[glangford]

I agree on Dennis' comment. I have a denon 3311ci I plan to continue to use when my SCST arrive.  It has plenty of power (125 wpc in 2 channel mode).   As far as the DAC goes, everything comes from my Oppo-BDP-95 running to my my avr via RCAs in pure direct mode.  I may sometime change to an integrated with XLRs to take advantage of those in the oppo, but feel no pressing need to.

[Austin08]

I do agree with Nuance, preamp has more infuence on the overall sound character than the amp of one's system. But to me, the most importance thing is getting the system synergy right then everything else should mostly fall right in place.

[Paul K.]

And Dennis is absolutely correct about speaker cables.  As for an amp recommendation, a Quad 909 would be my choice; 140 wpc/8 and 250 wpc/4.  It's no longer manufactured but you can easily find a used one for ~$750.  There was an updated version offered by Quad but I don't remember and can't find its model number, but I believe its list price was more like ~$1900.
Paul

yes, and speaker cables do not matter either according to him.  a home depot wire is all you need.

[wilsynet]

Another recommendation for Hypex NCore NC400 monoblocks.

[geowak]

Wyred4Sound is quite nice, as is Bryston and the Parasound Halo A21.  You can find the McCormack DNA stuff used online for a good price too; very nice gear.

What DAC will you be using?

I have had the Stratos and currently have the Parasound A21. The Stratos had QC issues that I could not get resolved with Klaus. The A21 was, to my ears, much better. I would not hesitate to get this amp at all. It's driving some MMG's without a sweat and sounds really great. John Curl design, and is very quiet. The only amp that I liked just a tad better was the integrated amp- Musical Fidelity M6500i. But the MF is at a much higher cost point.

BTW I also had the McCormack DNA-125. I rated the DNA-125 above the Odyssey and below the A21. The A21 has much more power/ current.

[mrlittlejeans]

I compared an A21 with an AVA Insight+ 500 in my room on Philharmonic 2's and Magnepan 3.7's over a number of months.  The preamp was an Audible Illusions L3 and the DAC was AVA's vision DAC.  I sold the A21 around two weeks ago and have kept the Insight (300wpc into 8, 600wpc into 4).  The Insight+ had much better bass than the A21.  I also found it smoother overall and less bright/edgy than the A21.  The A21 did seem to have a bit more air and the soundstage seemed wider but the bass improvement was palpable with the Insight.  I'm thinking about getting one of his synergy amps next or perhaps a pair of JC1's which are much more expensive.  Just my opinion for what it's worth.

[UltraDrew]

Wyred4Sound is quite nice, as is Bryston and the Parasound Halo A21. 

I really really like my Wyred4Sound ST500 with my HT2-TLs.

And... it led me down the path of buying a DAC-2, which made me equally happy.

[mick wolfe]

perhaps someone can point me to alternatives i am not already considering.  i am done with multi-ch and will be selling my parasound & adcom 5ch amps once i buy a 2 ch replacement.
my short list is a new AVA Synergy300 or the Odyssey Stratos, both @150w which is the min. power range i need to be in for my room.
i am sure some of you have heard both of these and could be of some help here. speakers are Salk STs.

i would like to keep the cost under $1500.  would consider used, but nothing too old that might need near term cap replacements.
solid state only. my pre is an EAD sig-8 but will be adding a tube pre at some point and then one of them will have to go.

thanks in advance

McCormack DNA 125 is worth a look  as well. Slightly above your price limit, but might be worth the stretch.

[squirrel_nut]

What DAC will you be using?

well, i use them both, but mostly the EAD DAC in my pre-amp. its not quite as detailed as the Oppo 83SE (Sabre's),
but is harmonically richer (for a lack of a better term).

[dcurtis53]

I am using a BMC AMP C1 with wonderful results. I am also using a BMC CD player with my HT2-TL'S. The sound I get from the combination along with Stage III interconnects and Stage III power cords is superb.

[dcurtis53]

Just to stir things up a little,I just read the comments that a power amplifier doesn't make any difference as long as it has enough power and speaker cables don't make a difference either. Each one of us is entitled to our own opinions but having had some very good amplifiers and speaker cables I can assure you that they can have a huge effect on the sound. Speaker  cables, power cords and interconnects  are not all created equal, some are not worth owning especially for some of their  huge price tags but some are. I once read a comment that most redbook cd players sounded the same, not true either.

[yetis]

Find a used Pass Labs amp, and you will be happy, and you won't need to pay a heating bill this year!   Seriously, I know its a stretch, but I so miss my Pass amps.  I wish I had the space. Anyone who says that amps don't make a difference, have never owned great amps..

[Art_Chicago]

to dcurtis53

I brought up Dennis Murphy's opinion on the power amps since he designed the crossover and voiced all the Salk speakers (and Philharmonic Audio).  Just FYI

[dcurtis53]

to ART_CHICAGO, I am not sure what you meant. Please clarify for me if you don't mind. Did you mean that because he said that it must be correct or is it just an interesting theory to you.

[vortrex]

Just to stir things up a little,I just read the comments that a power amplifier doesn't make any difference as long as it has enough power and speaker cables don't make a difference either. Each one of us is entitled to our own opinions but having had some very good amplifiers and speaker cables I can assure you that they can have a huge effect on the sound. Speaker  cables, power cords and interconnects  are not all created equal, some are not worth owning especially for some of their  huge price tags but some are. I once read a comment that most redbook cd players sounded the same, not true either.

 

it's crazy to think that a designer cannot hear these changes.

[Jeff K]

it's crazy to think that a designer cannot hear these changes.

So, it must be that Dennis doesn't really know what he's talking about and just got lucky designing all these wonderful loudspeakers. 
 

[vortrex]

So, it must be that Dennis doesn't really know what he's talking about and just got lucky designing all these wonderful loudspeakers. 
 

read what I wrote, I never said that.

[Jeff K]

read what I wrote, I never said that.

Well, it was an exact quote.  My apologies if it was sarcasm and we were both chiming in (in agreement) on notion that Dennis doesn't hear as well as some of the other posters.

[mick wolfe]

In my experience, the SongTowers ( standard dome tweeter) respond quite nicely to better cabling and amplification. Although they sound very good with
modest equipment and cables, you'll never hear their true potential unless you're willing to push the envelope a bit.

[dcurtis53]

That is so true, Dennis Murphy is a genius no doubt but it is foolish for us to take his or anyone elses opinion as gospel without at least listening for ourselves. Try a BMC amplifier or a Pass Labs or something in that class and see for youself if they make a difference and only then will you know for sure. The proof is in the listening