Look for a six channel amp and bridge the channels to get three (more powerful)channnels. I did this with a used Rotel and it sounds great. There are switches on the back of the amp to bridge the channels.
Very cheap, very small, sort of powerful 3 ch amp
I'm selling a Sunfire Cinema Grand, picking up a Krell 400xi and probably an Outlaw 990. I need a 3 channel amp mostly for movies, and occasionally for DVD-A and SACD. The surrounds are Vienna Acoustics Bachs and the center is a VA Maestro. These speakers seem to respond well to higher wattage, but more importantly I am looking for something used and low cost (maybe $500ish?) and small. This seems like a perfect application for a small digital amplifier--I just don't know of one. I'm selling the cinema grand because I don't need the extra channels and it will be too big when the new additions arrive. I really can't think of a single amp that fits my criteria and am looking for help.
4 responses Add your response
AMC 2n100-3 I don't know the seller, but these AMC amps used meet your specification - cheap, small, sort of powerful (150 w/c). |
Thanks for the responses. I hadn't actually thought of bridging a six channel amp. That approach seems to pose a problem though. My understanding of how bridging works is that it halves the impedence that the amp sees. In fact, the Rotel RMB 1066 states that in bridged mode, the amp can't handle anything lower than an 8 ohm speaker (presumably because it's actually trying to drive 4 ohms bridged). My center and surrounds are all 6 ohm nominal and I don't know the impedence curves so I don't know what they dip down to. So I think, in order to successfully bridge, I'd have to find an amp that's happy driving a 3ohm nominal load for my speakers. I'm assuming that I should listen to the manufacturer and that the Rotel rmb 1066 wouldn't cut it here? Too bad as that's really an ideal size and price. |