[coke]

Looking for a 1 or 3 channel amp.  Needs to be stable at 4 ohms.  I plan on buying an emotiva UPA-1 for $350 with free shipping. I thought I'd check on here before I did, but I don't want to spend much more than what the emotiva costs. I can increase my budget for a 3 channel amp, but I'm really just looking for something to power my center channel. 

[Phil A]

A friend of mine gave me one of these to try but I needed an amp of more shallow depth and ended up with a Bryston 3BST - http://www.amchome.com/content/amc-2100-stereo-power-amplifiers-100w-x-2

You could use one channel.  He'd probably want $80+ shipping for it.  I have it sitting in my basement (along with an Adcom 555 which I used to use one channel of for the center channel in the secondary basement system but that's in the same price range as the Emotiva) but don't have the box.  I use an old Marantz slim width monoblock for the rear center in the main system.  Those can be picked up for half the price of the Emotiva or less.  I have the less powerful MA-500 (175W into 4) and the MA-700 is more power.

[Phil A]

Here's 3 of the Marantz mono block amps that are the same price as the Emotiva - http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1309191622&/Marantz-MA500-3-amps-for-sale

[Phil A]

Not a great picture in that ad but they are less than 4 inches wide and almost 18 inches deep

[coke]

Thanks, I'll do some research on those. 

I have a Marantz SR5004 receiver though, and plan on using the pre out of it to an amp.  Not sure how much of an improvement the marantz amps would provide.

[Phil A]

I have an SR6003 in the secondary bedroom system I'm using with the Bryston 3BST which is an improvement (I have 3 old Thiel SCS2s up front).  The Adcom 555 was not as good as the Bryston but probably similar quality to the Marantz but more power.  I used one channel of the Adcom 555 at one point in the secondart basement system with an old Marantz SR7300 OSE.  Found it of around the same sonic quality as well.  I was using the old Marantz SR7300 OSE in 6.1 (it has 6x100W) but the room is huge and I figured it couldn't hurt relieving the burden of the receiver a bit.  I guess that is what you are seeking?  I was using the Adcom 555 in the secondary bedroom system to drive the left and right channel (the 3 front speakers are 4 ohms - 3 min.) and I'd rather be safe vs. sorry.  At one point I was considering an Emotiva UPA-2 (?) for the left and right channel but then after I got the new TV a bit over a year ago the place the amp had to go was behind the center channel which was beneath the TV and the Adcom 555 barely fit and I wanted something a bit better.

[coke]

I have an AVA Ultra+ Double 550 powering my mains.   The center is almost exclusively used for HT though, so I mainly just need an amp with a decent amount of power. 

[Phil A]

At the price point, Emotiva is hard to beat.  I bought their DAC for the secondary basement system.