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Recommendations for high power power amps?

35.129.9.50
Posted on July 8, 2022 at 16:14:00
JohnKutheRN
Audiophile

Posts: 529
Location: MO
Joined: September 16, 2019
 I have a pair of MagnepanMGiiia's that are very ineffecient, as lease compared to my Klipsch La Scalas! I was thinking of something about 5000W per channel?

John Kuthe...

 

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RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 8, 2022 at 16:58:45
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 If you're in the market for that kind of power then look towards some class D amps.

What happened to the McIntosh MC2105?

 

It is still on my RADAR!, posted on July 8, 2022 at 17:02:32
JohnKutheRN
Audiophile

Posts: 529
Location: MO
Joined: September 16, 2019
 I have a Macintosh MC2105 105wpc amo and a Crown 200wpc amp and a Dayton 1000W subwoofer amp, but thew Magnepans are real power hogs.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 8, 2022 at 18:16:57
Mr Steed
Audiophile

Posts: 829
Location: NY
Joined: May 19, 2012
 I was thinking of something about 5000W per channel?

Damn, I had those speakers at one time.
I thought 200 watts a channel was more than enough.
5000! Wow.

 

I'm just thinking about headroom! , posted on July 8, 2022 at 18:46:50
JohnKutheRN
Audiophile

Posts: 529
Location: MO
Joined: September 16, 2019
 John Kuthe...

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 8, 2022 at 19:19:36
G Squared
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  Since: May 23, 2023
 I drive my LRS with a Cary CAD 200. 200/350 Wpc 8/4 ohms rolled off and reinforced by a Rythmic 15 in sealed sub. Headroom and dynamics are very good. Lots of folks using PS Audio amps these days.
Gsquared

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 9, 2022 at 06:39:00
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46295
Location: USA
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Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 PS Audio M700 Class D mono blocks. 350wpc @ 8 Ohms, 700wpc @ 4 Ohms, 2 Ohm stable. I've been very pleased with mine. I've used them to effortlessly drive my Thiel CS2.4 speakers which are not easy loads but I presently have the Tannoy D500's in the system.

PS Audio M700 amps on bottom shelf:



 

VTV claims 40A for this module, posted on July 9, 2022 at 08:44:02
John Marks
Manufacturer

Posts: 7806
Location: Peoples' Democratic Republic of R.I.
Joined: April 23, 2000
 Strangely, they do not specify Watts.

I am sure you can phone them.

The prices seem very reasonable.

If you can luck into a used Plinius SA-250, or even better, two of them, for bridged mono, that should be all the power you need.

jm

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 9, 2022 at 11:26:12
lonzie41
Audiophile

Posts: 26
Joined: December 22, 2008
 I second the rec for the PS Audio Stellar M-700 monoblocks. I purchased a pair this May during PS Audio's Spring sale. I think they are quite good.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 9, 2022 at 11:29:51
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1674
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 I wondered how you got two amps into a small Salamander rack. I assume the M700 class D amps generate essentially no heat.

db

 

Your assumption is correct *, posted on July 9, 2022 at 18:44:16
Mike K
Audiophile

Posts: 13975
Location: 97701
Joined: September 23, 1999

Lack of skill dictates economy of style. - Joey Ramone

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 9, 2022 at 20:56:04
slbenz
Audiophile

Posts: 541
Location: CA
Joined: October 11, 2003
 Having heard and owned both, you will never get the Magnepans as loud as the Klipsch. But the IIIas will need at least 150+ watts to make them sing. I used both Class AB and Class D amps and both can make the Magnepans sound really good.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 9, 2022 at 23:29:00
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1674
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 I'm surprised no one has suggested Parasound JC 1 monoblocks, 400 watts per channel @ 8Ω, 800 @ 4Ω, with substantial current capacity.

db

 

Class D is ultra efficient....., posted on July 10, 2022 at 08:15:58
AbeCollins
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 ...meaning most of the power consumed by Class D amps is converted to AUDIO power, not wasted as heat. So YES, they produce almost no heat.




 

I'm thinking, posted on July 10, 2022 at 09:43:55
E-Stat
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Posts: 37650
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Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 that five kilowatts may be a bit overkill. ;)

 

Pargon has a pair of ARC REF250 SE's for sale, posted on July 10, 2022 at 10:13:04
Charlie8521
Audiophile

Posts: 914
Location: South East Michigan
Joined: October 2, 2004
 Their ad: "Audio Research REF250 SE Monoblock Amplifier Pair, Silver Finish, Pre-Owned $38,000.00 $15,995.00". What ever you do, I hope it works out great.

 

Probably, yes!, posted on July 10, 2022 at 11:07:34
JohnKutheRN
Audiophile

Posts: 529
Location: MO
Joined: September 16, 2019
 I should level match via attenuation!

John Kuthe...

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 11, 2022 at 07:25:23
neolith
Audiophile

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Location: Virginia
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Contributor
  Since: December 2, 2004
 I biamped IIIa with two W4S ST-500s which resulted in 500 W per channel at 4 ohm for a total 2 kW. It was more than enough. I bought the amps new so the cost was about $2600 (I already had the crossover). You can probably find the amps used for about $800 ea.



"Our head is round in order to allow our thoughts to change direction." Francis Picabia

 

RE: It is still on my RADAR!, posted on July 11, 2022 at 08:24:23
skypop
Audiophile

Posts: 297
Location: Long Island
Joined: January 7, 2008
 I us a pr of PS Audio Stellar M1200,on both my 1.7i's and my 3.6r's and they work great, also they have a tube input stage so you can change the flavor of your amps somewhat by changing the tube.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 11, 2022 at 08:30:00
skypop
Audiophile

Posts: 297
Location: Long Island
Joined: January 7, 2008
 You would probably get more view points if you post this in the Planer Forum,just a suggestion.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 11, 2022 at 12:59:39
Larry I
Audiophile

Posts: 2229
Location: No. Va.
Joined: June 28, 2000
 The Pivetta Opera Model 1 is what you want. All it takes is a suitable power hook up and about $2.5 million.

Alternatively, you can probably get much better sound by finding a good, 100 watt amp. Any speaker that "demands" more than that is not desirable.

A local dealer has a customer who has a number of speaker systems, including Wilsons and Maggies (don't know which model) that he powered with a Boulder amp. He was shocked to find that a MUCH cheaper tube amp that is rated at 100 wpc (Synthesis A100) sounds so much better on all of his systems. Even with Maggies, a single watt is pretty loud, and 10 watts is very loud. I see no advantage to unneeded "headroom," and solid state amps loafing along at a tiny fraction of their capability tend to sound lifeless to me.

 

Manley Neo-Classic 500, posted on July 11, 2022 at 16:40:07
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since: December 14, 2012



Great amps from the company with perhaps the best customer service on the planet. Should be plenty power - an old Stereophile piece noted overloading the bass drivers severely with 100W, fyi.

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 11, 2022 at 18:41:48
mondial
Audiophile

Posts: 891
Location: S.E. ASIA
Joined: January 14, 2007



A.m currently using a pair of ARC D79B's w/ my factory rebuilt MG3A in active biamp configuration using ARC EC21 tube crossover . Using active crossover makes a lot of difference and you might not need that big amount of power to drive the MG 3A . I have a pair of ARC REF 610T monoblocks power amp ( 840 W / Channel all tube amp ) they dont sound right w/ my MG 3A using the stock Crossover boxes supplied by Magnepan . Here is my set up

 

This should meet your demand, posted on July 11, 2022 at 20:24:59
RGA
Reviewer

Posts: 15177
Location: Hong Kong
Joined: August 8, 2001
 Analog Domain "The Apollo". ($185,000)

8,000 watts per channel into 4ohms

Sounded quite nice from a Shindo Vosne Romanee ($17,500)

Sounded nice.









 

So I guess Mr. Kuthe was trolling us ..., posted on July 12, 2022 at 04:16:01
Feanor
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Posts: 9868
Location: London, Ontario
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Contributor
  Since: March 12, 2004
 ... 5000 wpc is just idiocy and I'm sure he knows that very well but has done nothing specifically to change that criterion.

Some of the well-intentioned suggestions such as monster Manleys or ARCs are pretty silly in this day & age too. Get the cleanest, most neutral SOTA power amps available John Mark's suggestion for the VTV high-power Purifi-based amps is excellent. If you need more power than these, (which isn't likely), get a pair and bi-amp your speakers.

If you want warmth, full-body, color, holographic imaging, etc., get if from a tube preamp upstream.


Dmitri Shostakovich

 

40A don't mean squat IMHO, posted on July 12, 2022 at 08:47:34
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46295
Location: USA
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Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 One of my problems with VTV Purify is that VTV doesn't specify power output for their amps. They simply provide a data sheet for the modules. There are examples of different Class D amps in the marketplace that use a specific module yet the amp manufacturer will show different power output in their specs. Some of this might be power supply related, how the input stage drives the module, and some of it is related to power output at specific distortion levels.

If we look at the Purify 1ET400A module datasheet it shows 425wpc at a rather high 1% THD at 4 Ohms - but the charts show significantly less than 1/2 that 425wpc power at 8 Ohms AND these figures are given at a high 1% distortion(!) so it will be significantly less powerful yet again at 0.1% or lower distortion.


Bottom line is, VTV Purify is not as powerful as they might seem to be achieving their claimed power levels at 4 Ohms at rather high distortion levels.

They play similar specmanship games with their other amps.


 

My Manley Neo-Classic 250 EL34 monoblocks were fantastic!, posted on July 12, 2022 at 08:57:17
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46295
Location: USA
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Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 Manley Neo-Classic 250 mono blocks:

Not quite 500wpc but 250wpc of glorious EL34 sound mated wonderfully with my Thiel CS2.4 speakers.

My Manley Neo-Class 250 amps from long ago:

Ignore the Brystons. Powerful but not even close in SQ. Like a grainy PA system amp vs a nice home audio setup.

 

Troll or typo ?, posted on July 12, 2022 at 08:58:19
AbeCollins
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  Since: February 2, 2002
 Maybe he meant 500wpc ?? Who knows.


 

Possibly/likely, but he hasn't made it explicit, posted on July 12, 2022 at 10:42:58
Feanor
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Posts: 9868
Location: London, Ontario
Joined: June 17, 2003
Contributor
  Since: March 12, 2004
 Anyway I as mostly joking about the troll aspect.


Dmitri Shostakovich

 

John is talking about the 1ET7040SA, not the 1ET400A, posted on July 12, 2022 at 12:51:09
Feanor
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  Since: March 12, 2004
 The Purifi spec for the 1ET7040S is 420 watts into 4 ohms with a THD of 0.1%


Dmitri Shostakovich

 

RE: Recommendations for high power power amps? , posted on July 12, 2022 at 13:20:28
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 At 5kw per channel?
I'd recommend Lincoln Electric......
Too much is never enough

 

Better but still...., posted on July 12, 2022 at 16:26:30
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46295
Location: USA
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Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 ...not a lot of power from VTV/Purify considering these are Class D amps. 420wpc at 4 Ohms probably translates to about 1/2 that at 8 Ohms.... around 200wpc. [Compared to much more powerful Class D amps from Wyred4Sound, PS Audio, Rogue Audio, etc]. Power isn't everything but that's what the O.P. was asking for and Class D is known for high power at reasonable cost. At around 200 wpc [at 8 Ohm] for VTV/Purify I'd be looking at more traditional Class AB amps instead of Class D. When it comes to Class D amps, go big or go home [or go AB]. Just my thoughts on the topic ;-)



 

So granted there are more powerful class D modules than Pruifi, posted on July 13, 2022 at 04:29:46
Feanor
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Posts: 9868
Location: London, Ontario
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  Since: March 12, 2004
 Let's bear in mind that our OP is driving Magneplanars which are 4 ohm speaker so accordingly it's the 4 ohm spec that matters. If he really needs a genuine 500+ wpc into 4 ohms, (doubtful in my mind), there a few other options.

Perhaps he should consider an amp based on the ICEpower 1200AS2 that will do 670 wpc <1% THD into 4 ohms, both channels drive. This is a bit more powerful.

Or he might look for an amp based on the Hypex NC1200 which is likewise a bit more powerful.

And, of course, he could bi-amp those Magneplanars which would put him well over what he's presumably looking for, (not 5000 wpc though!!).




Dmitri Shostakovich

 

Hey!! This will do it: 8000 wpc into 4 ohms, posted on July 13, 2022 at 07:46:31
Feanor
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Location: London, Ontario
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Contributor
  Since: March 12, 2004
 I'm suggesting a pair of bridged QSC PL380's: see link below.

For sure you'll need an upgrade to your AC service: probably at least 20 amps per amplifier.




Dmitri Shostakovich

 

RE: So granted there are more powerful class D modules than Pruifi, posted on July 13, 2022 at 10:04:42
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46295
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  Since: February 2, 2002
 My thought is that 200wpc of Class D at 4 Ohms isn't much power for a Class D amp. I've always said that Class D is about relatively inexpensive high power. At only 200wpc I'd be shopping Class AB. But that's me.

For higher power, Class AB typically becomes more expensive so that's why I went with my 350wpc ICEpower based PS Audio M700. [Plus I like PS Audio and have prior experience with them]. If I needed ONLY 200wpc I'd be using Class AB instead of D. Again, that's just me.

Since the O.P. is looking for POWER I didn't think a Purify 200wpc amp would be sufficient for HIS needs.



 

Some 75 watt amplifiers will be plenty capable of doing them justice. , posted on July 13, 2022 at 10:11:01
ppopp
Audiophile

Posts: 2994
Location: OR
Joined: October 10, 2002
 You really don't need more than about 25 watts to go very loud.
What you need is an amplifier which can handle to impedence fluctuations which is where most panel speakers are very demanding.

A Sugden AV-50 would be superb.

If your speakers sound a little polite, Naim Audio is a good place to be, especially their NAP250 for a power amplifier.

 

That's a personal choice, but there's no reason to shun class D under 200 wpc, posted on July 13, 2022 at 12:02:47
Feanor
Audiophile

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  Since: March 12, 2004
 The Purifi 1ET400A is "only" 131 watts @ 8 ohms per ASR, and does a great job at that power level. THD+noise at that level is 0.00019% according to ASR

FWIW, the PS Audio stereo S300 has about the same power using ICEpower 300AS1 modules, but measurements aren't as good as the Purifi's by a long shot; (granted, measurements aren't everything).



Dmitri Shostakovich

 

RE: VTV claims 40A for this module, posted on July 14, 2022 at 20:55:11
fstein
Audiophile

Posts: 2996
Location: fstein
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 I thought that this conversation was laid to rest with the demise of Flame Linear!

 

RE: Some 75 watt amplifiers will be plenty capable of doing them justice. , posted on July 20, 2022 at 23:18:54
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 You know, I ge the 'less is more' idea?

For my nickel? a PAIR of Pass XA30.5 amps.....and since they are stereo, ONE per speaker.
You will never get 'em out of 'A' but they are quite a bit more powerful than the 30 a side number would lead you to believe....

An end-game setup?
Too much is never enough

 

I see musical fidelity power boosters used on EBAY occassionaly, posted on July 26, 2022 at 19:52:16
LtMandella
 Always liked the MF house sound.

 

RE: Hey!! This will do it: 8000 wpc into 4 ohms, posted on July 28, 2022 at 20:07:57
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 The EIA ratings for this amp are 10% to 20% higher than FTC.
Too much is never enough

 

RE: VTV claims 40A for this module, posted on July 31, 2022 at 00:02:36
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 A Red Herring number. And if you could actually measure it? Probably a some crazy low voltage.

At anything over a couple volts, you'd almost certainly be OUT of the Safe Operating Area of the output devices......
Too much is never enough

 

For those with deep pockets, McIntosh, Bryston, Mark Levinson -nt, posted on July 31, 2022 at 04:10:20
Feanor
Audiophile

Posts: 9868
Location: London, Ontario
Joined: June 17, 2003
Contributor
  Since: March 12, 2004
 nt


Dmitri Shostakovich

 

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