200w/ch stereo amps: best 1 for under 2000 used?

First, a question for Redkiwi. What is "PRAT"?

Also, regarding power requirements, sound levels do not have to be earth-shaking all the way at the other end of the room. 200 - 250 w/channel works fine - especially with a pair of powered subwoofers handling everything below 40Hz. Listening position is about 10-15 feet from the speakers, which are Mirage M-3si's. As hinted above, I am considering 2 200-250 watt amps to vertically bi-amp the speakers which are set up for it. Alternatively, I could do it with 4 channels of a 200watt x 5 channel amp, like the EAD Powermaster 1000 -- which can be had very reasonably for the sound quality offered. What do you all think of that option? (part of the issue is long interconnects in the 2 stero amps vs. long speakerwire with the multi-channel amp). Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

PRAT is pace, rhythm, and timing. Sometimes it's tough to figure these out unless you drive on the wrong side of the road.

The sound-level at the "other end of the room" is not necessarily relevant. It's the total "volume" (Cubic Feet) of the room that needs to be pressurized and filled with sound.

If you're considering the EAD five-channel amp, I would also suggest that you look into the Citation 7.1 four-channel amp - 150wpc X 4 or 450wpc X 2. (Jeff's Sound Values has B-stock for $1095 ea.) You could actually buy two with your budget and bridge them to 450wpc and vertically bi-amp them as you've suggested. This might be a very nice solution.

In addition, I would recommend (for the money) a longer run of speaker cable vs. a longer run of interconnects. Others may disagree, but you can purchase a decent quality speaker wire in a long run for less money than a good quality interconnect of equal length. Plus, the longer the run for an interconnect, the more critical high-quality becomes to avoid loss of voltage, RFI, EMI, etc.

My two-cents. Hope it helps.

Hi Papertiger

On my side of the road, I reckon that Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound gave us a lot of interesting stuff to read, but mainly failed to take us in the right direction. Of course the ideal is to reproduce the sound as it occurred when it was recorded - but this gives us no way of prioritising the inevitable compromises in any real world system. I will refrain from commenting in any detail on the various benders he indulged in over the years, which turned out to be not much more than exercises in semantics.

Stereophile trod similar paths, and most of the audio press (particularly the ones on the right side of the road) followed along obediently.

But if you stop listening just for tonality, detail and dynamics, or worse still, for the sounds of sparrows farting outside the recording venue, or trying to tell whether the venue's shape is curved or rectangular - and just listen for how the music's rhythm grips your musical soul and takes you on the ride, you will discover that different systems do that job very differently.

PRAT is an acronym for pace, rhythm and timing, as stated above - but is about how a system gets the timing queues right. It is often misunderstood, particularly on the right side of the road, as relating to bass reproduction - as if that is the only source of rhythm and expression in music.

Whether PRAT is important to you is really a matter of musical values - but in my mind it stands for the most important element in the reproduction of music. Many would disagree with me on this point and argue that correct tonal balance is paramount. But, to use an analogy, a system that has accurate tonal balance (and even detail and dynamics) can still lack accurate PRAT, and is like a great voice on a lousy singer - the sounds made are wonderful, but that does not make it music.

It has been said before, but is worth repeating - many so-called audiophile systems are less musically engaging than the average car radio - for the very reason that PRAT is not well understood by audiophiles.

I like to think I travel both sides of the road. Most of my gear has been from the US and Canada - but the Poms have a point when it comes to PRAT.

I've owned the CA-100, CA-200, and still have the CA-300. For the money, build quality, and sound, I think Classe is a class act all the way. CA-200 ~$1500, CA-300 ~$2100.