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Amp Suggestions For A Newbie - Please

I am upgrading my system. New to components. Live in an apartment house. Listening space is relatively small. Considering either B&W 602s or Paradigm V20s. Very much into jazz and classical (acoustic). Wish to achieve good clarity, distinction and presence with my new system. A depth to the music. Looking for the strongest amp candidates for the abovementioned speakers. Obviously lots of power is not a requirement just quality and character of sound. Either New or Used Amp suggestions are fine. Budget: $500/$600. (If you feel I would get equivalent results from an integrated Amp, let me know that, too. Appreciate both your time, input and thoughts.
fullrun
joe_b
421 posts
 
I "downsized" one of my systems to an Audio Refinement Complete (ARC) driving B&W DM602s2. I preferred the B&W's over the Paradigms. While the ARC will work with the B&W's I would not recommend this combo unless you have a good, smooth front end as it is capable of revealing any problems. If you want a more forgiving sound, try an NAD integrated amp.
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Fullrun, you might want to take a look at a Sonic Frontiers Anthem Integrated 2 that is up for sale on Audiogon. The seller wants $650 for it. To be honest, I don't know a thing about this integrated, but based on the good reviews by forum members of Sonic Frontiers/Anthem products, it may be worth it to research this piece. Good luck!
s7horton
1,077 posts
 
I am currently using paradigm studio 20's with an anthem integrated. Very nice. I personally don't care for the B&W line until you get up to the CDM series. I owned the next step down from that (CM) series and didn't like it. I've also spent time with the 602's. I can't pinpoint exactly what I didn't like. Just that the paradigms had more of what I like. I was using parasound amps for a while, but switched to the anthem integrated and am much more happy with that.
stehno
1,453 posts
 
A used Audio Refinement Complete integrated amp.
geddie
27 posts
 
I can't help much with your speaker selection, but can personally recommend the AudioSource Amp 1/A (80 watts/channel and an excellent performer) as well as the AudioSource Pre 1A preamp highly. Both the amp and preamp can be purchased new for around $500 - $550 total. They are solid entry level pieces, and the amp is stable into even 2 ohm loads.

If you feel you want even more power, the AudioSource Amp 3 (150 watts/channel at about $550 - $575) might be a good choice. See the following link for pricing, additional info, and a dealer who sells these units:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fs_srch.pl

Happy Listening!
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