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Brute power cheap?? Adcom Vs. Rotel vs. NAD

I my never ending neurosis about what to reccomend to my buddy (you guys know I am even worse about my own rig) who has Maggie 3.6's.Yes Yes Bryston,Sim,Bel Canto they all seem appetising but he has a limtied budget.Rotel 1090 would be good with 380 watts but used prices are too high at $1500.So two NAD 218THX's bridged to give what is it 700 wats (1100?) or go with Adcom GFA 5802 at 300 watts.Impression is that (without bridging) the NAD has more bass but a thicker sound.My tendency is towards an Adcom 300 should do it, amp remains balanced (NAD when bridged becomes un-balanced)and i think the Adcom has a warmer character.Thoughts gentleman?
chazzbo
dennisj
39 posts
 
Why you need 900 watts with Maggies?? Get a used Muse 160 and matching 3 pre used for about 1600. This combo will be musical and far better than anything you mentioned.Fully balanced 160 per.
bozo's avatar
bozo
93 posts
 
Try to find some of the older Threshold gear. The S series was built like a tank. Plus do not get caught up in the watts. Amps or current is what you should be concerned with. Designing for watts is cheap but not for current.
drewfidelity
178 posts
 
The Aragon 8008BB cannot be beat at its current price point for the power and musicality it can offer Maggies. Their is a new model coming out and dealers are selling new Aragon 8008BB amplifiers in the 1600 dollar range. This amplifier was a bargain at 2750 and cannot be beat at its current price point. Unlimited power with a laid back signature that mates well with planar and electrostatic speakers. The others mentioned are, in my opinion, not in the same class as the Aragon.
redkiwi
1,092 posts
 
Dennisj gets my support. Maggies will not like cheap solid state and the Muse 160 is one of the very few that has a midrange worthy of panels. You could also look at getting a Plinius 8200P directly from NZ - stunning after 4 months of run in - a bit hard and dry up till then - round about USD1,000 plus freight.
extremephono
123 posts
 
The really brute cheap power comes from these guys:

Crown, BGW, ATI. Crown is probably the biggest amp maker, they even can custom order their proprietary MOSFET for their own usage. Said to pass a short circuit test for 30 minutes before leaving factory says much about thses macho machine.

BGW can basically get for a song from Ebay. Talking about real power, like 300W/ch, 750W/ch, that really drives the speaker with some gut wrenching low ends. A passive ATC in the Audiogon for $2K (cheap!) would have been ideal.
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