Definitely concur with those posters who recommend the Schiit Wotan. It's a lot of power amp for the money 👍
Power amplifier advice?
I am thinking about buying a power amplifier. I want something with about 200 W per channel into 8 Ohms, in the price range up to about $2500. The models that are currently at the top of my shortlist are Rotel Rb-1582 MkII, Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2, and Schiit Wotan.
It is not possible for me to listen to these side by side, so I must base my decision on specs, reviews, and recommendations.
If anyone has experience of these amplifiers, I am eager to hear about their impressions and views.
My current speakers are a pair of old NHT 2.5, which are said to be quite power hungry, and a bit bright. I will probably upgrade speakers later, but I want to hear the NHT:s with a more powerful amp first. My current amplifier is an old HK6850 integrated, with 85 W per channel. My DAC (Denafrips Aress II) lacks volume control, so if I buy a separate power amp I will also need a preamp, but that is a later issue.
I mostly listen to hard rock and heavy metal, and I like to be able to crank it up so that I can hear the music while doing chores in the kitchen (no room for speakers there).
Regards,
Kaj
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- 46 posts total
Another two cents from the peanut gallery: Twenty five hundred is a very tight budget for a quality true 200-watt into 8 Ohm amp (even used); tighter still for an amp/pre-amp combo. Your goal would be more achievable sticking with a quality integrated power source. Those are nice speakers. However, they are a 6 Ohm nominal load design. With your present amp, which is very nice, by the way, and bench tests closer to 97 watts into 8 Ohms, you'd get the oomph you're after with quality 8 Ohm nominal design speakers. Regardless of what you upgrade first, if your aim is to invest in a quality 200-watt power source, investing in one that has a great power supply (i.e. current; not watts), one that doubles its watt output from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms is what I would look for. This will provide greater speaker upgrade flexibility in the future. If the upgrade bug has you and that twenty five hundred is burning a hole in your pocket, I have to agree with the speakers first crowd. That twenty five hundred on quality 8 Ohm nominal load speakers would get you more bang for your greenbacks and the oomph you're after. If you decide to go that way, I would recommend auditioning stuff like: Revel; Monitor Audio; Focal, JBL, just to name a few. Good Luck! |
Hello @kaj. This is what I experienced with my NHT 2.5i’s when I had them. Tried the Parasound A21 (not the + version) and it was complete overkill. More suitable for the NHTs was the Acurus A150 at 150WPC. Im sure you can find a great deal on it somewhere if your heart is set on keeping the NHTs. And yes, those things play loud as hell!!! Good luck on your search! |
I always recommend trying multiple amplifiers with the speakers to find the best match for YOU. I went through 9 amplifiers before I settled on a used Pass Labs Xa30.8. It is insanely good. In your price range I really like Primare gear. I have an odyssey kismet but the thing is too noisy. On first boot up it buzzes and then only gets a little better after running in. As soon as I play music the buzzing starts again albeit at a lower volume. Tried to troubleshoot with Klaus and just never was satisfied. But for the quality of sound I had to go up to Pass Labs to handily beat the sound of the kismet. But that noise was too much for me |
- 46 posts total