Pre/Power Recconmendations!

Gareth82

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Hi all, i'm looking to get a second hand Pre/Power combo to Bi-Amp my speakers and any recconmendations would be great. I would have a budget of between £200 to £300 per amp and wounderd which would be best to look at in my price range. I have heard a Arcam Alpha 8 Pre/Power combo in the past and i did love the sound of it. Which would be the best Arcam Pre/Powercombo to look at in my price range and is there anything else which is as good or better than the Arcam set up. I listen to a wide range of music and like to have a nice bit of bass to my listening. Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Gareth

With a pre-power combo you wouldn't be bi-amping you speakers; you need an integrated/power combo or a pre with 2 power amps

For your budget the Arcam Alpha 8 and 8P would be the best to go for IMO
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply. So i would need to go for a integrated/power combo. I have always just used a integrated amp in the past but thought i would go for something different and Bi-Amp my speakers this time. Are there any other good second hand integrated/power combos for my budget and would i get better results by Bi-Amping or getting a second hand integrated amp worth between £400 to £600? Thanks
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply Plastic Penguin. I'll take a look at the Rotel amps. I've been bitten by the upgrade bug after hearing how better my Arcam Alpha 5+ compares to my budget Sony amp so have decided to part with that and then save up and get a much better system. They may be abit out of my price range but are Audiolab 800Q and 800P any good? As i'm gonna be saving up over time i don't mind spending abit more if i will get better results. Thanks
 

smbmetal

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I have a Rotel RC-03 and Rotel RB-03 amps and love them to bits. For me there was a big difference from just running the RA-01 integrated. I would imagine the later amps would be even better. +1 to the rotel combo from me!
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply smbmetal, it looks like it's a choice between an Arcam Alpha combo or a Rotel one. I think i'm more edging towards the Rotel combo at the moment as the Arcam stuff seems to be going for some crazy prices second hand at the moment. Would there be any benefit in running 2 power amps with the Rotel or just stick to the one? Thanks
 

smbmetal

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I ran two Rotel RB-03s for a while in bridged mono mode and thought they sounded excellent, better control at higher volumes. I would still be running two if I hadn't blown one :oops:

According to the rotel manual it says that your speakers need to be 8ohm to bridge them. Originally I ran one RB-03 and added a second at a later date. Out of interest I use an Arcam CD 92 cd player and find that for me this works great!

Good luck in whatever you choose!
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply smbmetal. My speakers at the moment are 6ohm i may have to stick to one power amp. out of interest, how do you go about connecting 2 power amps? Do you Bi-amp speakers like you would with a integrated amp/power combo or do the power amps just feed the power to the pre amp which is then connected to the speakers? Sorry about the novice questions but i have never had a pre/power combo before but have heard them running and i like the sound they can produce. Thanks
 

Frank Harvey

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Don't worry about bi-amping - concentrate on betting a single, high quality power amp to do the job - it'll be better than getting two lesser power amps. I would also get a dedicated pre-amplifier, as it'll do a better job than an integrated amplifier acting as a pre-amplifier AND a power amplifier at the same time.

You'll be able to pick up an Audiolab 8000P and 8000C pre/power, which is an immensely capable pre/power that will drive almost anything, and is about as neutral as you'll get this side of he newer 8200 series. The 8000Q was arguably a better quality pre, but wasn't quite as well featured as the 8000C. Having used an 8000A on the Xarus 5000's, I find the tone controls handy.
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply FrankHarveyHiFi. I did look at some of the Audiolab amps but wasn't sure which were good, i'll definately have at look at the ones you suggested. The Wharfedales do seem abit hard to drive being 6ohms and tone controls do come in handy as i find at high volumes the treble can make your ears bleed. With a pre/power combo i take it you just connect the the speakers the the pre amp and not the power? Also would it be good to Bi-Wire the speakers or just leave them as single wire like i have now? Thanks
 

Frank Harvey

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The Xarus are quite efficient as they're about 90/91dB if I recall correctly, so won't need vast amounts of power to drive them, and under normal volume levels, a good amplifier will drive them fine. They can be a little tricky at higher volumes, which was why, when I bought a system to put in the girlfriend's place for the odd party or two, I went for the 8000A, as this was going to be the best bet for £150 budget. to be fair, it drives them well, and doesn't struggle - a lesser amplifier that struggles will be the cause of an edgy treble and generally offensive sound. A pre/power will drive them even better. I find the tone controls useful as the bass of the Xarus 5000 can get a little strident. A pre/power should also get this under control better.

Connections wise, your sources will plug into the pre, then a pair of interconnects from the pre to the power amp, and then your speakers will plug into the power amplifier.
 

Gareth82

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Thanks for the reply FrankHarveyHiFi, i had a look around on the net for prices of the Audiolab amps you suggested and they do go for between £200 t0 £300 each so they would be within my price range. I think the Sony amp i currently have struggles with the Wharefdales because it is a 'Budget' Amp and i don't think it is doing them justice. I have owned quiet a few different Wharfedale speakers in the past and like their sound but they don't impress me much on the end of my Sony Amp. Which would be a good Audiolab CDP to go with the Amps? Thanks
 

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