Stereo Power Amp choices?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RandyRhoads1981
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RandyRhoads1981

RandyRhoads1981

New member
I posted this in the Analog section but then I realized I probably
should have put it here...
Hey everybody, I'm in the market for a stereo power amp and I
am having a little trouble finding an amp that is good/descent quality
and also affordable, in the $100-ish price range.
Could somebody shed some light on a few possible choices?
I will be powering a pair of JBL J2045 8ohm monitors.
I also have a pair of JBL 4406's but they might be a little too big
for the Meter bridge on my Tascam M-520 console.
Does the wattage on the speakers affect what amp I can use?
 
You'd be hard-pressed to find one in the "really crappy" category in that price range.
 
Any amp in the $100 price range had better be a vintage amp that originally cost hundreds of dollars more.

The power handling capacity of the monitors does affect the choice of amps. An under-powered amp will distort and possibly damage your speakers. You'll want an amp that puts out about 25% more power than the RMS rating of the monitors. This will not only allow sufficient headroom for momentary peaks, it will also provide clean power as loud as you can stand. The RMS rating of speakers reflects their continuous average power handling capacity. Musical signals contain very short peaks (or "transients") that exceed that level. Most speakers can comfortably handle those transients. Of course you will not want to crank the amp all the way up. Running a signal into a speaker that continuously exceeds its RMS rating will also damage the speaker.
 
In the $100 range you might be better off buying a used or clearance stereo receiver and using the tape, monitor or aux inputs.

Paj
8^)
 
Mike-Mat said:
This is actually a pretty nice stereo receiver with 100 watts/ Channel and .08% THD. It was my solution to a low cost power amp. I'm very happy with it. Certainly fits your budget. Sherwood RX-4105

Sherwood RX4105 RX-4105 100W Stereo Receiver (Black) - eBay (item 160536346492 end time Apr-22-11 20:32:12 PDT)

Mike
Click to expand...

I was looking for an Amp that can be secured in a 19" Rack because I have
plans for a small mobile setup where I can have all my outboard gear in a single audio rack.
I'll keep open to the idea though.
Thanks
 
You may want to avoid a consumer amplifier for monitoring purposes, They're designed to sound good, but you want accurate. Look for a reference amp with no tone controls... just a power switch and volume comtrol
 
What about Crest Audio Amplifiers?
They look cool, reliable, and descent quality at an affordable price.
Any experience?
 
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