Monitor amp upgrade Q

[Brian Middleton]

One of the weaker links in my current setup is the Samson 240 power amp I'm using to drive my Event 20/20 monitors. Not only is it, well, a Samson, but it's a mite underpowered at 120 watts a side (the 20/20s are rated at 150 program/200 peak).

I'm starting to look at alternatives, and the Hafler P3000 is the early front-runner. Anybody have any advice on this beast? Will it be a big enough improvement over the Samson to be worth the money ($500)? Any other amps you would recommend in more or less this price range? Or do I really need to spend more $ to hear a serious difference?

Thanks for your help,
Brian

 

[Jon Best]

The Hafler's a good amp, and I don't think you'd regret buying it. Buying the biggest Hafler Pxxxx you can afford is probably a good way to get a lot of expandable bang for the buck. However, you may want to look at what exactly you're trying to fix. I had the unpowered 20/20's myself, and an alesis RA100 (this was a few years ago!). I had some trouble with sound- it was just never full, and it was a little edgy in the high mids. Before I bought a new amp, I tried some amps I had lying around- a Crown Power Base 2, a QSC 850, and some other really big amps. While I did hear an improvement in the setup, the overall sound didn't change remarkably. Replacing the speakers with a pair of NHT Super Ones turned out to be the ticket.

SO, if you are happy with the general tonality of your system, but want a little more transient response and immediacy, then yes, go for a new amp. If you're not happy at all, it's time to listen to speakers!

Originally posted by Brian Middleton:
One of the weaker links in my current setup is the Samson 240 power amp I'm using to drive my Event 20/20 monitors. Not only is it, well, a Samson, but it's a mite underpowered at 120 watts a side (the 20/20s are rated at 150 program/200 peak).

I'm starting to look at alternatives, and the Hafler P3000 is the early front-runner. Anybody have any advice on this beast? Will it be a big enough improvement over the Samson to be worth the money ($500)? Any other amps you would recommend in more or less this price range? Or do I really need to spend more $ to hear a serious difference?

Thanks for your help,
Brian