Cheap, good amplification for Thiel 1.5
-- Mon, 09/07/2009 - 15:15
OK - So I blew my (modest) budget on a pair of Thiel 1.5s. Now I need to drive them. Since I currently have only a bottom-of-the-barrel Yamaha AV receiver (which will NOT be happy with the 4-ohm Thiels), I'm looking at a used AV preamp and stereo power amp off e-Bay. My proposed budget for amplification is about $1,200 TOTAL (preamp AND amp).
Options? In my budget (and needing both some power and current capacity for the Thiels), I may be looking at things like:
Carver, NAD, Rotel, Denon, Outlaw Audio, Adcom, or Yamaha
Would a warm-sounding AVR work with the Thiels if I sent the bass to a subwoofer and didn't ask the poor, wimpy AVR amps to drive below, say 60 Hz? Since my goal here is avoiding solid-state brightness at all costs, what say you gurus? Thanks.
With your budget, I'd look for an upper-end AVR rather than separates. Although separate power amplifiers often have more robust output stages than those of AVRs, I think you'll get more for your money with an AVR. Keep in mind that AVRs with THX certification must meet certain power-output requirements. The "THX Select" certification has relaxed requirements for output power; look for the full THX certification.
WOW - I never thought I'd actually get a response from the REAL Robert Harley - Thanks for your input! I've enjoyed reading your reviews for many years now in various magazines.
I'll take your advice to aude (the aural equivalent of vide?) the high-ticket receivers. Since I'll, unfortunately, be unable to actually listen in my home with my speakers, might you have any suggestions regarding any brand that might meet all of the following needs?
My requirements are many - I need 100 watts + to make the Thiels sound dynamic, I need 4-ohm capability to prevent the puppy from melting, I need sophisticated bass management to deal with the various center & surrounds, I need electronic room management to cancel out reflections and dips, I need USB hard-drive input and on-screen software to select media, and I need CLEAN sound with NO treble peakiness. That's a full pot of needs, even for a high-end AVR.
You're my only hope, Robert-Wan-Kenobe! THANKS!
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