I'm considering a pair of M60s for dedicated stereo music in a 30'x20' room with cathedral ceilings. The room is divided (functionally) into two areas, each 15'x20'. One of these areas will be the listening area, and the speakers will be approx. 12' from the listening position. Volume levels will be low to moderate.

I'd like a power amp in the $200-$400 range to power the M60's and, occaisionally, some Bose outdoor speakers that came with the house. A/B speaker switching would therefore be a nice feature. I'd like to set up the amp and then forget about it, so a signal-sensing "auto-on" feature would also be nice.

I'm currently considering a used Adcom GFA-535 (conservatively rated at 60W/channel) and an Audiosource AmpTwo (http://www.audiosource.net/2003/03_amptwo.htm). The Adcom doesn't have an auto-on feature.

Any other amp recommendations?

most of us are HT 5.1 type receiver specialists.. i havent a clue about 2ch amp.. but i know someone will.. hang tight, you will get some input..

BTW- 2x6 will try and get you to go with a tube amp.. dont listen.. J/K...

bigjohn

Welcome Nand_T! It is nice to see another stereo fan amongst the HT group that bigjohn mentions.

Of the mfg'ers you mention, the Adcom is one I have had the opportunity to play with - though not that model. My thoughts are that Adcom is a very rugged piece, well suited to driving almost any decently designed speaker. The Adcom you mention was first released in the late 1980's, and ran for about 5+ years as a current model (if memory serves). Assuming the amp is in good shape, it would be a good piece, but of course will not have all of the latest bells and whistles.

Adcom is in a class with NAD, Rotel, just above the mass market mfg'ers that focus on HT. However, no mfg'er can afford to ignore that market, and many of the high(er) end mfg'ers also are working to provide products in that space.

One thought, if the Adcom has pre outs, you could use this in the future to feed a larger amp if required. But your features want/need list will determine the course you take.

Nand T,
Given the two choice you list I would go with the Adcom.There are some other quality used amps Here that would fit the bill for you.

If only 2 channel I would also consider the M80's for that size room. I use the 80's for my 2 channel set up,and they sound great.

Why get an amp two when you can get the more powerful amp four and still be $70 less than your max price?

Looking at your post again I don't see that you mention anything about a pre amp.What would you be using as a pre amp?

Thank you all for your responses. I've been lurking around this forum for a while and have been delighted with the thoughtful, unbiased responses put forth by the community.

wid, I have no idea where to begin on audiogon. Any suggestions? I thought the a/b speaker selector "requirement" might narrow my search. Also, (audiophiles look away) I was not planning on using a preamp. I didn't think that I would need one, as the power amp would receive an input signal directly from a digital music player www.slimdevices.com, which is a life-altering open source device with a great community as well.

Thasp, I don't know how much power I need for my purposes. I'd rather not spend the extra dough if I won't notice a difference. Would a more powerful but otherwise identical amp produce better sound at low/moderate volumes?

You will need a pre-amp. A cheap alternative would be to get a receiver with re-amp outputs like the Onkyo TX-SR801.
It has Net tune, which is a network mp3 client like the Slimp3 but built in. You probably could find a deal on the net. These units retail around $600 to $800.

Just a thought, after you buy an amp say $400.00 and the slimp3 unit $200.00 and then a preamp $???.00. You’re looking at least $800.00 or more.

I personally would go with the receiver. The TX-SR801 does have pre-amp out puts so you could add an amp later.

Just something for you to think about… I too like the amp route.

Tom

I see what you're saying about the Slim devices. In the documentation in says "Digital and analog RCA outputs connect Squeezebox to your home theater, stereo receiver, or amplified speakers. And when you install multiple players, they can play independently or in sync for whole-house audio."

I have an older one in my office that I picked up on Ebay. It doesn't have that feature. You might want to follow up with slim devices to see if this is the case.

Nand T,
Looking at what you are trying to do here I believe Tleigh is right on the mark.A decent reciever would have everything you are looking for and probably save some $$$ to boot.If you were to go with an amp you will also need a preamp.There are alot of decent recievers out there that would fit right in line with your budget.

Thanks again for the comments.

I'm sorry, but I still don't understand why I need a preamp if I am only planning to have a single signal source that has it's own volume control. Since I don't need a preamp (I think), I thought I would get more bang for my buck with a power amp as opposed to an identically-priced integrated amp.

By the way, would the 60W Adcom GFA-535 provide sufficient power for my purposes? Would more power be overkill or actually provide better sound (all else being equal) at low volumes?

Here is where to start looking on Audiogon for a used amp.

I just read the directions for the slim devices unit. I understand in order to connect it to "powered speakers" you have to use the headphone jack and not the RCA’s on the back of the unit. Most headphone jacks have different impedance levels than amps. I think they mean that you can connect their device to computer type speakers (powered speakers). Then again, it would be useless to have a volume control just for the headphones. It's really hard to say with the documentation provided.


Tom

I looked at it too and cannot make heads or tails out of the darn thing.But it does say it has a volume control.

It sounds like a call or email to slim devices might be necessary to find out if this can work without a pre amp or receiver.

I'm leery about connecting gear like this without some validation from the manufacture.

If Nand T wants an endless supply of music for a 2 channel set up why not get a megachanger.At least this way there is no second geussing,or maybe he knows somthing we don't.The megachanger and the slimline are about the same price.Hopfully he can fill us in on what we are missing.

Panasonic XR 45. 5 x 100 watts, all digital amp, has received rave reviews from tube loving audiophiles for 2 channel music.

I own the current slim devices product, Squeezebox (I also own the previous generation product, SliMP3). It can output data to powered speakers or an amp via RCA or digital outputs. These outputs can be controlled by its internal volume control. The volume control also controls the headphone jack. The device can play music in MP3 and many other formats (lossy AND lossless) stored on a networked computer. It blows the doors off a megachanger for several reasons. The VFD display is visible from 25 feet. It allows you to access songs by artist, genre, album and playlist through the display. Best of all, the open source operating code has been fine-tuned by its user community to be lightning fast and virtually crash-proof. The company and the community are also continuously devloping new functions for the device. I use it not only to play my music collection, but to check the weather forecast, to display caller ID for incoming calls, and to stream Internet radio. It is the only visible electronic interface in my family room, and allows me to leave the boob tube safely behind closed doors. This is part of the reason that I am looking for an "auto-on" amp, so that I can also hide it in the armoire and forget about it.

INCREDIBLE bang for your buck, particularly the "wired" version at $199.

Nand T,
Wow this sounds like an amazing product.Maybe I will look a little further into it myself.Let us know what amp you end up with and how it works out for ya.

Thanks, Rick. Also thanks to 2x6 for the Panasonic recommendation. I'm now envisioning using 4 channels of the XR45 to drive the M60s and the other two channels for the outdoor speakers. Does this make any sense?

Dunno if the Panny has a Zone 2, and don't think you can bridge among the 5 channels. 2 channels at 100 watts each should be way ore than enough for 2 channel music. It's the first watt that counts the most. I use a 5 watt per channel tube amp and have never felt 5 weren't sufficient - except for big orchestral works which get a bit congested at very high volumes. 100 watts should open those M60s up like a rose.

I like the Parasound HCA1000 . You can pick one up used at around this price on eBay or Audiogon . Great little amp with plenty of power .

I had suggested that same exact amp in a pm to Nand T.I had seen one for $200 on Audiogon just this week.It would be a hard amp to beat for the money.

Ps.Drunkonjack Welcome to the Axiom boards.

Never got your pm Rick, but thanks anyway.

Looks like I'd need a speaker selector for the outdoor speakers if I went with the Parasound. The Adcom GFA-535 has A/B speaker switching, and I hear that its 65wpc is more powerful than most of today's amps that are rated at 100wpc. These facts make me lean toward the Adcom.

Perhaps another option is to use a digital output of the Squeezebox as one source for the Panasonic XR45 and to associate that source with the M60's, and to use the analog outputs of the Squeezebox as a second source to the XR45 and to play the second source through the outdoor speakers.

I'll be darn I know I sent it.Anyway it was mostly about the Parasound amp.Sorry.

Don't get to caught up in the number game when it comes to amps and recievers. Lets say a onkyo amp has 150 watts per channle and a parasound or classe amp has 100 per channel. I would without a dought take the one with less rated power. A better amp even though it is listed with less power will sound better and drive those speakers to higher levels.

Actually...

Receivers do not have any regulations on providing accurate power ratings with all channels driven, while amps do.

Unless it was a bottom of the barrel amp, I'd get the one with more watts. If you're looking at good companies, the power ratings will almost always be accurate, unlike with receivers where the power ratings are often dishonest. I'd take a 380 watt Rotel over a 150 watt Bryston anyday - and I'd bet anyone that the Rotel would drive any speaker set better.

Parasound vs Adcom to me is a no contest. Parasound all the way. The HCA1500A is one of the best bargains out there. The 750 is a nice little amp.

The Parasound is a lot cheaper than the newer Adcoms for the watts - BUT, if you're looking at the older amps such as the Adcom GFA-555, they are much cheaper than ANY quality solution you'll find these days at 200 watts. And they're big, too. Nothin' they can't drive, I'd say.

True enough but Adcom pushes there wattage and Parasound pushes there amps and overall current. For me amps and current wins everytime! That HCA1500A of theres pushes and holds over 45amps.