14 replies to this topic

[sean]

I have been looking around at a new power amp and came across the Anthem A2. It looks quite good for the price and is also made in North America which is a bonus of sorts considering so much is made in China these days(not that there is anything wrong with that) I hope they may have a demo model I can try out at home.

Here's a link with specs and a pic:http://www.audiotren...uct&itemId=1118
I am wondering what the 'special test conditions required for 2 ohm' means in the power spcs section. Overall for the price it seems to offer a lot, just my humble opinion.

Has anyone ever listened or owned one of these, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Am also open to suggestions on other power amps between the 3-4k mark.

My speakers are power hungry beasts, Thiel CS5.
Here's a link:http://www.stereophi...pecifications-0

Cheers.

Edited by sean, 09 March 2012 - 07:57 PM.

[sean]

Here's a pic of the speakers pulled from the net:
http://www.google.co...=1t:429,r:7,s:0

[Lil Caesar]

...the anthems appear great for the money and their avr versions with arc room eq are awesome but for stereo with thiels i think you need real grunt,,,,

[sean]

...the anthems appear great for the money and their avr versions with arc room eq are awesome but for stereo with thiels i think you need real grunt,,,,

Hey thanks for the advice lil Ceaser, I like the way you mention 'real grunt'

I had been using an Aragon 4004 power amp/Aragon 24k pre and this combo worked a treat with Thiels. Unfortunately the 4004 bit the dust the other day and I fear that it may be terminal(in the process of getting it diagnosed) Anyway the specs on the Anthem A2 seemed pretty impressive in the power dept(rated to 2 ohms/low impedence capable) I thought it would be capable of driving the Thiels, but I could be wrong!

Thanks for the reply.

Edited by sean, 09 March 2012 - 11:43 PM.

[Whatmore]

I'm not sure what the 2 ohm reference means but you probably want to find out given that your speakers have a decent part of their response under 2 ohms.
As for other amps, there are a couple of ME850s in the classifieds which would probably fit the bill extremely well.

[sean]

I'm not sure what the 2 ohm reference means but you probably want to find out given that your speakers have a decent part of their response under 2 ohms.
As for other amps, there are a couple of ME850s in the classifieds which would probably fit the bill extremely well.

Yes, noticed the ME850's in the for sale section you mentioned Whatmore. They come in at just over 5K new from what I can gather...hmmm some decisions to be made!

Edited by sean, 09 March 2012 - 11:45 PM.

[Whatmore]

I would of course highly recommend the amp I own - Sanders Magtech, but it's a bit out of your price range at USD 5k

http://www.sandersso...ers/magtech-amp

[sean]

I would of course highly recommend the amp I own - Sanders Magtech, but it's a bit out of your price range at USD 5k

http://www.sandersso...ers/magtech-amp

As the A$ stands against the US$, that makes it a little under the 5k mark!

Thanks for the link. I had a good read, it certainly sounds like a very good amp indeed and well worth some consideration. So who sells these in Oz?

[sean]

Oops I forgot to ask(well it's late and I should be asleep) What preamp do you use?

And would I be able to use the Aragon pre amp initially?(saves me having to fork out on a pre and frees some cash up) Pretty sure the input impedence of the Aragon is 20k ohms(does that make sense?)

[aechmea]

As the A$ stands against the US$, that makes it a little under the 5k mark!

Thanks for the link. I had a good read, it certainly sounds like a very good amp indeed and well worth some consideration. So who sells these in Oz?

Mcleans at East Gosford NSW

http://www.mcleans.info

[sean]

Thanks for the link to mcleans,

Anywhere in melb I can check out Sanders Magtech and who sells ME amps here in melb as well.

Cheers.

[Whatmore]

Oops I forgot to ask(well it's late and I should be asleep) What preamp do you use?

And would I be able to use the Aragon pre amp initially?(saves me having to fork out on a pre and frees some cash up) Pretty sure the input impedence of the Aragon is 20k ohms(does that make sense?)

I am using a para sound Halo preamp. Not sure abou the Aragon, I think as long as it has a decent (low) output impedance it should be ok

Mcleans in Gosford sells the amp in Australia - $5,5000 I think. If you buy direct from Sanders (as i did) he gives you a 30 day trial and will pay return shipping if you don't like it.

I'm happy to bring my amp over sometime if you want to have a listen

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Thanks for the link to mcleans,

Anywhere in melb I can check out Sanders Magtech and who sells ME amps here in melb as well.

Cheers.

You'll only be able to find second hand ME850 at present. A few points however:

* The 4004 is a decent amp and is likely to be worth repairing. If damage is extensive, then the cost will likely range to around $500.00 ~ $600.00. That would be a likely maximum figure. I've serviced a few of these amps (and the matching preamps) and they're well built, using premium quality materials. They sound quite decent too.
* The ME850 will show the Aragon a clean pair of heels into Theils. Easy. In fact, for the price asked in the for sale section, there is unlikely to be anything available new, that can touch the ME850.
* There are lots of ME850 amps in Melbourne. Perhaps you can locate someone who is prepared to let you listen to one.

[sean]

Thanks for the offer for a listen of your amp Whatmore. Wiil try and get something oraganised with you soon.

Zaphod, you are certainly correct with what you have said about the Aragon 4004, and yes I still want to get it repaired and put it to use in my second system. It really drove the Thiels very well indeed.

I have done a fair bit of info gathering on various amps over the last week now and the ME850 did catch my attention(noticed the ones for sale here as well) Good to hear what you had to say about them.Especially the quote about the ME showing the Aragon a clean pair of heels.Big statement as the Aragon was no slouch.

I wonder who may have an ME850 here in Melb that might want to come over for a visit with amp in hand!

Cheers.

[sean]

This is another amp that caught my interest....PrimareA32

Link attached:http://www.stereopho...rimare-A32.html