What 5ch or 3/2 to match Aragon 8008bb?

Kincade,

You have to manually turn them on. I had a 4004 markII and an 8008BB (pre-klipsch). I dumped them both and picked up a sherbourn 7/2100 and haven't looked back. Processor is an Anthem AVM20 and speakers have included B&W N805's and N805Sigs, VR4jr's and Soliloquy 5.3i's. Cables are cardas golden cross and sources are Xindak SACD2 and modded Philips 963SA.

Good luck,

My mistake - The Sherbourn 7/2100A actually has 7 400 VA toroidal transformers.

Yes, the Aragon combo will draw more current.

Later,

Kincade,

I was not able to do a direct comparison between the Sherbourn and The 8008BB, but I was able to compare the BB to a pair of NHT A1 monos that are basically identical to one channel of the Sherbourn. I'd say that the BB has more authority in the bass. I prefer the top on the Sherbourn. I've always thought that the Acurus stuff was really brittle and I've read here many times that the BB can get hard when pushed hard (top end) which I agree with. The Sherbourn will run out of steam before the BB; it doesn't get bright or clip it just won't go any louder. However, you can bridge two channels of the Sherbourn and compensate.
So, I liked the way the BB grabs a hold of the bass and manhandles it. It's a tough call for me - do I want the better bass with the very slightly forward top end or do I want slightly less bass and a better top end? I guess it comes down to personal preference.

At one time I had the BB doing the mains, the 4004MII on the center, and the NHT's and a SAR labs mos400 doing surrounds. And, I had a pair of palladiums in the system for a short time. It was a nightmare with all the expensive power cords and power conditioners. So, I sold everything (expect the palladiums - on loan from a friend) including most of the PC's, purchased the Sherbourn and put some money in my pocket. What I really like about the Sherbourn is the 12v trigger.

My system is used 80% for two channel music and 20% for movies/HD programming. Right now it sounds oh soooo seductive with the Xindak SACD2 and the Soliloquy 5.3I's. There is a direct correlation between how good my system sounds and the number of books/periodicals I read. For the last few years the coffee table had been devoid of reading material; lately it's been covered.

So, if money was not an issue, I would say use a BB on the mains and let the Sherbourn do the rest of the system. However, I'm quite happy letting the Sherbourn do all the duties.

Hope this helps,

PS - Music taste is pretty much anything but rap and Britney. And, I like my system to sound laid back. Also, I'm not a bass junkie.

Kincade,

What I ment by the reading material comment is that the more enjoyable I find the sound of my system, the more I look for excuses to hang out in the A/V room. So, I've moved my reading activities from the bathroom, bedroom, living room and kitchen to the A/V room. Also, I've found myself reading more novels and watching less TV.

I'm not saying the top end on the BB is bad. I'm refering to a little grain thats all; just being hyper-critical. Like I said in the previous post, if money was not an issue, I would go with the BB. Hell, I would go with a stack of BB's. The BB has about the same size toroidial transfers(2 1KV) as all 7 channels of the Sherbourn (7 300V) so it should have better control of the speaker. Also, the BB retails for about the same as the Sherbourn so again, it should sound better. The Sherbourn gives you about 95-96% of what the BB gives you; a trade off I can live with given the $$ difference and space/conviencne issue.

As far as the Sherbourn not playing as loud, I realized that the speakers I'm using now are about 2-3db less efficient.

Hope this helps,