I use a Parasound HCA-1000 to power a pair of Westllake 3-ways, 200W/channel. Really nice amp for $300 used, 2RU, no fan. Only downside is the unbalanced inputs, may not be a problem for you. It can be argued that the Classe sounds no better, just different. Krells sound better, no question, but at 4x the price you're almost certainly better off throwing that money at better speakers. Much better sound return on your dollar there. Past Parasound, amplifiers incremental improvements are pretty small. HTH

I think the Parasound is a good choice...but I also like the Bryston 4-B very much...

Stay away from the Adcom; they have a kind of "harsh and thin" reputation. This has been my experience with Carver as well.

Fascinating to see what a "Hi-Fi" direction this discussion is going in so far...I'd like to see more in common between the two worlds...

SC

Does my heart good to see great discussion on amplifiers. After going through nine different amps, all with easily detectable differences, I found a small vintage amp, with help from a friend, to be just the ticket...at least for now. There is so much more going on beyond the utility approach to a monitor system. Keep it coming!

--Rick

Man, I really appreciate the info! This is great. Looks like a Parasound might be just the ticket. I've always wondered what criteria a pro uses to decide how much watt-age he/she needs for their particular speakers. Any thoughts?

Also, in the cross-over HI-FI vein, I have loved B&W speakers for years, especially for listening to classical music. I read in the liner notes of two Ivo Pogorelich (piano) solo albums (Scarlatti, Chopin on the DG label in 1990) that they recorded with B&W's. Didn't say which models. BTW, that Scarlatti album is a true gem for sound/performance IMO. Julian Standen, I believe, made a comment that he wouldn't mind having a pair of, I think, matrix 805's. They're small 2 ways. I guess we would call them near-field's. Any comments?

Thanks again,

jc

I want to echo what Rick says in the post above...

With a little experience, it becomes quite easy to hear tonal differences in "plain vanilla" components such as power amps.

Finding the "right" amp is just as important as finding the "right" monitor; it really comes down to a simple combination that just "works" for you. Try a few different amps with your speakers, and see what flavor you like...

As far as wattage, I guess it's really pretty simple: How big is your room, and how loud do you like to work? Again, at a guess I'd say 100-250 wpc for near-fields. No limit to the insanity on the mains...

I too have heard good things about the B&W's, but have not yet had the opportunity to listen to them...

SC

You need enough wattage to leave plenty of headroom during transient peaks. I find 200 watts a minimum for nearfields in a decent sized space. My Westllakes are 4 ohms nominal but dip closer to 2 ohms at some frequencies, so they require a high current amp, which the Parasound is.
B+Ws are all over from Abbey Road's conrol rooms to Albini's Studio A. HTH

Thank's again guys for the help.

ciao for now,

jc

Check out the Haffler Transnova 9505 or the Bryston 4B. Both are high-current and extremely clean. Both also don't have fans in them which makes them appropriate for control rooms.

I recently bought the 9505 for my mastering setup and I'm thrilled. The amp is fast, powerful, and also very detailed. It is also a bit less harsh sounding the the Bryston.

--Ben