[hankypanky2]

Need your help.

Thanks to all that respond

 

[Music Alchemist]

I own and love the Behringer KM750. (I use it with Klipsch RP-250F floorstanding speakers and a Schiit SYS passive preamp.) It's a professional-grade power amp that happens to cost $150, is class AB, outputs up to 400 watts into 4 ohms, 200 watts into 8 ohms, and supports mono bridged mode for up to 750 watts into 8 ohms. It looks kind of like the Cavalli Liquid Gold. The downside is that it is large and heavy. The fan system makes noise as well (only an issue when music is not playing), but at least it stays cool.

 

[hankypanky2]

I own and love the Behringer KM750. (I use it with Klipsch RP-250F floorstanding speakers and a Schiit SYS passive preamp.) It's a professional-grade power amp that happens to cost $150, is class AB, outputs up to 400 watts into 4 ohms, 200 watts into 8 ohms, and supports mono bridged mode for up to 750 watts into 8 ohms. It looks kind of like the Cavalli Liquid Gold. The downside is that it is large and heavy. The fan system makes noise as well (only an issue when music is not playing), but at least it stays cool.

Is it better than Marantz PM5005?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Is it better than Marantz PM5005?

I have no experience with that one...but it costs $500, so I'm not sure why you're mentioning it.

The Behringer has a lot more power, but less features. That's all I really know.

 

[buke9]

What are you using as a source?

 

[hankypanky2]

What are you using as a source?

What do you mean? I'm getting bookshelf speakers and an Amp, is there anything else I need?

 

[buke9]

You need something to supply the analog signal to the amp or you have no sound.

 

[Music Alchemist]

What do you mean? I'm getting bookshelf speakers and an Amp, is there anything else I need?

Assuming you are using a computer to play digital audio, you will probably want a DAC. (It's possible to connect your computer directly to an amp or preamp, but it can result in lower sound quality and other issues.) I owned high-end DACs in the past, but am using a $30 Behringer UCA202 at the moment and would recommend that to start with if you need a DAC and don't want to spend much.

You should also use a preamp for volume control if you get a power amp that has no volume control. The $49 Schiit SYS passive preamp is what I use. It has no electronics and sounds better to me than some active amps/preamps that can alter the signal. It can also be used to switch between multiple components. (It has two inputs and one output that can be switched to be one input and two outputs.) You can always use the digital volume control on your computer (or other digital source), but this also presents potential issues.

Which speakers are they, by the way?

 

[hankypanky2]

You need something to supply the analog signal to the amp or you have no sound.

My laptop?

Assuming you are using a computer to play digital audio, you will probably want a DAC. (It's possible to connect your computer directly to an amp or preamp, but it can result in lower sound quality and other issues.) I owned high-end DACs in the past, but am using a $30 Behringer UCA202 at the moment and would recommend that to start with if you need a DAC and don't want to spend much.

You should also use a preamp for volume control if you get a power amp that has no volume control. The $49 Schiit SYS passive preamp is what I use. It has no electronics and sounds better to me than some active amps/preamps that can alter the signal. It can also be used to switch between multiple components. (It has two inputs and one output that can be switched to be one input and two outputs.) You can always use the digital volume control on your computer (or other digital source), but this also presents potential issues.

Which speakers are they, by the way?

Q Acoustics 3020

 

[Music Alchemist]

My laptop?

So how do you plan on controlling the volume?

You could always go for an integrated amp with built-in volume control, but most power amps don't have volume knobs, and even those that do (like mine) aren't realistic to control the volume with, because there are often two of them that you'd need to rotate at the same time. And mine is so large I just put it on the floor, so it's not realistic to control the volume with it.

 

[hankypanky2]

So how do you plan on controlling the volume?

You could always go for an integrated amp with built-in volume control, but most power amps don't have volume knobs, and even those that do (like mine) aren't realistic to control the volume with, because there are often two of them that you'd need to rotate at the same time. And mine is so large I just put it on the floor, so it's not realistic to control the volume with it.

I can't control the volume in my laptop?

 

[Redcarmoose]

Not an expert on this stuff, but I love my little $200 receiver. Has a Wolfson DAC in it too!
https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-A-9010-Integrated-Stereo-Amplifier/dp/B00SY20TE8

Your going to have to figure out how to get digital out of your Laptop W/O USB.

Edit:
Just noticed it’s USED on Amazon. Sorry.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/onkyo-a-9010-integrated-stereo-amplifier.20891/

 

[Redcarmoose]

Many don’t realise that most MacBooks have optical coming out of the 3.5mm plug, something like this would work, but I have not used one.
https://www.amazon.com/Recoton-Fiber-Optic-Toslink-Adapter/dp/B0002MQGRM

 

[ProtegeManiac]

My laptop?

You can use an amplifier with a USB input that way the sound will be better processed by the DAC and line stage in the amp with a short path to its output stage.

I can't control the volume in my laptop?

You shouldn't actually. If you just hook up the analogue output of the laptop to an amp the circuit isn't designed as a very clean line out signal, not to mention that unless you blow a lot more money on a dedicated amplifier that doesn't have its own preamplifier stage built in (these kinds of amps are designed for more power, which is why they cost more despite having less features) the amp you're going to get has its own preamplifier stage. See that volume knob on the amp? That's what controls the volume, not your laptop.

If you use USB input to have the dedicated audio circuits on the amp do all the work (assuming it has USB input), you can't. The OS will disable volume control.


Here's a screenshot of my desktop right now. See the "x" on the speaker icon? I'm using USB output to an amp with USB DAC input.

 

[buke9]

I can't control the volume in my laptop?

Yes you can even if you use a dac there is a master volume on computers and on the laptop I bet has volume keys on it. Have a MacBook Pro ,MacBook Air and a HP laptop and they all have volume control keys. The Onkyo looks pretty nice I would recommend a intergated amp like that.