Are there any amplifiers you can recommend that are 300W or higher in the $5,000 to $10,000 range?

[Harmonia]

Among power amplifiers in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, could you recommend some that have brand value and decent performance, with 8ohms 300W or more output? I'm looking at new products.

There might be various amplifiers available second-hand, but I'm looking for amplifiers like McIntosh that have brand recognition and reasonably good performance.

However, there are so many! Just as anyone can make speakers, resulting in numerous brands worldwide, there are also too many companies making power amplifiers!

So I'm writing this post to hear your opinions. Could you give me some recommendations?
Feel free to write whatever comes to mind.

if possible, please exclude products manufactured in China when making recommendations.
European or American brands tend to have more brand power, and I don't want to pay a high price for Chinese-made products.

And it's okay to recommend more expensive ones too! I'm primarily looking for amplifiers in that price range, but if there aren't many in the 300W range, I'm willing to spend more.

Personally, I'd like to find a 1,000W Class AB type, but that's absolutely not possible at this price, right? It would cost over $30,000.

I want to find a product with good performance for its price.
Show me the power of collective intelligence, everyone.

 

[JeffS7444]

No personal experience with them, but McIntosh makes monster 1.25kW monoblock amplifiers, and at least in the USA, you might be able to get pair of the things and still have change left over from your $30K. Large and imposing, they will definitely make a statement, and the signature look of black glass and blue, backlit meters is about as iconic as it gets in hifi.

But price aside, would I buy them for myself? No! It's been many years since I felt my hifi needed to make some sort of statement to the world, let alone such a large and unwieldy one. Even in my 20s, I hated having to move beasts like Mark Levinson ML-2s and ML-3s. Even with handles, it was no joy, especially when said handles were designed more for visual appeal than practicality.

 

[JustJones]

Anthem® | Power Amplifier | STR Power Amplifier | Specifications

www.anthemav.com

Nord Three 1ET9040BA DM MKII Dual Mono Stereo Power Amplifier - Nord Acoustics Ltd

Purifi 1ET9040BA Amplifier

nordacoustics.co.uk

 

[MAB]

Bryston 7B, 600 Watts into 8 Ohms.

7B³ – Bryston

bryston.com

Bryston 28B, 1000 Watts into 8 Ohms.

28b3 – Bryston

bryston.com

20 year warranty. Typically exceed published specs, for example:

Bryston 28B-SST monoblock power amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I preconditioned the Bryston 28B-SST by running it at 330W into 8 ohms for an hour. The THD+noise was 0.00265% at the start; by the end of the hour, it had dropped slightly, to 0.00218%. The amplifier's heatsinks were way too hot to touch after 60 minutes, but despite the...

www.stereophile.com

And they sound... great. Like a good amp should.
I have a some 7BST, and use them daily.

 

[JustJones]

Crown XLi 3500 1350W 2-channel Power Amplifier

2-channel Power Amplifier, 1350W Continuous/ch at 4 ohms, with Flexible I/O, Selectable input voltage, Forced air cooling

www.sweetwater.com

 

[Keith_W]

Welcome to ASR. Unfortunately I do not think you will get the answer that you need here. ASR has a focus on objective performance, meaning that we want to see test results before we say that something has objectively good performance. Very few manufacturers in the price range you are looking at are willing to let Amir test their products. The recommendations you might receive are no more informed than looking through a list of manufacturers who make products in the price range you are looking for and maybe some anecdotes about build quality and styling, because that is all we can objectively say about it.

 

[Adis]

KRELL FPB-300​

 

[Chrispy]

Why would they need to be that expensive? You just like throwing money at amps?

 

[Gary_G]

Power Amplifiers

40 years of excellence at Parasound with high-performance audio products, balancing quality, reliability, and value for music lovers and home theater enthusiasts.

parasound.com

Parasound
JC5 $7,500 400w x2 into 8 Ohm, 600w x2 into 4 Ohm
A21+ $4,400 300w x2 into 8 Ohm, 500w x2 into 4 Ohm

 

[Blumlein 88]

Pair of bridged Benchmark AHB2 amps. 380 watts into 8 ohms bridged. $7k per pair.

Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier

Benchmark's new AHB2 Power Amplifier - "The Quietest, Cleanest Audio Amplifier on the Planet"

benchmarkmedia.com

Tested here by Amir.

Review and Measurements of Benchmark AHB2 Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier using THX technology to reduce distortion. I was going to request one for testing due to membership demand but to my pleasant surprise, the company volunteered to contact me and send not one, but two units! I requested...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 power amplifier

www.stereophile.com

 

[Chrispy]

Welcome to ASR. Unfortunately I do not think you will get the answer that you need here. ASR has a focus on objective performance, meaning that we want to see test results before we say that something has objectively good performance. Very few manufacturers in the price range you are looking at are willing to let Amir test their products. The recommendations you might receive are no more informed than looking through a list of manufacturers who make products in the price range you are looking for and maybe some anecdotes about build quality and styling, because that is all we can objectively say about it.

Let alone that the amp is not likely to make an audible difference when used within its capabilities.

 

[JSmith]

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!

www.buckeyeamp.com

JSmith

 

[Harmonia]

No personal experience with them, but McIntosh makes monster 1.25kW monoblock amplifiers, and at least in the USA, you might be able to get pair of the things and still have change left over from your $30K. Large and imposing, they will definitely make a statement, and the signature look of black glass and blue, backlit meters is about as iconic as it gets in hifi.

But price aside, would I buy them for myself? No! It's been many years since I felt my hifi needed to make some sort of statement to the world, let alone such a large and unwieldy one. Even in my 20s, I hated having to move beasts like Mark Levinson ML-2s and ML-3s. Even with handles, it was no joy, especially when said handles were designed more for visual appeal than practicality.

Thank you for your kind words.
Macintosh is certainly a great brand. They produce sound that doesn't divide opinions and their design also has a clear identity. However, due to their reputation, their prices feel expensive! While their latest amplifiers are good, even just five years ago, the sound quality wasn't that great!
I'm looking for a product that can properly drive large floorstanding speakers, even if it's heavy.
One of my personal philosophies is that the bigger the amplifier, the better! Of course, you can't connect 1000W to a bookshelf speaker, but generally, the more power you have in reserve, the better the system can produce its proper sound.

 

[Harmonia]

Anthem® | Power Amplifier | STR Power Amplifier | Specifications

www.anthemav.com

Nord Three 1ET9040BA DM MKII Dual Mono Stereo Power Amplifier - Nord Acoustics Ltd

Purifi 1ET9040BA Amplifier

nordacoustics.co.uk

Thank you. I'm also interested in Anthem amplifiers. Over a decade ago, I used an Anthem AV processor, but compared to Yamaha, I remember not being able to enjoy it due to the extremely inconvenient user interface and bugs.
However, the sound quality was good!

 

[mcdn]

I think the NAD M23 might fit your requirements well. European, strong brand, but modern tech. 260W into 8 ohms but they can be bridged. About USD3500 each, and reviewed here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/nad-m23-stereo-amplifier-review.45462/

 

[Harmonia]

Bryston 7B, 600 Watts into 8 Ohms.

7B³ – Bryston

bryston.com

Bryston 28B, 1000 Watts into 8 Ohms.

28b3 – Bryston

bryston.com

20 year warranty. Typically exceed published specs, for example:

Bryston 28B-SST monoblock power amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I preconditioned the Bryston 28B-SST by running it at 330W into 8 ohms for an hour. The THD+noise was 0.00265% at the start; by the end of the hour, it had dropped slightly, to 0.00218%. The amplifier's heatsinks were way too hot to touch after 60 minutes, but despite the...

www.stereophile.com

And they sound... great. Like a good amp should.
I have a some 7BST, and use them daily.

Bryston amplifiers are great! I remember they produced quite good sound. Thank you for the recommendation.

Is it true that Bryston amplifiers have a 20-year warranty? I didn't know that.
However, the importer in my region will probably only provide a 1-year warranty.
No matter how long the manufacturer's warranty period is, most brands here only offer a 1-year warranty.

 

[Harmonia]

Crown XLi 3500 1350W 2-channel Power Amplifier

2-channel Power Amplifier, 1350W Continuous/ch at 4 ohms, with Flexible I/O, Selectable input voltage, Forced air cooling

www.sweetwater.com

Do people use Crown amplifiers in hi-fi systems as well?


I know them as PA amplifiers. Their appearance looks like PA equipment, doesn't it? That's why I haven't really considered them! I know that many people use them for PA purposes in studios or commercial facilities! However, I haven't seen anyone using them in hi-fi systems. But I'm also very interested in the PA side. I'm thinking about giving it a test.

 

[Harmonia]

Welcome to ASR. Unfortunately I do not think you will get the answer that you need here. ASR has a focus on objective performance, meaning that we want to see test results before we say that something has objectively good performance. Very few manufacturers in the price range you are looking at are willing to let Amir test their products. The recommendations you might receive are no more informed than looking through a list of manufacturers who make products in the price range you are looking for and maybe some anecdotes about build quality and styling, because that is all we can objectively say about it.

Thank you, Keith_W, for your response.

This is exactly what I was curious about. I was wondering why there are no objective reviews for high-fidelity, high-end products. So, it turns out that manufacturers don't allow it.

I posted the question because I wanted to get some references. Even though it's not objective, I believe that ASR users are more capable of making their own judgments than general users, so I wanted to get their opinions.

I'll take it into consideration. Thank you so much.

 

[Harmonia]

KRELL FPB-300​

Thank you for the recommendation.
KRELL has been a renowned AMP brand for a long time! However, their design seems too outdated, so I'm not really interested. Still, I'll look into it if I get the chance.

 

[Harmonia]

Why would they need to be that expensive? You just like throwing money at amps?

I don't intend to splurge, but I need to look into it. I'm checking out hi-fi speakers and also looking into amplifiers at the same time.

Everyone has different standards, right?
If they weren't selling, there would be no reason to make speakers, DACs, or AMPs that cost over $100,000.

Rather than very cheap amplifiers, I'm also checking out products from brands that I could use for a long time and could easily sell second-hand anytime.

I know quite a lot about hi-fi & high-end products and have listened to many of them, but I'm curious about what amplifiers other users are interested in besides me.

That's why I'm looking into it.