How much difference in sound?


I have a lower end amp ( Parasound 5125 ). How much sound difference would I hear with say, a $1000 or $1500 or even a $2000 used amp? I'm trying to slowly move up in quality , but I want to make sure I can hear the move up.
Gary

I also have a Nad C720 Bee
garypic
Gary

No one is going to be able to give you a real true life value in regards to your question…. There are too many variables. Even if you said which amp, it would be awfully hard to give your question any certainty

I’ll assume you mean to spend the $$ on a 2 ch amp.

At $1000 to $1500 into a used 2 ch amp…. I’d say you should hear some improvement depending upon the amp you select. But not as much as if that money was spent somewhere else in your system… like with a source.

I feel the threshold for the point of diminishing returns is at the $5.5 > $6K MSRP for amps, by and large.

With many preowned amps of this ilk finding themselves nearing 50% of the original MSRP now, the used amp market of between $2500 - $3000 should put you pretty square into it.

How much? Ok… 20%. To 25%.. perhaps more, maybe less.

However, as was said, the better the associated components the better wil be the results of such a step up. The room too is another matter entirely and it does matter as well.

Naturally the synergy between the amp and speakers is pretty important… and if all else in your rig is to encounter upscaling at some point you may wish to begin elsewhere… like at the speakers or at the source itself. I’d go with upgrading the source first, if it was me.

I feel the two places that the biggest change in sound can come from, is either from upgrating the source or upgrading the speakers.

Looking to swap out an amp without knowing how the ‘future’ source sounds, or what demands the upcoming speakers may have, seems counter productive to me.

If you already know which way lays your goals, low power amp + high eff spekrs, high power amps + moderate eff spkrs, All tubes, all SS, a mix of both, etc. then I guess changing out the amp first is as good a place to start as any.

The amp is just one piece of the puzzle. As with any puzzle the rest of the pieces must fit together. I’ve used the scissors and tape approach in the past to put my puzzles together and wasn’t keen on the outcome… even though the pieces were all there… more or less… it did fit though!

Front to back or back to front seems the two more popular approaches for system building. To start in the middle I’d need to run across a real gem or a deal I simply could not pass up.

It’ll sure sound a lot different… the margin of betterment however might not gbe as great. Upping the amplifier ante as was said will increase the odds in your favor.

Prior to settling on an amp, do consider the speaker amp match first or have some outline in mind for prospective ‘down the road’ speakers… 2 ways, flr stands, panels, horns, omni, etc. That will aid you in selecting your amp.

Good luck.
Thanks for all the input,
I guess I have the upgrade bug, wanting a full brillant sound on the least amount of $'s needed to have that sound. I am willing to preceed piece by piece to reach that rainbow sound in the sky.
I believe that I will shy away from tubes, and look for SS amp and pre.
I am using an onkyo cdp that is about 14 yrs. old, would like to upgrade the cdp too.
I guess I should start with the amp,then pre, then speakers?
Gary
Hi Gary.
I would upgrade the speakers first. You might then find no need to upgrade the pre and the amp.

Gary...

If you are indeed sold on doing the amp first... get a popular one that will hold it's value and it's ability for re-sale.... given the budget you initially provided. Later on you can sell it and take one more step into ampland and be near done there... for all intents and purposes.

Also keep in mind this... amps only can increase the signal amplitude they recieve. They don't purify it, sweeten it or improve upon it. Whatever the integrity of the signal it see's is what it will increase... Better amps will convey whatever the upstream devices provide. Clearly usually with greater detail and resolution.

Consequently, if the info is off somewhat or somehow, the resultant amplified info may not be better and can be less acceptable in fact, as it will reveal more so the quality of what it sees coming into it.

If there's any chance for you to in home demo one or two, by all means do that first... just to see what's going to happen with this upgrade.

Good luck
Mr. Blindjim has nailed it for U. I say start with a better cd player. There are very good players at different budgets.
I think you need more information from your source, just to be able to tell which amp,which speakers--