Stereo Power Amp recommendations (UK)

Hi

I know this forum has mainly US members but I find you guys know what you're talking about and hope you can help.

The mono amps I have at the moment (Roksan Caspian: 100 Watts per channel) don't have the power I'm after.
This Hifi system is in the main house.

I recently completed a Home Cinema room and I'm using a Nakamichi AVP1 Power amp, which for the small amount of money it cost me, I'm very impressed with.
When I play music through the Home Cinema system I find it has more control so I'm wondering if I should upgrade the Roksan mono amps in the main house with something that has more power.

I don't want to spend silly money, so I'm wondering if there are powerful stereo amps which I could test and which you know are also available in the UK?

Thanks

 

Wow! I would say that you must listen very loud, have a very large room and really inefficient speakers, or a combination of the above.

Take a trip to your dealer and have a listen, because you could spend a lot of money, with no sonic gain.

 

I recently changed to Exposure 3010S2 monoblocks, 100w pc and extremely powerful & capable. Used with the matching preamp the sound is highly transparent and dynamic. I use Dynaudio speakers and previous Naim amps didn't have enough welly to get them going.

 

i had a similiar experience of wanting more power and my living room is just a 6 x 5 mtr space with a ceiling height of 2.5mtr.
i started off with 100w x 2 Yamaha Flymole mono block amps and found the sound wanting, move to a Mclntosh M7270 pushing out 270W x 2
and still not getting the sense of "presence" of the sound. now i m happily settled with a Classe CA400 which gives a nice 400W x 2. the result is a sound that
is very here and now... lively, dynamics n lows that goes sub sonic (like tat of a subwoofer) when the passage demands of it. and strings (i love Vivaldi) has a zing that i hv not heard when using the previous amplifiers.

and yes i listen to my music at high volumes.... and have 3 listening levels -
Loud, Damn Loud and Freaking Mother Loud
for music like Supertramp and Pink Floyd, low volume listening just don't do justice to their Masterpiece.

 

The Arcam FMJ P49 is the first power amp that comes to my mind for anyone who wants a UK-made, superb quality power amp that also has superb specs and a huge power reserve. The amp will easily drive anything. Sound quality is wonderful. I owned and appreciated the Arcam FMJ A49 (the integrated version with the same power spec) and I can't say enough about the newer Arcam series. Very well worth an audition.

 

Get two Crown XLS 1502 amplifiers and run them bridged. 1050 watts per channel into 8 ohms, stable down to 4 ohms. I am using one of those with 300 wpc into 8 ohms. These don't cost much ($400 in the US) and are popular with home theater types.

 

Your Caspian mono blocks are fairly potent- 175 watts @ 4-ohms so you'll need something substantial to notice an upgrade. Sometimes there is no substitute for power.
I recommend the Parasound Halo A21 power amp- probably the best overall value in an amplifier of that power spec
and it appears to retail for 2599 Lbs. (400 watts / channel @ 4-ohms). It is a very good sounding class AB unit that runs in true class A for a decent amount of the time. Be aware that it is a beast and weighs 60 lbs and has a large footprint.
You should notice a huge upgrade in sound quality, brute force dynamics and capability to play louder and cleaner.

 

Recommendations that I will be looking into.
The Arcam FMJ P49 is one I should be able to get a demo of quite easily I should think.
I would love to have a listen to the Parasound Halo A21 and Classe CA400.
The Crown XLS 1502 seem to have a lot of power for the money. Don't like the looks though.
I get confused with all the Classes of amplification: Is Class G what I should be looking at and is Class D now worth having a look at aswell?

 

I now have a list of four power amps I want to listen to:

Parasound Halo A21: Problem is that no Hifi store has them to demo, so the only way to have a listen is to buy one and I can get a refund within 45 days if I don't want to keep it, which is a bit of a pain.

Arcam P49 - Class G

Bryston 4B SST2

Cambridge Audio 851W

The Crown XLS 1502 is off the list: Whatever was I thinking!?

 

I've not had a demo yet (I've been too busy) but I think it will most probably be the Arcam P49, due to it having class G..........

But then I came across a Tube amp, which I've read about but never though of getting.
The amp in question, is the PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium Integrated Amplifier.

One thing I remember reading about tube amps, is that they don't seem to produce much power but still run very well with any speaker.
This is one amp I will be having a demo of before I make a choice.

 

My 30 watt guitar amp can knock down walls.
My 40 watt Prima Luna has never been above 4

What speakers are you using?

 

Sanders Magtech - fantastic sound , lifetime warranty , real powerhouse 900wpc @ 4ohms

2016 Editors' Choice: Power Amplifiers $3,000 - $6,000

 

Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand
91db into 4 ohms.

 

How long have you had your Prima Luna?
How long do the tubes last and how much are they to replace?

 

Good thing you don't listen to extreme metal subgenres then !

 

Instead of spending big $$$ on amp, have you thought about high pass your speakers and add a powerful quality subwoofer instead?

 

Arcam FMJ P49 is a Class G amp, made in US. I bought one and found it not as good as Class AB, I sold it on ,however you should audition one as it may be OK for you.

 

10 years, Prologue 2, when I got it I put in Winged C KT88s and old Tele/Mullard pre amp valves
It has never blown a valve, stopped working or gone wrong in any way. My KT88s must have
5000+ hours on them now.

 

Wow! 5000 hours on the same power tubes? That must be some kind of record. I think I'd be changing those puppies very soon.

 

I'd had GEC KT66s that lasted longer in my Quad IIs. I also have some GE 7581a/KT66s with about 8000 hours.

The Prologue 2 has soft start and doesn't need turning up loud. Very gentle on valves

 

What are the plus and minus points of owning a tube amp?
Is there much difference in running costs compared to a 200 watt power amp?

 

What made you choose a tube amp?
How long have been running a tube amp?

 

Just get Bryston 28 mono blocks and be done with it forever. I love mine.

 

Nord Acoustics Hypex NCore NC500 NC400 Amplifiers

Absolutely LOVE mine! A bargain at the price.

 

They look great and most probably sound great aswell.
I don't know which way to go now.....................
Are these class D?
Did you have a demo before buying?
I'm only an hours drive away from their main office/demo rooms.