What 5ch or 3/2 to match Aragon 8008bb?

Shayner and Oldpet,

Thanks for the power advice! I'd hate to hear the complaints when we got stuck with a $400 power bill, LOL.

Shayner; the 5/1500 was a full class A/B, but the new 7/2100 are A/G; they say they switch to G at higher loads, just like the others, but I don't know at what point... I think it's an OK amp, but I really hate to buy one and 6 months later wish that I had bought the Aragon. 'Course, some people say that the aragons are too bright... Maybe i'd hate both.

To date, i'm not happy with the bass and treble; I want good frequency extension (without being too analytical or bright), and low/tight/and controlled bass.

Keep the opinions coming! I sincerely appreciate all of it to date!

Kincade,

I was not able to do a direct comparison between the Sherbourn and The 8008BB, but I was able to compare the BB to a pair of NHT A1 monos that are basically identical to one channel of the Sherbourn. I'd say that the BB has more authority in the bass. I prefer the top on the Sherbourn. I've always thought that the Acurus stuff was really brittle and I've read here many times that the BB can get hard when pushed hard (top end) which I agree with. The Sherbourn will run out of steam before the BB; it doesn't get bright or clip it just won't go any louder. However, you can bridge two channels of the Sherbourn and compensate.
So, I liked the way the BB grabs a hold of the bass and manhandles it. It's a tough call for me - do I want the better bass with the very slightly forward top end or do I want slightly less bass and a better top end? I guess it comes down to personal preference.

At one time I had the BB doing the mains, the 4004MII on the center, and the NHT's and a SAR labs mos400 doing surrounds. And, I had a pair of palladiums in the system for a short time. It was a nightmare with all the expensive power cords and power conditioners. So, I sold everything (expect the palladiums - on loan from a friend) including most of the PC's, purchased the Sherbourn and put some money in my pocket. What I really like about the Sherbourn is the 12v trigger.

My system is used 80% for two channel music and 20% for movies/HD programming. Right now it sounds oh soooo seductive with the Xindak SACD2 and the Soliloquy 5.3I's. There is a direct correlation between how good my system sounds and the number of books/periodicals I read. For the last few years the coffee table had been devoid of reading material; lately it's been covered.

So, if money was not an issue, I would say use a BB on the mains and let the Sherbourn do the rest of the system. However, I'm quite happy letting the Sherbourn do all the duties.

Hope this helps,

PS - Music taste is pretty much anything but rap and Britney. And, I like my system to sound laid back. Also, I'm not a bass junkie.

So you think the top end is forward? I've always read that the Aragon 8008's are very neutral, but can sound bright with the wrong combination of speakers and equipment.

I've also heard that the 8008 can make bad recordings sound bad; which indicates to me that it is very neutral, and is not adding or taking anything away from the source; which I consider a good trait.

Either way i'm gonna have 2 cords; but the 12v trigger IS nice, as opposed to manually turning it on and off.

I don't understand your comment about the reading material... Perhaps I'm slow today!

My musical taste is very similar; from metal to indie, to country, to singer-songwriter. I HAVE to listen to music often, as it's part of my business. So i'd like it to be as enjoyable as possible.

Kincade,

What I ment by the reading material comment is that the more enjoyable I find the sound of my system, the more I look for excuses to hang out in the A/V room. So, I've moved my reading activities from the bathroom, bedroom, living room and kitchen to the A/V room. Also, I've found myself reading more novels and watching less TV.

I'm not saying the top end on the BB is bad. I'm refering to a little grain thats all; just being hyper-critical. Like I said in the previous post, if money was not an issue, I would go with the BB. Hell, I would go with a stack of BB's. The BB has about the same size toroidial transfers(2 1KV) as all 7 channels of the Sherbourn (7 300V) so it should have better control of the speaker. Also, the BB retails for about the same as the Sherbourn so again, it should sound better. The Sherbourn gives you about 95-96% of what the BB gives you; a trade off I can live with given the $$ difference and space/conviencne issue.

As far as the Sherbourn not playing as loud, I realized that the speakers I'm using now are about 2-3db less efficient.

Hope this helps,

I have a pair of 8008BBs and a pair of 4004s that power my 7.0 HT. (No subwoofer...yet)

This required running four 10-gauge power wires from four new circuit breakers into four new duplex outlets (the $3.00 kind, not the $50.00 kind.) Since I have plenty of open sockets in my breaker panel, easy access to the wall of the media room to string the power and install the outlets, and I did it myself WITHOUT killing me, small children, or setting the house on fire, this cost about $70 and a few hours.

The 8008BBs run significantly warmer than the 4004s. In 15 minutes, they are up to temp (I have a thermometer on one of them, was concerned about overheating--turned out that 105-120 degrees F is perfectly normal for them. My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that an 8008BB is class A up to 25(!!!) watts, and A/B after that. The 4004 is class A up to 15 or so watts. Krell may be Class A for total rated power (Which is why they are all heat sink, and a couple hundred pounds), but most amps are out of class A after a couple of watts.

The saner solution is to buy the 8008X5 that is currently listed on A-gon. Doesn't use much more current than one 8008BB/ST, but split among the 5 channels that probably won't be too demanding anyway. A good compromise.