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Best used amp for around 500

I'm am desperately trying to upgrade from a Denon AVR-3300 receiver. Looking for a stereo amp for the fronts. I'm entertaining the idea of a five channel amp, but I don't yet have DVD-Audio or SACD, and money is an issue. The receiver is fine for movies, but for music...well, it won't do. I'm currently running Acoustic Energy Aegis 3's for the fronts - silk dome tweets, pretty warm, laid back sound. Any suggestions?
dklap
yu11375
137 posts
 
I will suggest Counterpoint SA-100, used $400-$550. If you like it and have extra funding you can always upgrade it by the original designer Mike Elliott, former Counterpoint CEO, at Alta Vista Audio (www.altavistaaudio.com).

FYI, I am not affiliated with Alta Vista Audio at all.

Happy Listening.

Regards,

Otto
ohlala
1,252 posts
 
I would just like to mention the Classe 70. It is warm, musical, very reliable & has a good amount of headroom, but I can't say that it is laid back. I've seen them running around for about $400.
wywhcan
39 posts
 
Look for a Citation 5.1 - these go for about $500-$600.
It is a bridgeable four channel amp. Excellent build quality, and sounds amazing when bridged. The bigger Citation 7.1 goes for $900-$1000, which is a great value too. Try jeffssoundvalues.com. They may still have some of the these amps available.
bday0000
266 posts
 
Check out a used BK amp. It's a great line to start with and you can find them well under $500.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
Why buy used when you can buy the Jolida 1501 100 watt hybrid for around $500? this is a smooth powerful amp. I graduated from Denon to Jolida and never looked back.
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