Some observations based on my past experience with some of the mentioned products. I'm bearing in mind that he's going to be using the Paradigm's:
Acurus: I would NOT recommend this combo, even if it was one of their "new and improved" A series. I would expect listening fatigue due to the tonal balance of the Acurus and the Paradigm's use of metal domes. Had an A200X3 for a short period of time.
B & K: Might be worth checking into. B & K's tend to be on the "smooth but not real revealing" side of neutral. No problems with glare or harshness but also lack spacial info and air. Gallaine seems to have had the same results with the amps in stock form. Might not have the impact and dynamics of other amps, but since the sub is powered, may not be a big drawback. I've had over a half dozen different B & K's and my brother is currently quad-amping with some highly modded B & K's.
Adcom: These are all amps that look good on paper but how they mate with the rest of your system and personal tastes might be different. Pretty good prices for the amount of juice offered. Had one of their big two channel amps that Nelson Pass supposedly designed for them. Didn't sound ANYTHING like a Pass / Threshold / Forte' product though. Couldn't give it away when i tried to resell it either.
Sunfire: Both powerful and versatile in the fact that it offers two different sounds courtesy of the voltage and / or current outputs. You can bi-wire using both taps or just use one of them full range. The choice is yours. Even when JAMMING, these amps do not get "gritty" or run hot. The CG's may come across as slightly forward sounding in some systems but will never sound bright or harsh and have well controlled bass and dynamics. Not the strongest in terms of sheer bottom end "slam" though. I currently own a standard Sunfire, a Sunfire Signature, a Cinema Grand and a Cinema Grand Signature with my Dad using the standard CG. Also has an "auto on" feature when a signal is presented to it. Probably not that uncommon on the newer multi-channel amps though.
Rotel: Wanted to try out their big multi-channel but could never find ONE of them on the used market. This tells me that those that have purchased them are happy with them. I think that it is probably a solid performer. Was going to possibly use this as an alternative to the standard CG that my Dad is using. Probably worth checking into, but it is near the extreme top of his budget if you have to buy new.
EAD: Never experienced one first hand but some folks that i know are quite happy with theirs. The guy that i bought my CG Signature from had upgraded to a more expensive EAD and was well pleased. Once again though, budget constraints probably apply here.
Another amp that you might want to check into is the Golden Theater. While i know that they are out of business, these are pretty solid amps, especially for the money that you can get them for. 200 X 5 for under $900 with pretty attractive cosmetics might seem quite enticing. Most amps use common parts, so getting it repaired should anything ever go wrong would not appear to be a problem. The Anthem MCA-5 is also 200 X 5 and can be found for appr $900 also. Just a thought. Best wishes and good luck.... Sean
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Acurus: I would NOT recommend this combo, even if it was one of their "new and improved" A series. I would expect listening fatigue due to the tonal balance of the Acurus and the Paradigm's use of metal domes. Had an A200X3 for a short period of time.
B & K: Might be worth checking into. B & K's tend to be on the "smooth but not real revealing" side of neutral. No problems with glare or harshness but also lack spacial info and air. Gallaine seems to have had the same results with the amps in stock form. Might not have the impact and dynamics of other amps, but since the sub is powered, may not be a big drawback. I've had over a half dozen different B & K's and my brother is currently quad-amping with some highly modded B & K's.
Adcom: These are all amps that look good on paper but how they mate with the rest of your system and personal tastes might be different. Pretty good prices for the amount of juice offered. Had one of their big two channel amps that Nelson Pass supposedly designed for them. Didn't sound ANYTHING like a Pass / Threshold / Forte' product though. Couldn't give it away when i tried to resell it either.
Sunfire: Both powerful and versatile in the fact that it offers two different sounds courtesy of the voltage and / or current outputs. You can bi-wire using both taps or just use one of them full range. The choice is yours. Even when JAMMING, these amps do not get "gritty" or run hot. The CG's may come across as slightly forward sounding in some systems but will never sound bright or harsh and have well controlled bass and dynamics. Not the strongest in terms of sheer bottom end "slam" though. I currently own a standard Sunfire, a Sunfire Signature, a Cinema Grand and a Cinema Grand Signature with my Dad using the standard CG. Also has an "auto on" feature when a signal is presented to it. Probably not that uncommon on the newer multi-channel amps though.
Rotel: Wanted to try out their big multi-channel but could never find ONE of them on the used market. This tells me that those that have purchased them are happy with them. I think that it is probably a solid performer. Was going to possibly use this as an alternative to the standard CG that my Dad is using. Probably worth checking into, but it is near the extreme top of his budget if you have to buy new.
EAD: Never experienced one first hand but some folks that i know are quite happy with theirs. The guy that i bought my CG Signature from had upgraded to a more expensive EAD and was well pleased. Once again though, budget constraints probably apply here.
Another amp that you might want to check into is the Golden Theater. While i know that they are out of business, these are pretty solid amps, especially for the money that you can get them for. 200 X 5 for under $900 with pretty attractive cosmetics might seem quite enticing. Most amps use common parts, so getting it repaired should anything ever go wrong would not appear to be a problem. The Anthem MCA-5 is also 200 X 5 and can be found for appr $900 also. Just a thought. Best wishes and good luck.... Sean
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