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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?
studioray
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.
facten
2,877 posts
 
for a grand used get a Portal Panche
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