I am looking for a new stereo amp for my new set of speakers, The Infinity Prelude MTS, whose specs are as below:

I am not interested in tuner, etc. Therefore I am not looking for a receiver but a pure stereo amp.

I was doing some searching and found the following models:

1. NAD C272
2. NAD C372
3. B&K 200.2
4. Rotel RB-1092
5. Rotel RB-1090

My budget is <$2000, but in the days of internet shopping I expect to pay a lot less. What are your recommendations? All advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I'm sorry I can't be that much of a help, seeing how I've never even heard of the B&K and Rotel before (not sold anywhere near my place, and I don't interest myself in stuff I can't go and test at the store).

I have however had experience with NAD, and out of the stuff available here which is Pioneer, Anthem, Yamaha, Paradigm, and Bryston. I'd say it's only second to Bryston. Now mind you I have done no blind tests or anything, just same speakers and switch the amps in the same room. But of the first 4 I've listed I couldn't really tell a difference. NAD and Bryston seem to be the only one I would actually be willing to argue for in a manner more befitting an audiophile forum. So I don't think I should do that here... no blind test and all.

Out of the two remaining, which is NAD and Bryston, again the two are almost indistinguishible, what little I thought I differentiated, I'm inclined to dismiss to my prior knowledge of the fact that Bryston uses best materials for every component known to man, never settling for less and just letting the price tag take care of costs.

Now I must point out that NAD is out of my personal price range, however I have recommended it to my friend (sorry don't recall the model atm, something in the middle of the price range) and he has been very satisfied. He uses NAD to drive a pair of these: http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rf-82.aspx. And in all the time since he bought NAD he never expressed interest in looking at what else is out there.

Rotel 1092. Looks like the biggest bang for your buck. Solid state pretty much sounds the same. When someone says it does not, have him ABX them and then see what he says. You can have too little power for your speakers but rarely too much. I am running 1,200 watts per channel.

Thanks for the help. I think I'll go for the Krell KAV-400xi as this model is recommended almost unanimously. One can get them used but in great condition for around $1700. Wow $1700 for an amp, I never thought amp would cost me that much.

PS Audio GCA-250 seems to be another very good model delivering even higher power but is silent and small (Class D). However it is more expensive.

For HA users in the USA, I found a great resource for hardware shopping: Audiogon. You can buy used items there and there's a substantial market. There are also discussion forums with many users. A few did not look like they care for blind tests etc. Keep in mind.

Thanks for the link, atici. I can't afford buying a Krell, but maybe I will bid for this cheap useful item. Or not?

Cheers!

Sergio

I actually decided to purchase Yamaha MX-D1 for $2250 on eBay instead. It was more powerful than Krell and with better specs. I think it's a great device -- amazing build quality + light + silent + great looking. The other options I considered were PS Audio GCA250 and Rotel 1092.