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At what price do amps start to sound

I can wax rather eloquently about speakers, but amplifiers are something that I know very little about. Actually it's probably a lot less than a little. So please tell me, at what price (generally speaking - of course there are alway exceptions) does one start finding amplifiers that offer decent sound and begin to hint at what the big boys can do? Now as a camparison, I can say that for around $700 new, you can begin finding audiophile-like mini-monitors (if you do your homework) that image well and convey a wonderful sense of space and excellent timbral qualities on instruments and voice. And if you're willing to spend somewheres between 3-4K new, you can have yourself a very satisfying listening experience with great sound quality. Of course if you can spend 10, 20, 50, or 100K you can get the best of the best.

So what is a comparable price point with power amplifiers? At what price (again generally speaking - and if I do my homework) can I begin to hear good imaging, depth and timbre?
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kotta's avatar
kotta
649 posts
 
I'm currently listening to a Rotel RB-960 Dual mono 60w amp (two transformers and 4o,ooo storage capacitance) that sounds VERY respectable. An absolute audio steal. Used around $200-280. Sounds "right" to my ears. Very recently owned two very fine amps which retailed for 1K and 2.5k and honestly I'm really impressed by this Rotel amp. Does not have the deep bass of th 250w per ch. amp, but, it does some things better. I've heard the Rotel RB-990 is one heck of an amp as well. These can be found under $500 used. Happy Holidays, Bill.
loonytunz's avatar
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loonytunz
164 posts
 
What Warren said... 'There ain't no rule of thumb.'

You want 'imaging, depth and timbre?' Get a $39 Sonic Impact class T amp and go nuts. It may not impress your friends, but it will sound amazing paired with an efficient transducer. Or how about a nice pair of Wavac SH-833s @ $350,000? I haven't heard these, but for that money, I would guess they probably sound pretty good.

One man's trash is another man's treasure. Listen and judge for yourself.
brauser
525 posts
 
A great little amp that doesn't get too much notice is the Audio Research D200. Find them used for under a $1,000.00 and smile all the way to the bank. Rotel products are also a terrific value.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
About $500-$1,000 more
french_fries
815 posts
 
had a denon that got killed by a hafler. the hafler got wasted by a levinson. the levinson sounded two-dimensional compared to a (newer-tech) krell. the krell sounded somewhat unnatural compared to a rowland. the rowland lacked the dynamic authority of levinson monoblocks. each changeover was equally matched by a significant price increase. do i now wonder what dartzeel's sound like (or the new VTL's)? yes, but i'm fairly satisfied at this point (thank goodness!).
if i had to choose a "cheap" amp that makes beautiful music, the pass aleph-3 (only 30W/ch though) is AMAZING (i heard it).
about $1,000 used.
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