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Help Me Choose Better 5-Channel Amp

Our home theater has evolved from a home theater only into a hybrid HT/2-channel system. Both the HT and the 2-channel perform very well and overall I am very pleased with the outcome. But I would like to improve what I perceive to be the weak link when it comes to 2-channel listening. Right now I am using an Anthem Statement A5, a good match for the Anthem AVM50 and great for HT sound. But when I listen to 2-channel, I believe the sound could be improved with a better amp. I would prefer to upgrade the amp rather than buy a separate 2-channel amp and switch back and forth. When listening to 2-channel in this system, the other components are the Well Tempered Amadeus TT with a Dynavector XX2 LOMC cartridge, Levinson 390S CDP, Audio Research PH7 phono stage, Audio Research Ref 3 preamp, and Verity Fidelio Encore speakers. ICs are Aud23 and the speaker cable is Chord's Epic Twin.

Any suggestions for a better 5-channel amp that will improve the 2-channel listening experience?
4musica44107
mbreed1962's avatar
mbreed1962
11 posts
 
Have you considered the Pathos Cinema-X? You can check it out at Pathos Acoustics dot com. It's a hybrid design; tube preamplifier and solid state amp, for the best of both worlds. Also, it's a 5-ch amp (110w/ch) that can instantly switch to 2-ch (450w/ch). It only has one set of balanced inputs, which will give you the best 2-ch results. I heard it's little brother (TT) driving a set of Focal-JMlabs Electra 1028BE at Axpona and it was amazing. I've got my eye on that piece and my processor is not as resolving and nice as yours. If you don't happen to be in the Jacksonville Florida area, send me an email with your zip code and I can find out who your local dealer is for a demo...
blindjim
3,092 posts
 

Butler TDB 5150. SE only though. Affordable, suprising sonics and control talents, and there's no mistaking the infulence of tubes it uses in it's hybrid design.

you'll sell the Anthem pretty quickly thereafter. the Accupase will continue on in it's environment and you won't be out much $$$.

50 lbs or so, stable, and doesn't run hot. Transferable 5 yr PL warranty from orig buyer too.

I often use it for 2ch along with my tubed preamp instead of my Dodd tube mono blocks as it's a plug and play affair with no need for bias checking or adjusting.

For a single one box remedy I can think of no other in it's price point (preowned or new) that competes so well.

When in 2ch the power revs up to over 200wpc @ 8.

Given your tastes, it's a good fit for you to peruse huybrid designs... be it Butler or some other brand.

Good luck.
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dangelod
40 posts
 
if you go with the one box solution, I strongly recommend listening to the BAT 6200. IMO BAT ss gear does not get the credit it deserves. this amp is incredibly musical, but quite a bit of $$.
larryski2
37 posts
 
Another vote for keeping your current amp, and adding a good 2 channel amp to drive you L & R fronts. My experience is that doing this will greatly improve your music, and it will also improve on you HT sounds.
Good luck on you search.
4musica44107 OP
520 posts
 
Well, you have all given me a lot of good ideas to think about and research. I believe I will keep my A5 and use it for the center and rears, then add a high quality 2-channel amp for the FR and FL. After researching all of the ideas offered, I lugged my Accuphase back down and tied it into the system as above. The 2-channel sound was again superb, and the audio for movies was just as good as with the A5 alone if not better.

So I guess I am in the market for a 2-channel amp!

Many thanks to all who helped me to get this far. More suggestions for 2-channel amps are most welcome.
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