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Budget amp suggestions for Totem Model 1?

I currently have the model 1's driven by an old 70's Sherwood s8900a SS amp. Don't have the bucks now for Plinius, etc. Anybody have any budget solutions for a matching amp? I'd like something ideally good for low volume listening, that's where the Sherwood loses it. And something not to aggressive, that's a problem too.
The room is small, 11 X 11. Listen to jazz and classical mainly.

Thanks for an help, Vince
vagust
hdm
1,062 posts
 
Jungson JA 88C ($400 new). Here's a thread in which another owner prefers it to the Plinius 9200 which he owned:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1121512271&openflup&2&4#2

Not aggressive, also extremely good at low level listening; these are both points which I noticed immediately replacing an Audiolab 8000A.
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,758 posts
 
I think an Audio Refinement Complete would match your requirements quite well and they're reasonably easy to find used in the $500 range. I'm extremely happy with mine.

There are lots of reviews online:

http://www.audiorefinement.com/show04.htm

http://www.1388.com/recommendations/$5000(2)-eng/

http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/srajan01.htm
steveaudio
331 posts
 
Totem Model 1's like lots of power. You want an integrated, I take it? How about a Classe' integrated, used? Or look for a used McCormack power amp DNA .5 or 1.0 & then get a pre-amp later. Very hard to get good results with Totem Model 1's w/o high quality upstream components--they're only gonna sound like what you feed them.....mid-fi stuff, or inadequate power won't do it. Just my 2 cents.
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