Power amp recommendations?

I don't need much power at all... I had an amp in that has a digital volume control and at a level where I know full-scale output would be 1W into 8 ohms (ie 2.83Vrms) it was too loud for all but the occasional blast, what with the neighbours...

What I like about the monarchy: Small, descriptions of the sound are about what I'm looking for, the manufacturer isn't totally against mods, and in fact will help with lowering the front-end gain (important as I want to run it direct off a pretty high-output source), monoblockable (and done properly with the balanced in!), and second hand price doesn't preclude getting a pair of them.

Is the SM70 Pro worth it over the SM70?
 
I second Electrocompanient. They offer the exact sonic virues you are looking for. They are nicely built, good looking, reliable and easy to sell.

BTW - I have spoken once about those Monarchy monos with a friend of mine from the US and he told me that those were the worst amps he have tried by far. He bought them without listening first (a typical review-based buy) and sold them even faster than he bought them.

Just my 0.02c.
 
If Brytsons are as dry as rumoured then it would be a stark contrast to the warmth of the S300.
 
Brizon, whilst the Bryston is a good call (if you can find one for £600) there is no such a thing as a "totally neutral" anything in hi-fi. All equipment imposes its sonic 'character' on the listener.

My own experience of Bryston amps suggests a 'dry' and analytical balance, which could be what you mean by "neutral". They also have massive amounts of headroom, are extremely reliable, and work best with PMC loudspeakers, for obvious reasons.

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Paul
 
They are very detailed and accurate if that is the meaning of "analytical". I wouldnt say they are dry in the same way as Krell Mark Levinson etc. I think they have very minimal sonic character with no obvious tonal characteristics.
 
They are very detailed and accurate if that is the meaning of "analytical".
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"Accurate" to what, though? I struggle to see any real meaning in this term when applied to hi-fi because no-one apart from the performers/recording engineers that were present when the original performance took place knows what that sound was like, and this will only be for the duration of their aural memory. Therefore for anyone else "accurate" is only what is imagined inside your head.

By "analytical" I simply mean highly revealing of information recorded onto the source format, so this I suppose could be deemed as "accurate".

I think they have very minimal sonic character with no obvious tonal characteristics
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I agree with that statement, and indeed it reflects my own personal experience of Bryston equipment. You have to be careful though what speakers their amps are partnered with in order to avoid a somewhat 'sterile' presentation. This of course is only my own subjective assessment!

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Paul
 
I would agree with that - but the short coming would be in the speakers that the bryston is not covering up.

Accurate as compared with live acoustic say.
 
The RB-1070 is not worlds apart from the RA971mkII I'm running right now. I'm not hugely enamoured with the rotel sound (the 971 is fantastic for it's price, but I'm looking higher). And, as I said before, I do NOT need that much power. A calibrated 1W level was LOUD in my room.

Bryston is not the sound I'm looking for.

Electrocompaniet is interesting for sure, as is the monarchy.

It may be that there's room in my budget to buy both an s/h electrocompaniet and s/h monarchy, and keep whichever I prefer.

I figured out last night that I can actually wire up the RA-971 as power-amp only. Previous experience with an RB971 suggested that there's no difference whatsoever in sound between RA971 and RB971, so this is how a rotel power amp sounds.
 
I would agree with that - but the short coming would be in the speakers that the bryston is not covering up.

Accurate as compared with live acoustic say.
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Brizon, that's why PMC are sold with Bryston because they are synergistically matched. Live acoustic is an excellent yardstick with which to judge how realistic the sound of a hi-fi system is, but the only way of knowing how close the system got to the real sound would be to have been there when it happened or be in possession of the original master tapes. Otherwise ascertaining 'accuracy' is meaningless.

Isaac, that's cool. I like the Rotel sound, so I guess we have different tastes.

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Paul
 
I think its also possible by listening to a number of wide genres on the system - if it is not accurate it will favour some genres over others.
 
It's to do with levels of coloration. All hi-fi equipment colours the sound to a degree and ultimately this manifests itself in how equipment 'handles' various musical genres. This however has little to do with 'accuracy' as we discussed earlier. But, yes, a system that favours no particular genre of music is certainly the most preferable.

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Paul
 
More coloured and less accurate systems are less likely to be even handed accross genres.
 
Tenson said:
And I could hardly give mine away 8 months ago!! Sods law 'eh...

I think the one you mean Dev is the Alesis RA500. Its a very good amp but not exactly 'warm', just neutral. Also I'm not sure I would be quite so happy if I had not done some mods. Still a bargain for £150 each but not quite such a good one.
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Hi Tenson,

would you mind saying a bit more about the mods you've done? I've just bought an RA500 and would be quite keen to learn more.
 

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