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amp for b&w 804 "s" with htm4 "s" 200 watts....

those are my speakers... there has been a lot of talk about the amps making the speakers sound better or worse...to be honest i still do not understand how that is. So, i guess i would probably go with... mcintosh, krell, classe, bryson, or anthem... only because everyone agrees on those amps.... would i really be able to tell the difference? i don't know. so this will be used for mostly HOME THEATER... that being said... i am looking for three channels all solid state. i will run my rear channel off of another amp. So my questions are

1 so.... one three channel amp? or three mono amps? or one two channel and one mono?
2 best bang for the buck on what manufacturer?
3 i would love to find used to save some cash..

thank you for your time on this,
Baranowski
baranowski
mechans
2,999 posts
 
Rotel is sa respectable electronics brand. The Oppo uses a Rotel chip in their DAC, I believe. The Brand is not in the same league as the other amps you have been looking at. I will tell you that there is a devoted fan base. Bryston is well regarded in part because the have a transferable 20 year warranty. The Anthem may be the best bang for your buck among the amps you listed. You should always post some idea of the maximum you want to spend.
baranowski OP
240 posts
 
I would like to spend as little as possible. but i guess everyone would say that. when deciding on an amp for home theater... what specs should i look at in relation to the speakers it would be driving? watts, sensitivity, etc... ?
mateored
258 posts
 
There's a 6-channel Bel Canto amp on A'gon right now for $1500. Ad says it can be bridged to 3-channels of 200WPC each. Seems like a good deal.
dhl93449
438 posts
 
I have a pair of 804s and have driven them with Parasound amplification. Best bang for the buck, IMHO.

Especially if you can find the older HCA series amps. You can get two channel HCA 1500s for under $500 each, and you can also find the 5 channel and 6 channel versions for about the same money.

Most of these are THX certified so are compatible with home theater applications.
shakedown
135 posts
 
Another good amp which is also THX certified are the B&K 200.5 or 200.7 Reference amps which have plenty of power to drive those speakers and are very affordable
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