How much for 3 channels of class A?

[mrmike]

Looking to someday upgrade my adcom 5500 and 5503 wich currently gives me 5 channels at 200 watts of high current AB amplification, all of which run the front 3 speakers with the mains bi-amped. Looks like I could sell them for $1000 to $1300. How much more for a great class A amp? Would 3 channels better my 5 or should I be looking at a nice pre for the biggest improvement? I mostly listen to 2 channel.
Here's what I got:
Marantz dv8400
HK AVR7200
Adcom GFA 5500, 5503
Audioquest cables
Aeon i
Cinema i
Mirage surrounds

It actually sounds wounderfull and I would reccomend these specific adcoms for the money,but just in case I find a pile of money

 

[attyonline]

What Mirage models are you using for surrounds and how are they placed?

 

[Tailor3]

I would hold on to the 5503 to drive your center and surrounds if you listen to mostly 2-channel. My feeling is that your biggest "bang for the buck" would be to first upgrade your amp for the front channels and then consider adding a pre-amp for 2-channel - passing it through to the HK for multichannel music and HT. To my ears I have never been able to hear a benefit, from a cost perspective, going to a pure class A amp when the higher end AB amps are of such high quality. Moreover, most of the high end AB amps run the first 30 or so watts class A. Last, I don't know if you would hear the difference in a class A amp unless your running a balanced system.

 

[mrmike]

The Mirage are M90- i placed parallel to the to the listening position do to the size of my listening area. I have the volume down a bit which seems to work ok for HT. MC music seems to vary from individual mixes. I seem to prefer less agressive MC mixes that are almost 3 channel, such as Paul Simon's Your The One. Other mixes I find anoying and some of that may be due to less than optimum placement and the surrounds being less than a perfect match. I will eventually replace them with Scripts as the Mirages are a bit brighter than ML.

 

[attyonline]

I have the same mains as you, but ML surrounds are out of my budget range for quite a while. I was thinking of getting Omnistats for surrounds, but found no one till now that used Mirage with the Logans.

 

[mrmike]

I think that Mirage makes some great budget speakers. As surrounds they seem to blend pretty well were my old Polk center of about the same quality as the Mirages was an obvious missmatch. I would personaly go used. The M90-i can be had for around $100. I have heard some nice things about the omnistats compared to the overpriced and overhiped bose but have not heared them.

 

[twich54]

Looking to someday upgrade my adcom 5500 and 5503 wich currently gives me 5 channels at 200 watts of high current AB amplification, all of which run the front 3 speakers with the mains bi-amped. Looks like I could sell them for $1000 to $1300. How much more for a great class A amp? Would 3 channels better my 5 or should I be looking at a nice pre for the biggest improvement? I mostly listen to 2 channel.


Mr Mike , your last sentence says it all !! Therefor build your system around a great two channel set - up (great 2 channel class A amp and pre-amp) with the other componetry to follow. you will be far better off for your two channel enjoyment !!

 

[JonFo]

Having used the Adcom GFA-555 on sequels well over a decade ago, I can say that yes, you probably could do better.

IMHO, moving to a Sunfire Cinema Grand 7ch will give all you need. The step up between the Adcom and a Sunfire is noticeable, instantly.

While there are some nice Class A's out there, very few deliver the current and power needed without being a space heater and energy hog.

I've tried Krell , Rowland and some others (mostly class A/B) and keep returning them in favor of the Sunfire.

Test a Sunfire or buy a used one and see. Oh, and keep bi-amping (therefore the 7ch amp).