What percentage did your amp cost compared to your speakers?

warnerwh · « **on:** 15 Feb 2006, 05:54 am »

I'm curious as to what people feel comfortable with spending on a power amp compared to their speaker system. In my case actual cost of my amp was about 25% of my speakers cost. Retail would be 50% though.

jon_010101 · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 06:38 am »

I don't sweat it as long as it sounds good

My amps are likely worth more than my speakers on the used market, perhaps by a factor of 2, but both cost about the same for me.

Think of all the people running $3000 Zu speakers with $100 homemade T-amps or gainclones... Or all the people running homemade $200 single-driver open baffle speakers with $2000 triode amps.

kfr01 · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 06:51 am »

Let's see. $1200 for amp (used).

$800, 2641 kit parts + $400 finishing parts.

About 1:1

However, my speakers are diy and sound much more expensive than their total parts costs.

I have to say, the speaker upgrade was ---much--- more worthwhile, performance for dollar, than the amplifier.

Were I to do it over again, I'd put even more money, time, and effort into the speaker. Greatest gains to be acheived there, imo.

bubba966 · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 06:55 am »

$5,500 retail for the speakers, $3,000 retail for the receiver.

I think I paid around $3,200 for the speakers & $2,000 for the receiver.

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 10:59 am »

speaker: $1200 for cabs + $700 for drivers= $1900 (competes with ANYTHING under $5K or even more.

amps=$300(used, monoblock opchip amps)+$600 modification costs= $900.

The speakers are forgiving enough of medium rated power, but there are speakers that ASK for a certain wattage and gobs of current, much, much more expensive proposition.

JLM · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 11:18 am »

Retail: amp $1,000, speakers $1600.

These ratios could get really wacky with huge efficient horns running on small amps or cheaper power hungry speakers.

JoshK · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 02:33 pm »

Quote from: JLM

These ratios could get really wacky with huge efficient horns running on small amps or cheaper power hungry speakers.

Or with active setups like mine....

Speaker drivers: ~$1700 (+$400 of so for wood) Amps: ~$3000 for the eight channels of amplification.

eric the red · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 02:38 pm »

About 9%...GR Research Paradox 3 speakers overbuilt from a kit=$975.00 including shipping from Minneapolis. Sharp SD-EX111 integrated $90.00 new including shipping from Overstock.com

gary · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 03:00 pm »

Speakers: $2000 (Bastanis Prometheus... probably the most expensive "diy kit" out there)

Amp: ~$700 (Red Wine Audio Clari-T w/ upgrades)

Gary

Gordy · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 03:11 pm »

My diy amps were about 25-30% the cost of my custom built speakers. I'm only guessing, but I think that ratio would stay fairly close if they were available from dealers.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 03:16 pm »

My amp is a 5x200wpc Sherbourn 5/1500A that retailed for $1999. My main speakers are Vandersteen Model 2C's that retailed for $1595/pair, a VCC-1 center channel that retails for $550 each and Paradigm ADP-370 surrounds that retailed for $650/pair, IIRC. So the speakers retailed for about 1.4 times as much as the amp.

What I paid was $400 for the 2C's (used), $300 for the VCC-1 (used), $400 for the ADP-370's (discontinued) and $1100 for the 5/1500A (demo). Which means I paid the same for the speakers as the amp.

meilankev · « **Reply #11 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 05:03 pm »

If we are only talking only about the power amp, then my amp is about 20% more expensive than my speakers. If we're talking about "power amp/preamp combo", then it is about double the price of my speakers.

Kevin

_scotty_ · « **Reply #12 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 05:38 pm »

My amp cost me $700in parts plus my time or about 12% the cost of my speakers $5800 see link http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1144856693
If BelCanto used the parts quality I did in constructing their 2ch eVo2 amp
an amp directly comparable to mine might have retailed for as much as $4000.
Scotty

mcgsxr · « **Reply #13 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 06:52 pm »

Hmmn, guess my audio pants are about to come off!

Speakers - USD$350 for a pair of Visaton b200 wide range drivers and some 3/4 mdf, and some piano hinges

Amps - USD$225 for my JVC EX A1 or USD$250 for my gainclone

So I guess I am running speakers worth about 120-140% of my amp, but none of this kit is in any way pricey - I have paid more for IC's in the past, than ALL of my gear today...

Soundbitten · « **Reply #14 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 07:27 pm »

my speakers were 4 times more than my amp

hmen · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 08:32 pm »

My pre plus my amp cost about 150% of what my speakers cost.

zybar · « **Reply #16 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 09:43 pm »

Amp lists for $7,000 new (McCormack DNA-500) and speakers list for roughly $4,500 new (Salk Veracity HT3's in stock form with upgraded finish).

So my amp is around 56% more expensive than my speakers.

The equation gets more lopsided if I include my preamp/dac (modified TacT 2.2x).

George

SWG255 · « **Reply #17 on:** 15 Feb 2006, 10:55 pm »

My VMPS RM40s cost about 5 times the amount I spent on my modified Carver ZR-1600. In the past though, my amp and speakers were about equal in price, both what i paid and retail. I covet a couple amps that will retail for about 40% more than my speakers though.

This is an issue endlessly debated by audiophiles, but i fall strongly in the camp that one should spend as much as possible on speakers and then match one's other components to them. This usually leads to spending about 50% more on speakers than an amplifier, and probably an equal amount if one combines the amp and preamp cost.

Of course, like any such "rule", your experience may be different.

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #18 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 01:43 am »

My amp cost around $650 used and my speakers are either $350 for the visaton b200 or $630 for the mbow1. If I include the channel islands vpc-1, then I suppose I spent 15% more on amplification. Soon to change, I hope.

mgalusha · « **Reply #19 on:** 16 Feb 2006, 02:14 am »

At retail my speakers were about 4x the price of the amps. I actually paid about 2.2x more for the speakers as I got a great deal on them and the amps were used as well.