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Pro amps

There seems to be a lot of discussion on some other forums regarding pro amplifiers. Seems that most people that took the risk and bought one have no regrets and will never look back at "home theater" amps again. Most of them say that they wish they had discovered pro amps earlier as it would have saved a lot of headaches experimenting with HT amps. The general consensus is that upon first hearing one installed in their system they are completely floored and cannot believe the quality of sound from these amps. Crown amps are one example. They cite extreme amounts of current yet some of the amps weigh all of 26 lbs. How can that be? Anybody have any thoughts on this?
mborner
panny
99 posts
 
Prp Amps are designed for a different purpose and I would stick to Home Audio designs.

As far as the ZR amps I know people that rate them over the Panaxonic Digi Amps which I have and they have both. I happily use the Panny and if the ZR is better I would consider it.

Other amps to consider used are Plinius and Sim Moon which are great pieces. Sim Mooon if you can afford them and a Plinus 2nd. I was talking to a dealer yesterday and he convinced me of the great value of the sonic attributes which the Sim W-3 has. I want one bad!

JMO
elevick
2,636 posts
 
I agree with Panny. Pro-amps are designed for a different purpose. The only exception may be for subwoofer use. However, awesome pro amps are also a lot of money! I just sold a bunch of QSC amps without ever debating on keeping them for my theater. If you're wondering, I sold 2 qsc 9.0's, as well as a bunch of 4.0 and 3.4's. Go look up the wattage and you will be shocked. Power isn't everything though.
If you don't believe me, then contact me and tell me what kinds of amps you are looking for. I have a bunch more Crown, Crest & Qsc amps for 1/4 to 1/3 of original retail. I would much rather have my 400 watt Velodyne than a 1000 watt crest with a commercial JBL sub.
mborner OP
34 posts
 
Thanks for your input. Elevick, I'm not really interested in getting one, I was just interested in everyones input about using one for home theater purposes. In other words, what is all the rave about? I'm tellin' ya, these guys will not part with these things for anything. Are they really that good? Price wise, they're a lot less expensive than dedicated HT amps. Just makes me wonder.
driver's avatar
driver
750 posts
 
I'll also agree that the application has everything to do with the type of amp used & in my experience with pro sound, I really just look for something that will turn on when I want it to & do its job.

I really have no preference with pro audio gear when it comes to the amps as compared to home audio, which I definitely have my favorites. I'm not into HT but just for movies, I don't see how you could go wrong with a pro amp that is somewhat home audio friendly and by that I mean doesn't have a noisy fan & uses standard type connections.

BTW, we use all QSC amps for our PA, Crest board & EAW spkrs.
mborner OP
34 posts
 
Yea, I think you are all right. I think the main draw to these amps is that you can get 500 wpc x2 for $585.00 on ebay. Forget the sound, that's a lot of power for not a lot of $$$$. I guess any 500 wpc amp for $585.00 would sound great!
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