Help me pick a power amp

B&K is an excellent value--and to my ears, much more neutral than the NAD. I've been to their factory--very impressive products for the money, good people and they used better parts than the retail price would indicate.
I personally think B&K is one of the truly unsung companies out there today!
Good luck. See if you can find a used one.

Best,
Larry

ST-140 too.

I've reread your post,and B&K does make a good amp for the buck. the ST-202 was a good one.

Here's what a few had to say about the Hafler DH-200, the model prior to the 220(which had more power and some other audible improvements): (http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplification/amplifiers/hafler/dh-200/PRD_115808_1583crx.aspx) There are some 220 reviews included. A number of the posters have owned NAD, Adcom, Bryston, etc and noted their preferences.

I've had many B&K amps and you can't go wrong with them - especially in your budget range. I've also had several Parasound amps and agree with Tommy - the HCA1000 is a good option and can be found in your range. I find the B&K amps to be a little more natural sounding, primarily because the Parasounds have a little bit of punchiness in the bass, although this characteristic is attractive with the right speakers.

The build quality of both B&K and Parasound is fantastic.

Maybe widen your search to older NAD amps, like the 2400. And like others said, put Adcom's on your list too, maybe Rotels. "Opportunity" in that price range can be key.....

These are readily available on ebay: (http://cgi.ebay.com/David-Hafler-Model-DH-220-stereo-power-amplifier-220_W0QQitemZ160392533002QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item255823d40a), and sound much more like music than most of what's out there, in your price range. They can be strapped mono, and there are companies that still offer upgrades, should you desire to go that route in the future. The one in the listing is either a later model, or has had a number of caps replaced with polypropylenes(the blue ones), that the early models didn't have. A VERY conservative 110 W into 8 Ohms(continuous), and can drive a 2 Ohm load without any problems.

You might want to look at a Parasound HCA 750 or 1000. They also can be strapped into mono unlike the Adcom's and that allows you an upgrade path.

There's an NAD 214 for $150 on Agon. That's a good 80 watt amp and that's conservatively rated imho. I have the NAD 317 integrated which is basically the same thing and it's got a lot of power.

I have a B&K with my Paradigm speakers and love it. Sounds great and never runs out of steam.

I think I have a old yamaha amp that's worth 200 ish

I have no clue what else is good in that price range...... Adcom makes great affordable stuff. I have a gfa-5500 that is replacing the yamaha

How about a little more.I don't know anything about this seller.[http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1267668655&/Acurus-A150-Reduced]

There is an Adcom GFA-535 for sale in the classifieds at a really good price.It is a great amp,I use one in my bedroom system with an older Luxman preamp,NAD cdp and Paradigm speakers.I have no affiliation with the seller,just trying to help you with your tight budget.Good luck.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1268444175&/Adcom-gfa-535l-Power-Amplifier