2. amps-preamps
  3. 165107-86936

Hoping for a recommendation for stereo amp around $1500 or less ($2k max)

Powering ascend acoustics towers with RAAL ribbons and running a powered rhythmik 12" sub which is currently integrated with my onkyo tx8270 2.1 receiver crossed at 50hz.  I want to use my topping D90/A90 dac/amp stack and use it as a dac/preamp using the remote to control the volume on the dac while leaving the volume knob in place.  Will most likely run balanced out to the amp.  I need to have some way of integrating the sub with the main speakers so the amp would need to have rca full signal out so I can use the dial on the sub to adjust crossover.  If there's a better way to integrate the sub I'm open to it.  I want an amp with hopefully 200w or more and neutral clear but fun/powerful sound like my A90 does for my headphones.  I'm totally new to the world of separates and looking to let my speakers show their maximum potential.  So far I've come across outlaw audio mono blocks but they don't have rca out to go to the sub.  Also came across parasound classic which looked pretty nice but you guys probably know of something much better.  Thank you!
brandini
daveman2's avatar
daveman2
58 posts
 
I am not going to hide the fact that this suggestion is blatantly self-serving, but I would actually make the same recommendation regardless. I am currently selling a pair of PS Audio M700 Monoblock amps here on Audiogon. They are high-end amps disguised in a modestly priced package, and I'm only selling them because I'm downsizing. If I didn't need to get rid of my separates, I would keep them, for sure. There are other M700 owners that can attest to their high value. Anyway, good luck!
djh5674
1 posts
 
Outlaw RR2160
kennyc
1,450 posts
 
Odyssey- great price/performance bargain. IIRC Magico’s Alon Wolf liked and used Odyssey amps, not solely though.
213runnin
914 posts
 
I'd be cautious about that VTV amp.  They claim 425 watts at 4 ohms and 1% THD, but the 20 to 20 kHz power rating at 4 ohms is only 100 watts.   
decooney
1,964 posts
 
@brandini,
Moving from your existing lightweight Onkyo receiver to a dedicated amplifier for your Ascend/RAAL speakers can be a worthy step up IF you choose well. It seems your Topping D90 offers (dual-active) preamp outputs (XLR & RCA), so you could actually run one set of XLRs to your amp, and the other set of RCAs to the sub. As you may be aware, lower model Rhythmik sub amps offer only RCA inputs, upper models offer XLR, if you wanted to flip it and run XLR/balanced to the RA sub. Not sure which RA sub/amp you have.

AMP & Budget;
Class A/AB, your (4ohm) speakers deserve a good stable amp with some real (weighty) transformer(s), and capability to run lower impedance swings with ease. The Frank Van Alstine AVA SET 400, w/optional XLR comes close at your top budget. Class D Purify, such as your thought about the NAD C298 could work too in terms of power and budget, sound is up to you. I’ve been considering testing both of these in a secondary setup.

Taking your time to research and secure a really good amp will pay off.

Ask amp manufactures first about your Topping D90 Balanced/XLR output voltage at 4 volts:

"Dual output ports:"
"Topping D90 is equipped with dual output sockets, XLR outputs offer 4Vrms output power at 0dBps, and the other output port, an unbalanced RCA offers 2Vrms output power at 0dBps. It provides enough power to power any of your demanding devices, whether it’s headphones or a speaker system. The D90 can send a signal through both output ports at the same time, so you can use multiple tools at the same time. It is equipped with a volume control function, so it can be used both as a digital-to-analog converter and as a preamplifier converter. The volume control can be turned off so that the D90 works only as a digital-to-analog converter."


More to discover