2. home-theater
  3. 1014273494

multi-channel amps Anthem, B&K, or Rotel

I'm in the market for a multichannel amp. I'm looking at The Rotel RMB-1075 ($1000), B&K av5000 ($800), or the Anthem mca5 ($1050). Price is a concern, but with them so close it's not a deciding factor. My main concern is reliability, sound quality and usable clean power. I will be running the power to an all Paradigm speaker system studio40's (rated to 140w and a db rating of 91) in front, center and rear ceiling mounts. The Anthem is the power house with 200wpc, the Rotel is THX certified and I think 140wpc and the B&K is rated at 125wpc. Do I need the 200 wpc of the Anthem or should I go for the THX certified Rotel, But wait the B&K is $200 cheaper. Oh I dont know my head is spinning. Please help
jlokker
maggieowner
44 posts
 
I am not sure what type of sound you are looking for but here are my 2 cents. I have heard all the amps except for the Anthem.

Adcom - on the harsh, bright side
Rotel - neutral to bright
B&K - warm to neutral

I currently use a McCormack .5 Rev A and a DNA HT3.

Good luck in your search.
sean
6,231 posts
 
I would tend to agree with Maggieowner's very astute descriptions. I would also add that the B&K's and Adcom's tend to get "jumbled up" or "loose control" when pushed hard. Never railed on a Rotel, so don't know about that aspect. I do think that the Rotel probably has the best build quality of the three mentioned though. I also haven't listened to the Anthem, so can't help you on that one either. I would not doubt that it is a pretty solid amp though.

Depending on your personal tastes and the other components in your system, i would keep in mind that the Paradigm's can lean towards sounding bright and / or possibly even glaring if fed a "typical" digital signal. That is, if they make use of a metal dome like many of their models do. In that respect, the B&K may be the best / most forgiving match. Sean
>
jlokker OP
1 posts
 
thanks Sean for your response. It was to the point and covered my questions. Thanks again
willhitld255
5 posts
 
I have the Anthem MCA-5 pushing Martin Logan Aerius i's. This was a significant upgrade from a Dennon integrated amp circa 1990. The amp opened up the top end but I'm still missing a bit of "sparkle" that I'd like to hear. However, I may not be done with placing the Logans where they belong.
I also have a tough room (openings here and there).

THX doesn't really matter these days, does it? It's just a function of power capability and all of the above surely qualify.

The beauty of the Anthem product is that it has two torroids(not to be confused with hemm...nevermind) One for the front mains and one for the other three channels. Super build and an auto-on feature that lets it sleep until it sees a signal. This baby is rock solid but a deep 17" in depth. That could be a problem on your rack.

For the small differemce in $$, I'd opt for the Anthem. You're gonna have it for several years right? Power to spare in spades. Quick power. I hear it but I'm new to this entry level high end stuff.

And I'm also NOT affiliated with Sonic Frontiers in any way. Just a regular Joe who found these threads a few weeks ago.
More to discover