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Recommend me a warm sounding 5 channel power amp

hi, i recently purchased a pair of monitor audio floorstanding speakers that i mated to a marantz 7007 receiver (used as a preamp in this scenario) and a rotel rmb 1095 power amplifier.
Anyhow, today i wanted to experiment to see how the speakers sounded when connected to the marantz unit and i actually liked the sound better that i heard from the marantz when compared to the rotel power amp. I find it more laid back and THAT is exactly why i am starting this thread. I want to purchase another amplifier and so far i have narrowed it down to the nad M25 or the parasound halo a52.
i would like everyone's recommendation on a warm sounding 5 channel power amp under $1500...
I have also thought about ATI, LEXICON,B&K COMPONENTS, but i dont have first hand experience with these...
Anyhow, let me hear any recommendations you might have :)

thank you
avcr79
bo1972's avatar
bo1972
2,789 posts
 
Primare A30.5 version 2. Sound realism is superior to the Marantz sound. Drive and control is a lot better with the Primare. Marantz uses cheap transformer they give less amperage compared to Primare. Focus of voices and instruments is sharper also. And it can give a deep and wide stage. Marantz almost gives a flat stage. I sold Marantz for a long time. And I did hundreds of tests with Marantz. For me it is like 1 and 1 is 2. For me it is that simple!
dep14
336 posts
 
Having just gone through this and purchased a few amps to try (used and new), and in borrowing a couple to try.

On a used budget- harman kardon signature series 2.1, debating selling mine, but can be found on eBay for nice prices. These were US built harman. Spectacular amp for the money.

New or high end used - butler 5150. Which is what I am going with for now. It's a bit more detailed than the harman, and maybe slightly more forward, but still warm.

NAD also warm, but I try to stick with non china built stuff where I can. I also don't like fan cooled amps.

I demo'd the parasound and thought it was a bit brighter than the others.

With lexicon, depends on the series... I have heard good things about the b&w signature stuff.
bo1972's avatar
bo1972
2,789 posts
 
NAD is since 2006 not natural/warm sounding anymore. It has a more cool sound these days. With a poor focus. I invested in 2007 in a lot of NAD amps at the shop which I run at that time. It was a bad decision I took.
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
+1 on the Butler recommendation
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
B&K is out of business. Their multichannel amps are on the bright side. They are great for explosions! I would stay away from them given your criteria. However, if you really want one you can make me an offer on mine :)
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