Cheap But Clean Power

[MarkWinston]

So I finally decided to get the Polk R700 floorstanders, now Im finding for an affordable power amp with enough juice to drive them. Im looking at maybe around 200wpc - 300wpc @ 8 ohms, +50% or double that at 4 ohms and even better something that can comfortably handle a 2 ohm load and Ive come down to 2 brands, Crown and Behringer. Will be using the DACs that I own as a pre. Any recommended models from both of those brands I mentioned that is 'hifi worthy' or maybe even close? Any recommendations will be high appreciated.

 

[tvrgeek]

If you want a PA amp, fine. They are great for what they were designed for. Dirt cheap PA. The fans in the Behringer's tend to be loud. I modified one for a sub amp where it did very well. Sure would not use it on my music mains.

Small PITA, PA amps will have Speakon connectors, so you have to spend money and make up cables to them. I went the other way and put binding posts on the amp. I'm cheap.

Why do you want 2 Ohm loads?
What makes you think you need 200 or 300Watts?
What amplifier have you used you found lacking?
It seems you are extremely budget constrained, so might I suggest one of the more rational sized class D amps, Hypex or Purifi based? The March is quite inexpensive, but I am sure there are others under a grand. Also look at the traditional excellent performing budget: ATI, Outlaw, Emotiva, Monolith. Look at not too old used.

 

[mhardy6647]

Did you look at/consider any of the current crop of Yamaha integrated amplifiers? They look pretty nice, literally and figuratively. They range in price from quite reasonable to moderately unreasonable, so there're definitely options.
I am using a very vintage (ancient, by 2022 standards) Yamaha component with R200s and the combination seems to work quite well in a large-ish room.

If you want robust second opinions on amplification for your R700s, I would strongly encourage a visit to Polk's forums. The philosophy there runs... rather different to ASR, and I am all about diversity. At the least, nose around and see what sort of chatter's there already on the topic of feeding R700s. I will note that the prevaling winds there would probably steer one towards MORE POWER, but it could be interesting to actually read what folks suggest than make assumptions about it.

 

[solderdude]

So I finally decided to get the Polk R700 floorstanders, now Im finding for an affordable power amp with enough juice to drive them. Im looking at maybe around 200wpc - 300wpc @ 8 ohms, +50% or double that at 4 ohms and even better something that can comfortably handle a 2 ohm load and Ive come down to 2 brands, Crown and Behringer. Will be using the DACs that I own as a pre. Any recommended models from both of those brands I mentioned that is 'hifi worthy' or maybe even close? Any recommendations will be high appreciated.

You will need an amp that can drive 4 ohm speakers. Most will be able to do this.
The speakers aren't super sensitive so depending on the room size and max SPL you might need amps rated between 200 and 300W in 4ohm.

Crown and Behringer amps are not particular hifi amps but rather budget based power amps where power prevails over signal quality.

 

[RHO]

One of these Sabaj A8 on each speaker?

 

[solderdude]

I assume he wanted to use the Behringer A800 (222 Euro for 2x 400W in 4 ohm)

Amirs conclusion:

The Behringer A800 does what pro amps try to do: provide solid, middle-of-the-road distortion and noise with tons of power in quiet and light package for little money. The design is stable and better than the A500. As such, I can recommend the A800 as an everyday amplifier.

 

[MarkWinston]

One of these Sabaj A8 on each speaker?

That could be a very good option... depending on how much I can score a pair for here

 

[MarkWinston]

I assume he wanted to use the Behringer A800 (222 Euro for 2x 400W in 4 ohm)

Amirs conclusion:

The Behringer A800 does what pro amps try to do: provide solid, middle-of-the-road distortion and noise with tons of power in quiet and light package for little money. The design is stable and better than the A500. As such, I can recommend the A800 as an everyday amplifier.

Yup... particularly the A800 and the XLS1502. The XLS1502 has a HPF, the A800 dont and I intend to binding posts and not the Speak On. Which one measures better overall which fits those criteria?

 

[MarkWinston]

Did you look at/consider any of the current crop of Yamaha integrated amplifiers? They look pretty nice, literally and figuratively. They range in price from quite reasonable to moderately unreasonable, so there're definitely options.
I am using a very vintage (ancient, by 2022 standards) Yamaha component with R200s and the combination seems to work quite well in a large-ish room.

If you want robust second opinions on amplification for your R700s, I would strongly encourage a visit to Polk's forums. The philosophy there runs... rather different to ASR, and I am all about diversity. At the least, nose around and see what sort of chatter's there already on the topic of feeding R700s. I will note that the prevaling winds there would probably steer one towards MORE POWER, but it could be interesting to actually read what folks suggest than make assumptions about it.

More powah is always nearly better, especially when you have dual 8 inchers to drive. Ive read from a current owner, and I quote "they all play fine and dandy with my 160wpc Denon but when I switched to my elcheapo 440w Crowns (I presume he meant the XLS 2502), now the dual 8 inchers start to make perfect sense. They dug way deeper with authority and I just didnt need a sub for most of the time no more."

Interesting.

 

[rdenney]

What about a Hypex build? I just hooked up a Buckeye NC502MP, which uses the nCore module from Hypex nominally rated at 500 watts/channel into 4 ohms. The real power output pushes 320 watts at low distortion into 4 ohms or 500 at still less than 1% distortion--abundant for just about any need. Frequency response rolls off -0.6 dB at 20 KHz; otherwise flat. Very resistant to the effects of speaker loads. It's efficient, compact, and cool-running, and costs way south of $700. The Buckeye certainly drives my Revel F12's with authority (and those also have dual 8" woofers.)

Given the trouble I've had with Behringer mixing consoles, I'm not super happy with the brand. Crown amps are fine and a lot of power for the money--nothing to say against them--but they do not measure as well as the Buckeye with the Hypex module.

Rick "but only if your DACs have a usable volume control when used as a pre" Denney

 

[solderdude]

Which one measures better overall

A800

 

[Spkrdctr]

In my experience of using 1 Crown amp at the moment, I have no problems recommending it. I have zero hiss and gobs of power. I also would look at the Buckeye amps. The Buckeye owner/builder has been on this site many times and is an open door to his customers and Amir. You can't get any better than that. The Crowns have a 6 year warranty. So, price shop Buckeye vs Crown and pick your amp. Buckeye will look good, measure good and give you gobs of power too. Tell us whatever you end up doing and how you like it.

 

[tvrgeek]

Gobs of power are WAY over rated. You only need enough. Having owned PA amps, I could not put up with one on my music system. But some insist all amps sound the same so whatever your choice is.

The best feature of these new PA amps is they are so freaking cheap, you can have a couple spares in the van for one gets fried at a gig. It was much harder back in the 100 pound megadollar PA days. Good thing the old DC-300 was almost indestructible as it was expensive. Sit in the sun all day, pour a beer in it, short the leads bounce it around the van. Could not hurt the things.

FWIW, I run a 60W amp and my preamp volume control has never been past 11:00.

 

[rdenney]

Gobs of power are WAY over rated. You only need enough. Having owned PA amps, I could not put up with one on my music system. But some insist all amps sound the same so whatever your choice is.

The best feature of these new PA amps is they are so freaking cheap, you can have a couple spares in the van for one gets fried at a gig. It was much harder back in the 100 pound megadollar PA days. Good thing the old DC-300 was almost indestructible as it was expensive. Sit in the sun all day, pour a beer in it, short the leads bounce it around the van. Could not hurt the things.

FWIW, I run a 60W amp and my preamp volume control has never been past 11:00.

That's funny. I was listening to my system the other night, and saw the clipping indicators on my Buckeye flashing at me, which into my 6-ohm, 90 W/m speakers supplies 400+ watts of power or thereabouts. Yes, it was loud. No, the wife was not at home. Yes, the cat was annoyed. No, it was not distorted, compressed, or even strained. No, I don't do that very often. Yes, the music (a drum solo) was extremely dynamic, and not far at all from reference loudness.

And it's frequency sweeps recorded by REW showed significantly less distortion than through the B&K amp tested a few minutes earlier. But that was only at 90 dB SPL.

Rick "whose volume control made it all the way to 12:00 o'clock for that drum solo" Denney