Another Power Amp Story - 03/18/05 09:17 PM
Hi Folks - thought I'd post a note here with my Power Amp story. Dennis (tharkun) as far as I'm concerned is the world champion of Amp posts so this one is much simpler - just thought I'd pass along some data.
My most recent round of upgrade-itis was to go the power amp route. Didn't really need it, but thought ensuring I wasn't being hampered by my receiver's amp section as well as the future flexibility in the pre/pro area made it seem like the next frontier. I did quite a bit of research and being a very happy Axiom owner, I did some poking around here as well so I thought I'd post the outcome.
I'd like to personally thank Dennis not only for his posts, but since he and I live in roughly the same neck of the woods, I corresponded with him and we wound up talking several times on the phone about his early Amp issues as well as his ultimate journey into Parasound Halo-Heaven. He suggested a different route than I was planning on taking and as a result, caused me to do some research into another brand of Amp - Sherbourn - that I hadn't considered before. He also suggested I at least look at Audiogon and potentially eBay as a place to find some good deals/good sellers.
Long story short, I found a virtually new Sherbourn 7/2100A (7X200WPC - essentially 7 200WPC monoblocks in a single chassis) on Audiogon after having read nothing negative about the amp except for its weight. The seller has all positive feedback and when I contacted him via email, he offered to give me a call and answer any questions I might have. Took advantage of the offer and decided to go ahead and get the Sherbourn from him. The amp arrived within a few days, intact, and indeed looking like it was brand new.
Got it installed over the weekend, re-calibrated the receiver and I have to say - as many have said before me - that adding an outboard power amp to a receiver makes a noticeable difference. My system before was not bad at all, but the addition of the Sherbourn revealed more detail in the sound from the Axioms, brought the midrange "out front" a bit more, and increased the clarity of dialogue from the center quite a bit. It also seems to provide a more solid foundation for everything coming out of the Axioms. Even at moderately loud listening levels, the amp runs warm, not hot - as a matter of fact it runs cooler than my reveiver did when I was using its amps at similar levels.
I have not detected any color being added (or taken away for that fact) by replacing the receiver's amp section, so I would assume - at least with Axioms and in my HT room - you could consider this a pretty neutral amp. It is also, even new, a "bang for the buck" amp as many of the reviews had noted that had written about it. New retail is around $2850 and I understand, even from dealers, that they typically dip that down a bit. I'm very happy with the price I paid and feel I got a virtually brand-new amp for a significant discount.
Anyway, thanks again to Dennis for the help. If you are considering going to separates from a receiver, I'd endorse the notion of keeping the receiver as a pre/pro as an easy step in the upgrade path, and I'd recommend adding Sherbourn to your list of candidates. Like many small companies, they seem to get lost in the noise from the larger brands so hopefully my positive experience will cause you to take a look.
Cheers,
Doug
Some of my gear:
M60 Mains
VP150 Center
QS8s Surrounds
QS8 Single back
SVS PB2+ front sub
SVS 20-39 PC+ back sub
Sony STR-DA4ES, now a pre/pro
My most recent round of upgrade-itis was to go the power amp route. Didn't really need it, but thought ensuring I wasn't being hampered by my receiver's amp section as well as the future flexibility in the pre/pro area made it seem like the next frontier. I did quite a bit of research and being a very happy Axiom owner, I did some poking around here as well so I thought I'd post the outcome.
I'd like to personally thank Dennis not only for his posts, but since he and I live in roughly the same neck of the woods, I corresponded with him and we wound up talking several times on the phone about his early Amp issues as well as his ultimate journey into Parasound Halo-Heaven. He suggested a different route than I was planning on taking and as a result, caused me to do some research into another brand of Amp - Sherbourn - that I hadn't considered before. He also suggested I at least look at Audiogon and potentially eBay as a place to find some good deals/good sellers.
Long story short, I found a virtually new Sherbourn 7/2100A (7X200WPC - essentially 7 200WPC monoblocks in a single chassis) on Audiogon after having read nothing negative about the amp except for its weight. The seller has all positive feedback and when I contacted him via email, he offered to give me a call and answer any questions I might have. Took advantage of the offer and decided to go ahead and get the Sherbourn from him. The amp arrived within a few days, intact, and indeed looking like it was brand new.
Got it installed over the weekend, re-calibrated the receiver and I have to say - as many have said before me - that adding an outboard power amp to a receiver makes a noticeable difference. My system before was not bad at all, but the addition of the Sherbourn revealed more detail in the sound from the Axioms, brought the midrange "out front" a bit more, and increased the clarity of dialogue from the center quite a bit. It also seems to provide a more solid foundation for everything coming out of the Axioms. Even at moderately loud listening levels, the amp runs warm, not hot - as a matter of fact it runs cooler than my reveiver did when I was using its amps at similar levels.
I have not detected any color being added (or taken away for that fact) by replacing the receiver's amp section, so I would assume - at least with Axioms and in my HT room - you could consider this a pretty neutral amp. It is also, even new, a "bang for the buck" amp as many of the reviews had noted that had written about it. New retail is around $2850 and I understand, even from dealers, that they typically dip that down a bit. I'm very happy with the price I paid and feel I got a virtually brand-new amp for a significant discount.
Anyway, thanks again to Dennis for the help. If you are considering going to separates from a receiver, I'd endorse the notion of keeping the receiver as a pre/pro as an easy step in the upgrade path, and I'd recommend adding Sherbourn to your list of candidates. Like many small companies, they seem to get lost in the noise from the larger brands so hopefully my positive experience will cause you to take a look.
Cheers,
Doug
Some of my gear:
M60 Mains
VP150 Center
QS8s Surrounds
QS8 Single back
SVS PB2+ front sub
SVS 20-39 PC+ back sub
Sony STR-DA4ES, now a pre/pro
