2. amps-preamps
  3. 1217279010

where to go from here?

Need a new amp for my Logans ,thinking about less than 2k
NO used

Round One Rotel RB1080
Impressions on first unboxing its reasonably heavy and looks decent (as in better than say an adcom).
Hook it up run some white noise for about an hour or so than run some Guns N Roses thru it for about a 1/2 hour.
I sit down to listen and about had to cry, what the hell happened it was just not good at all, my wife said it best when she came home from work she walked in and said "what the hell happened it sounds like SH*T". The mids were congested, the highs grainy, the low end was boomy and ill defined, bah humbug how can this be I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Left it on all evening, although with no desire to turn it up any louder than below background music (whereas usually I am goosing the volume up all night) then I left it on all night and most of the next morning with more white noise. When I checked in again nothing was improved, its boxed up and going back.

Round Two
Since there was much talk of "Pro Amps" I decided to try one a Crown xti 1000
First impression its light has no "feet" so I place some cones under it it looks kinda "cool" in an odd sort of way. I basically do the same thing as I did with the Rotel.
Wow the low end is just amazing, hmm the mids are ok not liquid or lush or any "audiophilisms" maybe just accurate? Now the high end seems to be tipped up and/or sharp/etched. Oh well not a keeper either, I think with less revealing speakers I could have maybe lived with it and saved a ton of dough.

Round Three
Anthem MCA20
Unboxing it,it did not seem as heavy as the Rotel, nor did it look as good as either the Crown or the Rotel basically just another black box. Same routine as previous. Hey cool its not offensive.the low end is good, not as good as the crown but good, seems well defined timbre seems right, the mids are nice nothing offensive, I detect no sins of omission or commission, the high end not etched sharp or grainy, yet nicely detailed....... This one warrants further audition and it figures its the most expensive of the three oh well

All listening was done at roughly the same level with the trusty rat shack meter
wrat

Showing 2 responses by phd

phd
1,325 posts
 
Wrat, the amps you tried are by no means going to address all the desirable attributes you seek in a single amplifier as they are all basically entry level coupled with the fact you want to buy brand new which limits your choices. In fact at this price point if one could combine the best feature of each amp into one amp (power, tight well defined bass, a nice midrange and grainless highs) you could come up with a satisfactory amp but then you would of spent more money, some exceptions do apply.

A friend of mine has Martin Logan speakers and he was using a Cinepro amp to drive them, a powerful but decent sounding amp. Another amp that comes to mind that could fit the bill for a sensible price would be an upgraded D500 Hafler amp. It is powerful at 255 watts per channel with very good depth & transparency, enormous soundstaging and the fact it has been upgraded should deliver the refinements you are seeking. There is an upgraded D500 for sale on Audiogon right now for $795.00. I personally have heard one in its stock form (which I borrowed) and walked away very impressed.

Another strong consideration would be one of the more powerful amps offered by Steve McCormack, preferably one that has had a revision. A revised Mcormack still retains all the things that people love about a McCormack amp but removes any detectable grain in the upper registers. Try to keep an open mind about used gear because this is how we are best served on Audiogon.
phd
1,325 posts
 
Wrat, no you're not an idiot. Some audiophiles like to buy new for the warranty but sometimes some used gear has a transferable warranty like Odyssey (20 year warranty).

If you want to save some money putting together a system you can fudge a little bit by investing in a good sounding tube preamp and combine it with a mediocre amp. This preamp will in turn take this amp to a much higher level of acceptable performance. Or invest in a good quality amp and spend less on the preamp. Either way the results can be surprising. But try to invest in at least one quality component at a time.
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