[randog]

As my SCC300 cabinets near completion, I am in the market for an amp(s) to run them. I would prefer not to use a plate amp although I am up to hearing about it if you think I should reconsider. Any recommendations?

How much power will I need?

Thank you,
Randog

[Popms]

I used the Art of Sound AOS 300 plate amp, I've been very happy with it

[EProvenzano]

I used an Adcom GFA 555 with excellent results. Noticable improvement over the Parts Express Plate amp (250wpc, can't remember the model number). You can find Adcom amps on Audiogon all the time. I picked mine up for $350.

External amp(s) are a good way to go especially if you will be using an electronic XO. I think it's nice to remove all those preamp controls in a plate amp...inferior parts, pots, and other icky stuff.

I think 200 watts is plenty-o-power.

Good luck!
EP

[David Ellis]

EProven's comments are very accurate.  In this realm there are a plethora of very decent older amps on the used market.  The most "alluring" units are the pro-sound units from Crown, but their input impedance is too low IMO.  Try to find an amp with an input impedance that matches your primary amp.  ... Hey, another thought... those old Hafler's are pretty decent!

The AOS plate amp from Dave Craig appears to be a very good unit.  I don't know all the intimacies, but Dave Craig is very successful at building top-notch subwoofers.  His plate amp is one of very few with a terroidal power supply and a 24db roll off on the sub.  The latter is very advantageous.  At $300, the AOS unit is not the cheapest plate amp available, but it might be the highest quality unit available.  

Then, if you want to spend less $ I suggest the Apex Sr. amp from www.soniccraft.com or Apex Jr.  I believe this plate amp has some quality built-in.

The P.E. plate amps... who knows??

My 2c.

[Al Garay]

I have a Hypex HS200 because I found one for a very good deal. It has a massive toroidal transformer and appears very well made in comparison to the standard PE type palte amp.

In addition to the Adcom amp, you can look on eBay for old Hafler amps.  You can also check for a good deal on a pro-amp from Crown and QSC.

Al

[David Ellis]

I think most of these have an input impedance around 10k ohms.  This is makes the load about 5x more difficult to drive for a preamp than a "typical" amp.  Most power amps have an input impedance about 50k ohms.  This might be an issue for a hifi preamp.  It will probably not be an issue if the application is a HT receiver.  I belive (not sure) most of these have a separate circuit driving the subwoofer.

Dave

[randog]

Thanks for the inputs. I didn't mention that I will have a stereo pair of subs. Will that be too taxing for a 200W/channel stereo amp with a channel for each or should I look for a dual mono like the Aragon 4004? (or even an Odyssey DM but that seems a little pricey for woofer power even though they would likely blend well with the Stratos I've just acquired)  

I don't have the desire or space for an amp for each.

Jeff at Sonic Craft doesn't recommend the pro amps, personally.

Thanks again,
Randog

[David Ellis]

The only area where watts per channel gets messy is Home Theater amplifiers.  These units are rated with 1 CHANNEL ONLY driven at the stated wpc output.  Hence a 100wpc amp will drive 1 channel at 100watts.  When two channels are used, the output drops to 50wpc due to a weak power supply.  This system is the industry standard for manufacturers of HT amplifiers/receivers.  

So, I don't think using dual-mono amplifiers versus a Stereo amplifier will make any difference.  This will be particularly true with an Aragon unit.  These units have a very robust power supply.

I tested a Crown(low input impedance) & Bryston 3B-ST(high input impedance) amplifier on a SCC300 subwoofer in a HT setup.  Both sounded the same to my ears.  However, this was a HT setup.  Presumably there is a separate preamp channel driving the output for the subwoofer in the HT receiver.  In this setup the low input  impedance crown worked just fine.  In other 2 channel setups this might not be true.  Hifi preamps are not really intended to drive the low impedance load of a pro-amp.

Jeff is darn smart about stuff like this.  I am sure that if all the information was present that Jeff and I would agree on this issue.  Successfully using a low impedance pro-amp is very application specific.  

Dave