2. amps-preamps
  3. 984505708

Proceed, Aragon, Levinson, or other?

I am interested in a 2 ch. amp, I have a Carver AV505 AMP, a Marantz Pre-Amp and Energy C-4 speakers. I want an amp for both music (From Metal to Jazz) and movies. I am considering the Proceed AMP2, Aragon 4004 MK II, Acurus A150, and others. I want an AMP that will be a considerable jump over the Carver, a building block for future formats (7.1), and be an AMP that I won't want to upgrade for a long time. Are any of these listed in that ball park or should I save up for a while and get a used Levinson? I am having trouble justifing the money for a Levinson. If I buy a Levinson in the future, I won't have any money to buy the components to go with it. Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance.
ton1313
sheadlee
29 posts
 
Save yourself lots of money! Look into the Odyssey Stratos (sells new for about $1K). Don't let the price fool you...they are sold factory direct (saving you all the markup). I replaced my Audio Research amps with the Odyssey, and my music has never sounded so good, or real. Their amps are built like tanks, and come with a 20 yr warranty to boot. Check them out at http://www.odysseyaudio.com or give Klaus a call (317)299-5578. In my opinion you'd have to spend $3-4K or more to equal their sonic performance.
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
Classe makes some good amps...should match up well with what you have ...
njonker
107 posts
 
When I went amp shopping I compared the AMP2 and the Levinson 335, amongst others. It probably needs no explaining that the 335 killed the AMP2 in almost every aspect; soundstage, control, musicality, open-ness, clarity and especially imaging. Price was the only aspect in which it did not win. A used 335 would probably serve you much better than an AMP2. In my opinion, it is well worth the money to get the 335, that's what I ended up doing.
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