i have an HK avr210 reciever which only has 50watts of power. It's not too bad, but it sounds a too tinny and harsh for my stereo listening taste. I tried my speakers on other (more expensive) recievers and it sounded a lot better. Fortunately, this HK reciever I have has preamp connections. What's a good serperate amp? I'm looking for quality sound reproduction, I dont really care for quantity. I just need some high quality current for my two m22s. Maybe something 60-100watts (or more?) for stereo listening. I dont want to spend too much money, what do you guys suggest?

Thanks

I would suggest testing your HK preamp with a better amp before making any purchases. You may have an inferior preamp and decent amplifier that is causing the issue. Preamps handle the very low level inputs, and these are delicate inputs that are very vulnerable to interference and introduced colourations.

Before I purchased any piece, I would test both combinations.

I haven't had too much luck with Harman Kardon's for some years now. The last good one I got was an AVR 20 many moons ago. The AVR65 and AVR 310 were disappointing. In any case, if you're going solid state, I'd go with as much clean power as you can get. If you're willing to use your HK as a preamp, how about getting a pair of nOrh/IRD monoblocks at 100 watts each for about $495 for the pair?

When I got my M3s I grabbed a cheap Technics SADX 940 (100 watts x 5, 100 x 2 in stereo) from Frys for just over $100 as a temporary receiver until I got my system. I spent a lot of money and must tell you that cheap Technics just works beautifully with the M3s. You have to pay a lot to get relatively small improvements in sound quality. On the other hand, the Ah! djobie dobie (my new name) CD player does make a big difference.

You also make a good point, and reinforce something I have beleived (and proven) for many years - the source is a very important piece. If the source cannot proper decode the media, no downstream piece can CORRECT this fact. Not the amp...not the speakers.

If you have had a general dissatisfaction with HK, I would suggest the preamp of the posters model could be part of the negative equation.

I'd suggest checking out a stereo Odyssey Stratos. I have had some excellent results with mine powering my M50s.

www.odysseyaudio.com