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Amp evolution ques. - what comes after a Harmon K?

Hi All
Just getting started in this. I bought a pair of I.Q. TED 400 floor speakers(used - from Germany) and power it with a 1994 Harman Kardon AVR 20 rated at 65 watts. System seems to play well, but i want to explore a little and have decided to try some different power before i go replace the speakers. i read the personal amp evolution thread to get some of the brand names. I will only buy used as i expect to trade around for a while; min 100 watts. Right now the local used shop has some Rotel, NAD, Adcom and a Haefler. A used 200c Cayin is also in the area. Or should i just wait and buy the next level up?
fivefasts
mlauner
250 posts
 
all listed should be an improvement over an 15 year old HK.
fivefasts OP
27 posts
 
Alternatively, the AVR 20 has pre-amp outputs so i believe i can hook an amp directly to the existing unit... or is this not worth it?
gonglee3
304 posts
 
There is quite a bit of enjoyment tobe had from the mid-fi amps you listed. They are all big names in mid-fi with good reviews from the pros - you can google for them.

Can you listen to them ? That would be nice if you could - especially if you can take them home and listen with your speaker, in your listening area.

In the end, y o u have to enjoy it, so let your ear be the final judge.

I would be especially intersted in the Cayin.

As Mlauner said, any of the amps you listed would be an improvement over HK. I would buy a mid-fi amp and enjoy it for a while before spending more, because you have to upgrade all the gears in your system evenly in quality - meaning if you get even better amp, you might want to upgrade the rest of the system.

I am sure you have heard of the law of diminishing return - meaning you have to spend a lot more to gain a little in quality after a while - and this seems to be especially true in hifi.

So I would just get my feet wet with one of the amps available locally - since they are all good ones, and when you do want to upgrade your entire system even further, than you can sell the used gears locally or here on audiogon, and not loose much money.

What source do you have now ? What cd player ?

Also, do you have good cables for them ?

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