Audiogon Scam?

[jmabe]

Is the Rotel RA-02 a fine choice? Or it fits the "would lack power" category? It seems like a fine integrated, and everyone who reviews it seem to like it. Say, to power a Dynaudio Audience 120 pair, or a Paradigm Studio 60 v2, would it handle these babies?

[jbangelfish]

I don't know what the Rotel amp has for power or what the speakers can handle. If the Rotel is an integrated, someone mentioned that they don't like the preamp section of Rotels. This could mean nothing or it could mean that there is a weakness within the Rotel preamps. I have never owned one and can't speak for or against them. Many people seem happy with Rotel components.
The only integrated amp that I have is an old Accuphase E202. I consider it to have a nice preamp but consider the amp to be weak and sonically inferior to other separate amps, all of which have more than the 100wpc of the Accuphase. The lack of power could be the difference that I don't like. When I used only the preamp section of the Accuphase, it sounded much better to me than an Onkyo preamp which I also had on hand. It compared to a Crown IC150 which is also quite old but a very clean old preamp. I have not compared it to the Parasound PLD 2000 which I use now but I think it would be reasonably close in accuracy and the ability to be quiet.
I have no experience with Dynaudio or Paradigm speakers but if you like them, as many people do, I'd look for as good of an amp or integrated that I could afford to drive them with that has as much power as they can handle, no more and not much less. This formula has kept me happily listening to music for over 40 years. I am never satisfied with not enough power and have heard many times what not enough power does. Even not so great speakers can be brought to life by a high powered amp that is at or near their limit and will make them perform to their best.
There are those who use lower powered class A amps or tube amps and have a completely different result. I have no experience with either in stereo components as most of us never will. A typical receiver, integrated amp or even separate amp is class AB in it's amplifier section and this is the only setup that I can refer to. Within these parameters, I will always choose an amp which has at or near what the speakers are rated for. Maybe it's just me but I rather doubt it as I have demonstrated this to many listeners and none have disagreed in my 40 plus years of tinkering with stereo.

[_Luke1_]

I bought an amp on eBay. It was from a dealer who described it as excellent shape and it was indeed pristine.

I've found that by asking questions, you can usually get a good feel for people. If someone is really doing a sell-job, or describing something 5 years old as perfect, or pushing for a sale, it makes me a bit wary. Another trick I've used on occasion is to ask if you can come see the piece before buying. If you get a "no" that could be another indicator of a less-than-honest seller.

Nothing is fool-proof, but just being careful by asking questions and checking feedback is big step in the right direction.