b&k reference 200.7 price?

B&K is out of business, so repairs can be an issue. I think some former employee(s) are doing service, but I have not seen anything about that recently.

I have a 200.7 for a home theater and it is a real powerhouse. However, it can be bright for 2 channel music. I believe the 804's can also tend to be bright, so it might not make a great match for 2 channel music. But, the brightness can be an asset for movies, if you like big explosions.

I also have an ATI 1806 which I actually prefer to the B&K. It does not have balanced inputs and has 20 watts less power (which is pretty meaningless). I think a 5 channel 1805 should be around $1,000.

I would also look at Parasound. You can find them in your price range and I think they are better balanced that the B&K, although I have never owned one. Maybe something like a HCA 2205.

Rotel are also available, although I would stay away from them. There are better options at the price.

A Proceed Amp 5 is also an option, although at somewhat more money. This is an early Levinson design.

People seem to also like the Emotiva line. You can get a new XPA-5 for less than $1,000. I have not heard one, but they get good reviews and people here seem to really like them.

Take a look at the review of the xpa 5 in Stereophile. There is a link on the Emotiva web page for the amp. It was written by Kal Rubinson. He is a good reviewer and not prone to heap praise on everything he reviews. He compares it to a Bryston, which is a nice amp. I think it is also a Stereophile "B" Recommended Product. Emotiva has a forum on their site. Also search here for comments. Emotiva gets a lot of praise. It also has free shipping and a 30 day return policy, although I am not sure how much the shipping costs end up being if you ship it back. Again, I have no experience with it, but it does seem to be pretty popular.

Pretty much any of the amps you are looking at will do a brief 3 ohm. Look at the power rating at 4 ohm versus 8 ohm for an idea of their ability to go low. Ideally they should "double down" which means their rating is twice at much at 4 ohm as at 8 ohm. Most amps in this price range will not do that but it does give an idea of power reserve.

The Emotiva amps have high gain, something like 31 dB, which may be a problem if you pre-amp also has high gain.

Willand - my experience is that the highs on the B&K are bright, not warmish and rolled off. I know others have said that, but that is not my experience.

Willand - just shows that synergy between amp and speakers is important. On my Sonus Faber Grand Piano and especially on my Cremona the 200.7 was just too harsh at anything other than modest volume. Went to a Levinson 432 and solved the problem, although as a very different price point. I just wanted the OP to be aware of my experience. He is looking at a Anthem now, which I think will be a step up from the B&K.

Optimally, you want to hear it with your pre-amp and speakers. Maybe if it checks out OK where you audition it, get an agreement to take it home and check it out in your setup. That is a pretty common request for local purchases.

And as Willard said, set your max volume on the pre-amp to be sure.

I do not see a max volume setting in the manual for your Pioneer, other than the settings to balance the 6 channels. But, as long as you keep the volume down, you will be fine. I have a 400 watt amp driving :200 watt" speakers with no issue using a Yamaha receiver. It will be way to loud long before you get to the limit of the speaker.

One thing you do need to test is if the overall gain is so large that you hardly get to move the volume level above the lowest setting. But, most receivers have pretty good control at the low level settings of the volume knob.

Good luck. The Anthem should be a good stop up from the other options.