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used power amp under 1500

I started with a great system and I managed to downgrade it to an OK sound through a lot of trades, sales, questionable decisions and shrinking budget. (No regrets, it's been a fun journey.) I ended up with very low sensitivity, hard to drive speakers and now I need more power. Will 100 Watts be enough and is it OK and safe to buy used? Any brands that are a good value at $1500?

parkergetdean
mihorn
908 posts
 

OP   Will 100 Watts be enough and is it OK

My Wiim amp ultra (upgraded by me) is 150watts/6ohm.  Alex/Wavetouch audio

Wiim amp ultra (upgraded) - Pavarotti

Say "Hello" repeat with Pavarotti’s voice and listen the speaker sound. Do same with other systems below and listen to their sounds. Very interesting!  

AXPONA 2025

devinplombier
1,637 posts
 

@reme wrote

I used a 5 channel Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature series (425 wpc high current) amp. I bi-amp them with excellent results.

Keep in mind though, that's 425 Carver watts per channel. And a Carver watt is worth approximately 0.265 Classé watt.

The good news? One Carver watt is worth 1.1 NAD watt.

 

yyzsantabarbara
5,550 posts
 

Schiit Wotan at $2k new. I sold mine for $1600 and the buyer loves it. This amp can drive almost anything. I had 2 CODA amps and the Wotan amp but only needed 2. The Wotan was also the easiest to sell.

reme
13 posts
 

When considering an amp option such as a Carver it would more about the high current rather than the wattage. I think they have worked well for me over the years because I am a big proponent of biamping speakers whenever possible.

dishman442's avatar
dishman442
81 posts
 

I have a pair of Odyssey Khartago monoblocks that were upgraded to the top option a couple years ago. I’ve since replaced them so these great sounding amps are just sitting around. Let me know if you are curious, I can fill you in on Odyssey, Klaus the owner, and his gear. I’m still running his phono pre and tube preamp. 

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