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cheap as chips power amp?

H

hammeredklavier

owner of two very cheap hi-fis
Anyone know their way around the pro-audio studio power amp market? I'm thinking I might get a bit of a hi-fi system set up again and all I need is a power amp. I've still got my Vienna Acoustics Haydns in a cupboard somewhere, my Audioengine D1 will serve as a source and preamp, so if I can find a simple power amp then I'm in business. I'd go for something like the Behringer A500, but there seem to be reliability issues with these cheap studio amps (although I can well imagine the kinds of environment they get used in! :D ). Don't want to spend more than £250 tops though, it'll just be for occasional use, headphones will continue to be my weapon of choice for various reasons.

Any suggestions?

Alex
 
Also consider the Alesis amps as well as the Behringer ones. All of these amps I have seen have a little transformer buzz from the case and high input gain.

Unless your speakers need lots of power I'd actually go second hand and maybe get a Quad 306. If you need more grunt, a 405. Cyrus also made some good power amps - the XPA, Power and SmartPower (not much on eBay right now). Then there is Arcam, the Alpha 8, 9 & 10 power amps, all good. My favs are the Quad 306 and Cyrus SmartPower, they look lovely.
 
Another recommendation for quad 306. Really nice cheap amps and incredibly easy to work on if anything ever needs servicing.
 
I heard one (Samson Servo) with Alesis Monitor One passives on the end. Sounded okay, but I can't comment on absolute quality.
 
Pro power amps with high power outputs often have fans. The fan noise makes them less suitable for domestic situations.
 
glancaster said:
Pro power amps with high power outputs often have fans. The fan noise makes them less suitable for domestic situations.
Click to expand...

I use one from time to time and just disconnect the fan, they can be surprisingly good if you suspend your bias of them..at the usual domestic and loud domestic levels the fan is totally unnecessary..on hard rock and AC DC fan...F**kin tastic..raw and drive aplenty.
 
Should be able to get a Crown K1 for that (no fan) somebody mentioned Footprint amps a while back but I know very little about them.
 
Keep your peeper open for MC2 450/650 they can be had sometimes for £250-350 and without doubt are more than a match for anything available under lottery winner prices.
 
I use three A500s for my active 'speakers, and have used A500s for pro-monitoring purposes. Can't fault them.They work really well, well built and well protected against abuse.

S.
 
hammeredklavier said:
That's a lot of power!
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Yes but I have three-way active 'speakers and with 85dB/watt sensitivity in the bass, I decided that 100 watts was needed in the bass to give me 20dB headroom over my normal listening level, and to make them suitable for showing off at Scalford! I could have used lower power amps for the mid and HF, but I can't buy anything, even used, cheaper than the A500, so that's what I bought. Around £75/channel!

S.
 
Bet I'll wish I'd had an A500... was just put off by a few reports of poor quality control, but it's hard to find any useful reviews or user feedback on any of these amps... :-/
 
hammeredklavier said:
Bet I'll wish I'd had an A500... was just put off by a few reports of poor quality control, but it's hard to find any useful reviews or user feedback on any of these amps... :-/
Click to expand...

I don't know about poor quality control, as even with the 4 units I've bought, it's still a very small sample. On Behringer products generally, I've now bought something like 30 different units, both for myself personally and for the Radio Station, and they have all worked to expectation. I have DI boxes, USB Audio adapters and compressor/limiters working 24/7 with no problems. Again, this is a small sample, but I have no hestitation is looking to Behringer first when looking for a box to do a job.

Yes, there are far better products out there in terms of technical performance, but firstly, all at a much higher prices, and secondly, some of the better technical performance doesn't translate to anything that's audibly better. If I wanted (as I did) a transparent power amp to do a job, then the A500 did it. When I wanted a small recording mixer, the Behringer did it. If I wanted a PA rig for the Albert Hall, I probably wouldn't think of Behringer, but for everyday home use, can't fault it.

S.
 
sergeauckland said:
I don't know about poor quality control, as even with the 4 units I've bought, it's still a very small sample. On Behringer products generally, I've now bought something like 30 different units, both for myself personally and for the Radio Station, and they have all worked to expectation. I have DI boxes, USB Audio adapters and compressor/limiters working 24/7 with no problems. Again, this is a small sample, but I have no hestitation is looking to Behringer first when looking for a box to do a job.

Yes, there are far better products out there in terms of technical performance, but firstly, all at a much higher prices, and secondly, some of the better technical performance doesn't translate to anything that's audibly better. If I wanted (as I did) a transparent power amp to do a job, then the A500 did it. When I wanted a small recording mixer, the Behringer did it. If I wanted a PA rig for the Albert Hall, I probably wouldn't think of Behringer, but for everyday home use, can't fault it.

S.
Click to expand...
All their gear certainly seems to represent exceptional value. They make some active monitors that I've been hankering after for a couple of years, but when the chips were down I decided to get my Vienna Acoustics up and running again, so bought a power amp. I'm pretty confident I'll get a good sound with Audioengine/Samson blowing into them! :)
 
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