Solid state amps under 1000


I know this thread has been done. I still would like more opinions. My current line up is:

Musichall MMF-25 cd player
Musichall MMF-5 Turntable
NEC T-6 tuner
C-J pv10a preamp with phono
Hafler 9500 Transnova power amp
Spica TC-60 monitor speakers
ACI Sub-One stereo subwoofers
Audioquest Crystal/type 6 tri-wire speaker cable
Various interconnects, mostly Homegrown Audio silver

I have enjoyed the Hafler for over 8 years. At 250 watts, it is probably overkill for my Spica's however (16 X 14 ft room). I love the c-j preamp and have an itch to replace the power amp. Oldest starts college this fall and finances are tight. $1000 tops. Candidates are:

Conrad Johnson 2250 (my leading choice)
Bryston 3B-St (always recomended)
Musical Fidelity A3cr (anytime Sam Tellig likes something this much, I get nervous)
Belles 150A hot rod
McCormick DNA .5 (so many versions out there)

Criteria, a definite improvement over the Hafler or why bother. A good value at or below $1000 used. A piece that will hold its value for future resale and be reliable. Must run cool as we also have a new baby in the house. Finally, if possible, looks other than a simple black box ( see why the C-J is leading).

Thanks in advance for your interest and opinions.

Paul
pcs

Showing 1 response by ewha

i'd add the odyssey stratos to your short list. it has gotten very good reviews (reviewer's choice by soundstage), and should fall right in your price range. it is a black box design, but it is built like a tank, and quite elegant IMHO. if you call odyssey, they might offer you a special deal. when i was shopping for an amp in this price range about 6 months ago, gunther offered to build me a stratos with the 120,000 cap upgrade for $1025 using B-stock metal (which he said had *very* slight cosmetic defects). i ended up getting a belles 150a hot rod because i found one for a very low price. it, too, is a great amp.

also, there is a marsh a200s that recently came up for sale for under $1000. marsh amps have also been very well received, and i think they are very cool looking.

finally, i'd like to suggest that you look into the norh le amps. they are mono-blocks, and for the price, they are very, very good (~$500 for the pair new). i used them before i got the belles, and they were not far behind in terms of performance. for $1000, you could bi-amp with four mono's. you can get more info at www.norh.com or at www.harmonicdischord.com.

best of luck, and happy listening.

-eric