[dennis.a]

I have  Monitor Audio RS8 mains , and a Yamaha RXV659 receiver  [ DON"T
ask , it's another newbie mistake ].
I know , I should done seperates , so now I'm trying to undo my
mistakes.

I want to continue to run my rears and sub off myYamaha , but run
my mains [ RS8s ] off either a power amp or int.amp.

Which amp would you suggest . and why ?

Could you also suggest some specific models , and tell me why ?

I'd like to stay less than $500 , and I'm especially interested in amps
that would be warm or bassy , since the RS8s are a bit bright.

Thank You !

[Rob Babcock]

Tubes are good. aa  Used is also good.  I'd scour A'Gon for a Jolida or Onix tubed integrated amp.  Of course, the S8's will also sound good with SS.  For the price you might look for an NAD C-320BEE or its replacement.

[warnerwh]

If your receiver has pre outs so you can connect a power amp I'd go that route. For 500 dollars I'd go with a Rotel 991 or Parasound HCA 1500. Both amps run 200wpc and it's much better to have more power than you need than not enough. Speakers are commonly blown due to amps with too little power going into clipping.

Not being familiar with your speakers I don't know how sensitive(efficient) they are or your room size or volumes you like to listen to. I give advice as though it were me. After 35 years in the hobby I've found having amps with plenty of power is a wise idea especially being as I like to crank it sometimes.

In case you don't know you have to double the output power of an amp to increase the volume 3db. That's just noticeable. In other words power demands don't go up linearly. A 100wpc amp will only play the same speakers 3db louder than a 50wpc amp will. Dynamics in the bass region can have huge demands on the power draw from your amp sometimes drawing 100 times more power than what the average wattage you're listening to is. Hope this helps.

If your speakers seem bright it's very possible it's your room acoustics. Next to speakers acoustics are what affect the sound the most, far more than an amp can. You should go to the Acoustics circle and ask questions for help. Also go to realtraps.com and read. There's also videos there that demonstrate very well what goes on in your room. It's pretty surprising to most people who are new.

[Rob Babcock]

BTW, I still think it's your room...your MA's aren't really bright at all.