Amp purchase. Speaker specific HELP.

[Bigmoney]

I own a pair of b and w dm 602 s3 bookshelf speakers that I am using as my mains. I am also using a denon 2801 receiver with 90 watts output to drive them. I am not pleased with there performance driven by my receiver. I used the dm 303 as my mains which were driven fine but I think the 602's are more power hungry. What integrated amp can I buy for under 700 dollars. Also what are good interconnects around 40 to 60 dollars as I am using acoustic research right now but feel and upgrade might be needed. I here rotel and nad match b and w well however I find nad obtrusively ugly. I have ruled that out. Now I am down to rotel I have seen the 1062 which is right at my budget, but at only 60 watts a channel am afraid it will not be enough power. I am open to any suggestions but I am trying to get a 2 channel set up. I would go pre amp and amp but that would be out of my price range. Thanks to all

[Mr Peabody]

A Rotel dealer would probably let you audition the amp in your home to see if it will drive the B&W's. The Onkyo 9555 has gotten a lot of good press and it's under $500.00. It's a digital amp but does double it's power into 4 ohms and should have no problem with the B&W's. Jolida has a 100 wpc integrated at around $550.00 that is also supposed to be good.

Tributaries are supposed to be a good cable. The only one I have is a HDMI, I'm happy with it but you can hardly gauge an analog cable sound based on that. Mapleshade sells online but give a trial period. I think entry Audioquest, Transparent and the like start closer to $80.00 for interconnects.

I've got an Adcom gfp450 pre & gfa5400 power amp I'd be willing to sell. The amp is 125 wpc and drives a pair of Dynaudio Audience 60's with no problem so I'm sure it would do the job on the B&W's.

[Bigmoney]

What would you do the sale for. I am going to college and tight on money.

[blackraven]

Get a power amp and use your denon as a preamp.Check out the B&K 125.2 reference seires amp for $698 at www.audiophileliquidators.com 125wpc of high current power. Its a nice budget power amp that has good reviews. You might want to consider the outlaw 2150 receiver. Its a high current receiver with 100wpc at 8ohms and 160wpc at 4ohms and outlaw typically underestimates the power of their equipment. I think the 2150 is 125wpc when measured. Its a great buy at $650. The problem with the denon 2000 series receiver is that they dont use torroidal power transformers, only the 3000 series and up do.
If your really tight for money than go with the Harmon Kardon 2ch receiver 3485 it can be found for under $300.

[Bigmoney]

Do you think it would be better to sell my dm 303 for around 200 and my denon receiver around 200-250, and use that money to get a really nice integrated. I am wondering if my receiver will suffice as a preamp. by the way I found the b and k for 400 used. Would you buy a used amp if tight on money.

[Bigmoney]

use that money *towards* a great integrated amp

[johnny p]

Rotel is owned by B&W according to my local dealer.

[Feanor]

Do you think it would be better to sell my dm 303 for around 200 and my denon receiver around 200-250, and use that money to get a really nice integrated. I am wondering if my receiver will suffice as a preamp. by the way I found the b and k for 400 used. Would you buy a used amp if tight on money.

I have bought quite a bit of used equipment. The advantages of doing so is much lower cost, especially for older discontinued models which often work very well indeed. The disadvantages have to do with the risk of not getting what you expect, (particularly the condition of the item), and not having a warranty, and, most often, no return priviledge. Buying used equipment is a lot like buying used car: your personal risk aversity has lot to do with the decision.

[nightflier]

I'll second what Feanor said. If you have a budget of $3K, you could easily purchase something that retailed for $5-6K new. Now, that would be one heck of an integrated amp. I'm a big fan of PS Audio and you could score the GCC-500 (1000w of power into 4 ohms - enough to drive just about any speaker) for well under $3K. And you could use the savings to buys some cables or more music.

If you need surround sound, I have one piece of advice: seperates. HT receivers and pre/pros drop a lot faster in price than stereo gear. This is because with so many functions, they become outdated much faster. So if that's what you're in the market for, then I would certainly recommend and Outlaw Audio combo if you're buying new - there's not much else in that price-range that compares for features. BTW, they will likely be releasing an HDMI version pretty soon, so if you're not in a hurry, I would wait for that. Another one I recently read about was the new Integra (Onkyo's reference line) pre/pro. Haven't heard it, but the reviews are juicy.

I have an Outlaw pre/pro and am driving a non-Outlaw amp with it w/o any problems. If you buy the pre/pro new (which is probably the best option if you want the latest features), then there are some excellent used amp deals out there. I've auditioned MC amps from Outlaw (decent, even-sounding sounding amps), Adcom (bright but visceral and slightly leaner bass), Anthem (about half-way between Outlaw and Adcom in sound), and B&K (warm and meaty but a bit dark). Bang for the buck, Anthem is an excellent value, especially the 200/400w MCA5-II, which can be had for under $1K. My listening preference leans towards the B&K, though, and their Reference 200.5/7 can typically be had on the used market for well under $1500. I think the B&K with its darker sound, pairs very well with a bright-sounding pre/pro (and most of them under $1500 tend to be bright to my ears).

Long-story-short, I think that the technology changes too fast to invest too much in a surround sound receiver for the long-term. With seperates, you can upgrade the pre/pro regularly and keep the amp for years, especially if you buy a good one.

Anyhow, I hope this helps.

[Bigmoney]

I think I will first purchase an amp than. Your advice was very informative and convincing. What do you think about the outlaw audio monoblocks for 325 a piece.

[blackraven]

Go with a separate amp and use your denon as a preamp if it has a pre amp out. Then when you have the money get a good preamp. The B&K will sound loads better than that denon model you have. For $400 for a used B&K 125.2 you cant go wrong. How old is the unit? Nightflier is right. B&K's typically are warm sounding kind of like NAD. The outlaw monoblocks are nice too i havent heard them but peolple on the outlaw forum love them. No shortage of power there. For a tight budget, either the B&K or OL mono's will do.

[Mr Peabody]

Talking just sound quality wise you are way better getting an integrated than using a receiver as a preamp. Receivers cram a lot into one box and corners are cut to meet a price point, sound quality suffers and typically the preamp sections leave a lot to be desired.

I've bought quite a bit off the used market and it can be a good way to get a system beyond what you can afford new. I like buying from dealers, in my mind you aren't as likely to get ripped off. The draw back is they usually sell a bit higher than individuals.