Which amp for my 705's

[legion1capone]

I have been looking at the Audiolab 8000S, Outlaw RR2150, Arcam FMJ A38, and the Rotel RX-1052. What amplifier mentioned above would be the best choice for my audiofile needs. I literally listen to all types of music. All of these have great reviews and people have many good things to say about them. I will also be running a subwoofer. If anyone has any experience with these amps I would love to hear about there performance.

[Russ L]

Don't know about the Audiolab or Outlaw but I would pass on the Rotel for 2 ch listening. If you want something with a similar sound to the Arcam try the following which I have personally demoed.
Moon i-3 Integrated
Creek 5350 SE
or for $2600 US get a Creek Destiny Integrated.
Or blow it all on the Moon 5.3 at $3000+
I use a Creek 5350 SE to drive my 704s and for the price, @ $2000 CDN it can't be beat.
If I had to choose from your list it would be Arcam.
Happy listening.

[legion1capone]

Thanks for the input. I will look into those. If I decided to spend more money on my integrated amp would you rather have a Classe, McIntosh, or Bryston product? All have really good reviews. I listened to the Classe CAP2100 the other day hooked up to the 705's. It was very clear, accurate, highs were a little high for my liking, and has a decent sound stage. i found myself wanting to change tracks and mess with the volume to find that sweet spot. I also noticed that the vocals seemed very pronounced on the stage compared to everything else. These were in a room that had nothing on the left wall and a wall of glass on the right; the speakers were not setup properly and they were on a shelf. I also went to another dealer and listened to the McIntosh MA-6300 with my 705's. I noticed a huge differance. The McIntosh was very smooth and liquid; it had a great soundstage; and the highs of the vocals, violin, and brass instruments were very natural sounding and not to brite. With this amp I turned it up and just listened I felt myself forgetting all about the amp and just listening to the music. I listened to this setup with a room that had a lot of wood and other speakers and amps around the room; the 705's were put on stands and on of the salesmen adjusted the speakers to make them sound the best in the listening chair. Would these differences I was hearing be mainly the rooms, setup, and differences is wire, etc? Or is it more a difference in the amps?

[Russ L]

Thanks for the input. I will look into those. If I decided to spend more money on my integrated amp would you rather have a Classe, McIntosh, or Bryston product? All have really good reviews. I listened to the Classe CAP2100 the other day hooked up to the 705's. It was very clear, accurate, highs were a little high for my liking, and has a decent sound stage. i found myself wanting to change tracks and mess with the volume to find that sweet spot. I also noticed that the vocals seemed very pronounced on the stage compared to everything else. These were in a room that had nothing on the left wall and a wall of glass on the right; the speakers were not setup properly and they were on a shelf. I also went to another dealer and listened to the McIntosh MA-6300 with my 705's. I noticed a huge differance. The McIntosh was very smooth and liquid; it had a great soundstage; and the highs of the vocals, violin, and brass instruments were very natural sounding and not to brite. With this amp I turned it up and just listened I felt myself forgetting all about the amp and just listening to the music. I listened to this setup with a room that had a lot of wood and other speakers and amps around the room; the 705's were put on stands and on of the salesmen adjusted the speakers to make them sound the best in the listening chair. Would these differences I was hearing be mainly the rooms, setup, and differences is wire, etc? Or is it more a difference in the amps?

You are right about the room in the 1st audition. It had to have a big impact on the sound. The Classe amp doesn't suffer from the probs you mentioned so easily attributable to room acoustics. I have a treated room and I can testify that it can take components like the B&W 700 series and amps like the Creek and less expensive Moon and put them up in a higher price bracket. Thats how much room acoustics matter.

The quality of source- Cambridge Audio 840C Cd player is the best IMO- and cabling would have a big impact as well. Also dealers often use inexpensive cables @ 1/ft to demo their amp/speaker combos that come in at $15,000+. Make sense?

If you are willing to spend more on an amp like the CAP 2100 which I almost bought myself then you faced the same problem I did that the amp overmatches the 700 series. The 705s at $1500- the amp @ $5000. But then the pressure is on to switch to 805s or 804s to take full advantage of the world class Classe 2100 Integrated. I solved the dilemma by preferring the look of the 704s over the 804s. And I spent the $5000-$6000 difference between the Classe2100/804S combo and the Creek 5350SE/ 704S combo on $2000 dollars worth of speaker cables/interconnects and a $3000 turntable rig which I wanted to get anyway. I just wasn't willing to Spend an extra $10,000 dollars at that point.

The McIntosh is very liquid sounding and that well treated 2nd audition room would allow it to shine as it should. I obviously prefer the Classe 2100 or the Moon i-7 integrated. Hard to do better.

All three are fine amps. Your personal preferences are the deciding factor and those are best facilitated by home auditions in your listening room if possible.

Happy listening. Regards, Russ

[legion1capone]

I'm glad my assumption was right about the first room with the Classe 2100. I actually called that store and they are going to setup my 705's in a better room, adjust them, and let me listen to them with the Classe 2100 along side an Ayre product that is a little less expensive. I read in one review say that Michael Creek designed the amp to "target the passionate music-lover who wants something a notch above an entry-level NAD or Rotel receiver." would you say that is a fair quote explaining the Creek 5350SE? In the first room I was listening to the Classe with the Rotel RCD-1072 CD player. And in the Second room I was listening to the McIntosh with a cheap Sony blueray player. I really like the look of the Creek amp. It's very simple and to the point. Would you say this will sound as good as or better than the Rotel RB-1080 and Rotel RC-1082 combo? Just curious on your opinion since thats what I started my search at.

Considering that I can go to Audiogon and find a McIntosh amp or Classe relatively easy for up to half the price of a new one. Do you think it would be more benificial to buy a Classe or McIntosh, etc used at a good price? I just don't want an amp that will not be able to power something bigger when I eventually upgrade my speakers.