Good Amp for Q-acoustics 2050i for around £350?

[cobius]

i've have the Q-acoustics 2050i which i really like, but im looking at upgrading my amp.
i want to ideally spend around £350-£450 and for it to have tone control.
i was looking at the rotel ra-10 or the cambridge audio 651a.
any suggestion??
thanks coby.

 

[Baldrick1]

RA-10...it is a corker at the price!

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi, you don't mention what amp you already have. I think the NAD amps should work well with the Q acoustics - 326BEE or 356BEE, which ever you can afford.

 

[Baldrick1]

If Marantz is more yout tonality in amps...warmer sound then PM6004 is extremely good too at the price.

 

[matthewpiano]

NAD C326BEE. Stonking amp.

 

[gurjitsidhu]

I auditioned the marantz pm6004 and the Yamaha AS500. Found that the marantz simply did it have enough power for the 2050i. The q acoustic speakers you have need a powerful amp so I stuck with the as500. It sounds good.

Alot of people talk about the Nad but I can't audition it anywhere and surely the 50w would be too small for the 2050? The marantz is 50 w per channe also and it wasn't enough I thought.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I agree with the Rotel, but also have a look at the Pioneer A50 while it is going cheap.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Dont agree

The Marantz PM6004 has plenty of power to drive the 2050i's; sound very good together as well bvut maybe a little too smooth at times

The NAD C326BEE amp would be a good option as well as would a 2nd hand NAD C320BEE or C352 / C355BEE amp via eBay and the likes

Personally I wouldnt go down the Cambridge Audio route; too clinical and make the 2050's sound bright to me.

Unsure re the Pioneer as nowhere has one in near to me.

A Rotel RA1520 would be in your budget 2nd hand via eBay if you casn stretch to £450 as would an Arcam FMJ A32, & an Arcam Alpha 10 (a bit old school now but a fantastic amp and still one of the best Arcam has ever made - blows the current stuff out of the water with ease)!

 

[the record spot]

Check out Onkyo's network capable TX8050, which is a very fine amp for the money and will handle the speakers with ease, which are easy to drive anyway but with 100wpc on tap, you've enough there. Good functionality throughout and user reviews are very positive, check Google.

EDIT: Have a look at the spec here; http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/products/tx-8050-43158.html

 

[MeanandGreen]

I auditioned the marantz pm6004 and the Yamaha AS500. Found that the marantz simply did it have enough power for the 2050i. The q acoustic speakers you have need a powerful amp so I stuck with the as500. It sounds good.

Alot of people talk about the Nad but I can't audition it anywhere and surely the 50w would be too small for the 2050? The marantz is 50 w per channe also and it wasn't enough I thought.

What makes you think 50watts isn't enough? The speaker sensitivity is the important part along with impedance. I doubt many people listen to their setups at more than a continuous 15-20W in reality, and that is a very decent output level. One thing to note with NAD is that their power ratings are a touch on the conservative side, and a typical 50W NAD amp will deliver a clean 100-120W of undistoreted output when musical dynamics demand it.

 

[gurjitsidhu]

I found that the marantz amp was distorting when powering the 2050i but the as500 handled the speakers with ease.

So based on the difference in power output between the two and the speaker staying the same, I thought it was because the marantz only being 50w distorts earlier on than the more powerful as500. So I assumed that other amps at 40/50 W would also distort earlier

 

[gurjitsidhu]

I found that the marantz amp was distorting when powering the 2050i but the as500 handled the speakers with ease.

So based on the difference in power output between the two and the speaker staying the same, I thought it was because the marantz only being 50w distorts earlier on than the more powerful as500. So I assumed that other amps at 40/50 W would also distort earlier

 

[ear]

the A50 Pioneer will have a better balance with those speakers and won't distort sound or bass.

 

[Fixt00l]

Hello! I was in the same dillema like you, and I was adviced to look for HK 6550 amp, that would wipe the floor with AS500/PM6004.I had a chance to audition it together with HK 6500 on various bookshelf speakers.The forum members where right - PM6004 is a joke, compared to the HK 6550.Go second hand, you do not to spend a fortune for a good setup.

 

[Ketan Bharadia]

I think the 2050i work well with both the Rotel RA-10 and Yamaha S500.