2. amps-preamps
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5 ch amp decision- opinions please

In upgrading my HTS I am trying to decide on a new power amplifier-

It has come down to these-

Anthem MCA-5
EAD Powermaster 1000
Parasound HCA 2205A
Sunfire Cinema Grand serII

I use my system about 50/50 music/theater, so musical performance is important.

Any opinions about how these compare? All dealers usually only carry one line, so I haven't had the chance to do a controlled comparison.

Rest of components:

Fronts- Proac Response 1.5s
Center- Proac center channel
Surrounds- JM lab 905
Processer B&K Ref 30 (thinking about going to Anthem AVM20)
rickmichaelson
arealavfan
16 posts
 
You may want to add the B&K 7250 or 7270 to your list.
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
If your budget allows, you should also add the Bryston 9B-ST to your short list. This amp has been rated in the "Class A" component list by Stereopiles. It's a great amp that should be seriously auditioned by anyone who wants a HT system that also does a great job reproducing music.
busaganashi
32 posts
 
I use the Earthquake Cinenova Grande 5 Ch. amp. It has 300 watts per channel into 8 ohms and doubles to 600 at 4 ohms. The stats are great at .001% thd and 110 s/n ratio. These stats are comparable to the very high end stereo amps. It has five totally discrete mono block modules just like the Theta Dreadnaught. This is a good amp for very little money, especially on the used market.
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