Cardiiiii Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Wait for a DIY Holton to come along, can't go wrong for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 On 30/04/2020 at 1:54 PM, Ittaku said: Hypex NC400 monoblocks if you're into DIY, or a prebuilt NC502 stereo amplifier will blow all of those out of the water for quality and power handling. As much as it pains me to say it, March Audio probably offer the easiest way to get one of these at an affordable price. DIY option with NC400 monoblocks: https://www.diyclassd.com/product/nc400-mono-kit-complete-kit/24 Prebuilt with NC500: https://www.marchaudio.net.au/product-page/p502-500-watt-stereo-power-amplifier The March Audio suggestion is a good option, I have the smaller one P122 which is 125 Watts and it drives my big speakers easily. I think I paid about $1300 with a pair of XLR cables delivered. Nice small footprint, very little heat dissipation, nice neutral sound with no BS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabehcuod Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 Bought a Denafrips Ares II off dacman with some quality cables for now. Figured going R2R instead of the ESS chips in my DAP would give a noticeable improvement. I'll also be able to take coax out of my CDP into the DAC and use my Kann Cube as a streamer via optical. I figured that the amplifier really is something I cannot blind buy, and no one knows how long COVID will last. New speaker cables also made a noticeable difference. Thanks everyone for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrSK Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 (edited) On 29/04/2020 at 7:54 PM, Gabehcuod said: I've spent the past week looking around for power-amplifiers as an upgrade to my system. Whenever I would ask people in the chat groups they would mock me for my very low budget. My system is: A&K Kann cube (XLR Out) or Musical Fidelity A3.5 CDP -> Kinki EX-P7 -> Proton D1200 power-amp -> System Audio Pandion 2 I only have around $1500AUD to spend as I intend to keep the proton for my electrostatic headphones. Planning on going the used/refurbished route. What brands should I look for, and what should I avoid? $1500 is a very realistic budget, you'll find stuff that retailed at similar prices to family cars in the 1980s that are still fantastic amps. Just check they can still be serviced and repaired. Many are still be up there with $20k-$30k options. Make sure your cabling from your pre is up to the task. Edited May 4, 2020 by DrSK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurnstar Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Gabehcuod, i have a new Denafrips Ares II and im very pleased with it, highly revolving yet smooth and natural, this is my second NOS dacs, theyre the best to my ears by far. BTW, I have a spare superb Yamaha MX830 amp superb 170watts p. channel (8 ohm) from the 90's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony@melb Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Check out Audiolab 8200MB. I saw a pair at $2K a while back. They sound warm and provide good clarity and image. See review http://www.hifi-review.com/152615-audiolab-8200mb.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essence Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 How much power do you need? Class AB : Denafrips Hyperion 80w in 8ohms; 150w into 4ohm. There's a measurements that show the specs are very under reported, its closer to 100w into 8ohms whilst having superb distortion specs. I upgraded from a Job 225 to these as the latter were current limited when driving lower loads. $1.8k from @Dacman audio. I consider this budget Benchmark AHB-2. Class D : A purifi stereo amp (2x400W into 4ohm) is like 2.2k delivered from Audiophonics but they've been back ordered to 1-4 weeks wait. VTV is offering a even cheaper purifi offering but don't offer delivery to aus... The best amp is an invisible one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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