Power amp for PSB Gold i's

The Gold i's drop below 3 ohms in the midbass region and present a fairly severe phase angle. They need an amp that is comfortable with difficult loads. The Classe CA-150 and Emotiva XPA-2 are both within your budget range. If you can increase your budget by another $200-$300, the Parasound Halo A21 is also within reach.

The Goldi's need a lot of horsepower. I agree with the Classe suggestion of the previous poster, and would add a Marsh A400 and perhaps an Odyssey or old Carver. Depending on your passive preamp, you might actually be better selling it and using the proceeds to purchase a used high-powered integrated amp, such as the Plinius 8200.

Michael

McCormack

So, I should be looking for an amp that delivers 200-300 wpc at 2-4 ohms?

You're looking for an amp that doubles or almost doubles output as the load impedance is halved. The number of watts determines how loud you can listen. 200-300 watts into 4 ohms is not a bad figure.

I agree with Gbart that you're looking for an amp that can double down. You're looking in the right power range, although I don't think there is a specific wattage that will work with the Goldi's, it just depends on the individual amp and how beefy it is.

I also agree with the McCormack suggestion, although I still think that in your price range the big Marsh amps will provide the best bang for the buck.

If you can stretch your budget a little, the Wyred4Sound amps sound like they might fit the bill perfectly, as they've been getting a lot of buzz, although I haven't heard one. Or, sell the preamp and get the Wyred4Sound integrated.

Michael

Thanks for the input. I'm going to try the Wyred SPI500. Actually seems like a good value when I consider upgrading my preamp/passive attnuator. Power shouldn't be a problem! Thanks

Well I've got the STI-500. So far so good. Finally I have a system that fills the room. Bass extention is outstanding. If anything I would say the Gold i's are a bit bass heavy. I'm not complaining. The W4S really puts out the juice. I'm still breaking it in. My next purchase will be balanced cables to run between the DacMajic and the W4S. Thanks for the help.

How far from the back wall do you have the Gold i's ? If bass is a bit too much at times, try moving the speakers out from the wall a bit more.