paid $350.00 for the Adcom.

Just another suggestion if interested in an integrated amplifier, the Anthem i225 never comes up in "high end" discussions but my experience has been outstanding as I tried moving from lots of, at the time, esoteric vintage equipment to more modern electronics.  It is available for about $1000 or less.  It has an outstanding dark floor, power to spare 225wpc for 8 ohms, a very good phono section,and outstanding flexibility.  It is musical to my ears and as noted, what struck me from some of my vintage equipment is the total silence in the background. 

I really like the NAD C390DD Direct Digital integrated amp with the BlueOS MDC module.  It has 150w per channel with zero THD and doubles as a digital music player.
  
Spearitsound is a good source to get a refurbished one in your price range.  That is what I did and am very happy.   

Driving Sonus Faber speakers and it sounds superb.

Best of luck!

shraggs,

I agree with you on the forte' amps. Bought a model 40pre with phono and a pair of model 7 monos. They were great and did play above their price.

 I know they play above their price because I still own them! Could never bring myself to sell them because they made my ProAc speakers sound so musical. Have them in a second system / smaller room.
If you find used forte' gear ; I would grab it.

I bought in the mid 90's a new forte model 3. This year finally had Jon soderburg rebuild it. At $1300 then it performed well above its price in my auditions and today it is still remarkable. 

Mike,

If you're looking for made in USA and want quality and longevity with the bonus of resale value look into McIntosh. There are some available in your preferred description and price range and they will drive any load without strain. Made in Binghamton, NY. I've been through the factory tour and owned several of their components and they will compete on any level and you will never experience listener fatigue due to the fact they have mastered the dark art of transformer winding and they incorporate output autoformers.

Dave

A 12 year old Krell is now at that price point.   My philosophy in buying used is to buy the best you can, not buy budget gear used.  If buying bang for your buck stuff,  buy new.

ATI makes amps for several "high end" companies.

And the MOST IMPORTANT consideration:

The role of the amp is to drive your speaker.  You need to know the sensitivity AND the impedance lows all the way from 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Budget = Krell??

John Curl and Bob Carver are designers of note.  So are some others.

Class D often use the well-regarded N-core modules and gets around the need for pulling lots of amperes thru the wall.

Take a look at reviews of the Benchmark AHD2 -  an new technology is used by a pro equip. co.

Never forget that Class A really refers to 2 different operation modes - and only one has the design feature you want (or think you want) and that will suck so much power that Trump will send the BPA secret police to your door.

Bryston is not a budget amp either - unless the amp breaks 18 years later...

Surprised no one mentioned Krell's class A biased amps, I once wanted one.

Proceed HPA's are a huge bang for the buck.

Parasound A23 great sounding amp for the money.

Plinius 8200P MkII....the power amp section found in the popular 8200 integrated

Get a new (or used) Jolida tube amp…plenty of power (depending on which model, but everybody knows tube amps don't have to be powerful since they have "tube glow mojo") and a tube amp makes you more interesting than you might actually be.

I have the Parasound A23 and A21.  If you can find a good used A21, I would strongly consider it.  It would be the last class A/AB amp you will need to buy unless going to a full pure class A.  

If one shows up, a McCormack DNA 0.5 with A Revisions would be a great choice in addition to the many others listed here.  Best of luck.