[ironmine]

Hello
Please see my current rig in my signature. I want to replace NAD C320BEE, which I use as a power amp only, with a good power amp. My budget is around $600. I would appreciate any advice!

 

[thread]

I use an Emotiva RPA-1. It's a 200 wpc, dualmono, solid state power amp with a great price. I think the retail is right at $600. I think it performs wonderfully and looks great, too.

 

[sachu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use an Emotiva RPA-1. It's a 200 wpc, dualmono, solid state power amp with a great price. I think the retail is right at $600. I think it performs wonderfully and looks great, too.

x2...great amplifiers..heard them at the Bramberg Audio room at this year's RMAF...great looking and sweet sounding.fantastic price too.

Emotiva Audio pics

 

[ironmine]

Thanks, guys!

I'll check Emotiva RPA-1. How about Parasound A23?

Is there any English-speaking forum similar to head-fi in terms of its authority and popularity, but which specializes in amplifiers, speakers, etc.?

 

[Old Pa]

I like Bryston. Start saving up.

 

[zx10guy]

The RPA-1 is no longer made. Emotiva is getting ready to release the RPA-2. The RPA-2 is the same amp as the RPA-1....same Class H amplification setup and maintains the full dual mono configuration....but has updated external cosmetics to match the current look of their products. You're looking at $699 for it plus any applicable shipping. The other amps in your price range are the UPA-2 at $299 (125WPC), the XPA-3 at $599 (200WPC), and the UPA-7 at $599 (125WPC). If you want to stretch your budget a little, the XPA-2 (250WPC) and the XPA-5 (200WPC) are both selling at $699. Also note that Emotiva is having a holiday sale which is going to end soon. The prices for the XPA-2,3,5 and the UPA-7 listed are all sale prices. They are also currently throwing in free shipping too.

I currently own a XPA-2 and have been pretty happy with it. The thing weighs a fricken ton at 80 some odd pounds. It really drives my B&W Nautilus 805s with extreme authority especially with good bass extension and control. And as a tangent to Old Pa's post, I also own a Bryston 6B-ST amp. The Bryston is pretty awesome also. I have it in my main high dollar system driving my front speakers. But the OP would have to save up for quite some time to get into Bryston gear.

 

[Sherwood]

Are you willing to buy used, Ironmine?

 

[panda]

mccormack dna 0.5 best bang for buck amp you're going to find. if you need a ton of power, forte model 3 is good as well. but to be honest, i use it to drive small budget bookshelves, it's total overkill but the speakers are a bit of overachievers anyway and scales with the amp. (psb alpha a/v)

 

[jonathanb715]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello Please see my current rig in my signature. I want to replace NAD C320BEE, which I use as a power amp only, with a good power amp. My budget is around $600. I would appreciate any advice!

Call me crazy, but that NAD is a pretty good sounding little amp. What is it you don't like about it? What do you think will be improved by getting a new amp? While I do believe different amps can sound different, IME good amps sound more alike than different. I suspect you may find that swapping out the NAD for a $600 amp moves you sideways or makes a marginal improvement at best.

JB

 

[thread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there any English-speaking forum similar to head-fi in terms of its authority and popularity, but which specializes in amplifiers, speakers, etc.?

AudioCircle

Audiogon Discussion of High end audio

 

[ironmine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa /img/forum/go_quote.gif I like Bryston. Start saving up.

Wow, Bryston... I'm even afraid to look at its price tag

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx10guy /img/forum/go_quote.gif The RPA-1 is no longer made. Emotiva is getting ready to release the RPA-2. The RPA-2 is the same amp as the RPA-1....same Class H amplification setup and maintains the full dual mono configuration....

Hm, Class H... I am admittedly not very knowledgeable about amplifier classes, but isn't Class A or A/B is supposed to be better?
By the way, I have a question, my speakers are 150 watts – so, how many watts ideally should my amp candidate have? More than 150 watts or less? (My NAD is 50 watts). I heard different opinions – some people say that the amp should be 2 times more powerful than speakers. Others say that it should be vice versa – speakers should be twice more powerful as the amp. I just don’t know: WPC, which Emotiva quotes, and watts, which NAD quotes – are they the same units of measurements?
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you willing to buy used, Ironmine?

Yes, I am. But I do not need another NAD C320BEE

Or are you offering some other amp?
Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanb715 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Call me crazy, but that NAD is a pretty good sounding little amp. What is it you don't like about it? What do you think will be improved by getting a new amp? While I do believe different amps can sound different, IME good amps sound more alike than different. JB

Well, I also like my NAD, I find it very musical and it paints really palpable sonic images, in my opinion. It just draws you in and doesn’t let you go. But when I started using April Music Stello HP100 as a preamp, I did notice that the sound became cleaner and more transparent. So, I hope if I invest my money to a dedicated power amp twice more expensive than my current integrated NAD (and more powerful in terms of watts), isn’t it going to improve the sound? Or am I wrong and need an antidote against upgraditis?

 

[sejarzo]

Unless a system is grossly underpowered and you listen at high levels, the least bang-for-the-buck improvement is typically swapping the power amp for something "better".

Remember, as output power increases, it becomes harder to design a good sounding amp.

In general, it's better to have an amp that can output greater power than the speakers can handle, rather than the other way around (which would seem to be the logically "safe" arrangement.)

If you listen at levels high enough to cause an "underpowered" amp to clip, you're feeding DC current to the speakers, which is a bad thing for the drivers.

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I am. But I do not need another NAD C320BEE Or are you offering some other amp?

Haha, not MY used amp, just someone's used amp. $600 used opens up a lot of possibilities.

Of course... you could always rig them up as monoblocs...

 

[jonathanb715]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I also like my NAD, I find it very musical and it paints really palpable sonic images, in my opinion. It just draws you in and doesn’t let you go. But when I started using April Music Stello HP100 as a preamp, I did notice that the sound became cleaner and more transparent. So, I hope if I invest my money to a dedicated power amp twice more expensive than my current integrated NAD (and more powerful in terms of watts), isn’t it going to improve the sound? Or am I wrong and need an antidote against upgraditis?

In my experience, at least, the inexpensive NAD's really do well against most amps under $1k or so. YMMV, as they say. My speakers tend to be easy to drive, which tends to be one of the key variables in how an amp will do in a given system, again in my experience. I'm not familiar with your speakers, so I have no idea what kinds of changes you may hear as you start experimenting. However, as another poster noted, amps often have the least potential for improvements if they are well designed. Personally, I'd be looking to audition amps in my system, with return privileges if it's not an improvement.

I actually went through exactly that when my old Mistral integrated died a few years back - I auditioned relatively inexpensive integrateds (up to about $600) from Marantz, Cambridge, NAD. The Cambridge did not do well with my speakers (Epos ES22 at the time) for some reason (I suspect it was defective), but I could have lived with the Marantz or NAD - at least until I auditioned the Portal Panache. But that's in a whole different price class ($1,795 new). It's the one that came closest to capturing some of the magic of the Mistral. Rather than relying on experience of others, I'd recommend going through a similar process.

If local dealers won't let you borrow a demo amp, limber up your credit card and buy demo amps on-line from retailers that will let you return no questions asked within 30 days - Audio Advisor, Music Direct, Elusive Disc all will do this and I'm sure there are lots of others as well. You'll be out shipping for any you return, but you will be in a position to answer your question yourself, with your system in your room.

JB

PS - another, very large audio forum is Audio Asylum -- Audio Reviews, Audiophile Forums and Stereo Reviews The place gives me a headache, though - I rarely visit it anymore.

edit - I just went back and looked at your location - my advice works great in the states, I'm not so sure you'll find such an easy way to audition amps in Russia. I guess shipping costs might get a little expensive! Given that, I'd recommend sticking with the NAD until you can step up to a higher price class of amps (over $1k or so). Since the Mistral was a European brand, you might want to try and track down one of those used.

 

[MatsudaMan]

I use an NAD c352 in my living room and use, for my primary music listening room, an Atoll in100 integrated. I really like the NAD, but the Atoll is in a different league in every category. You can find plenty of integrateds for way less than 1k (used on audigon) that are leagues better than NAD.

I bought the Atoll for 650 on Audiogon in mint condition and it is ridiculous how much better it is than the NAD. Don't get me wrong, the NAD is good for the price, but don't let yourself believe that you can't find anything better for not much more. Just go to a hi-fi shop and listen, find what sounds awesome, and wait for an awesome deal used.

It is simply the best way to upgrade.

For example, I could sell my NAd for like 350 on audiogon, than by an amp that is much better for like 650-800. It is totally within reach, for anyone.