Need low-budget power amp for AL-III Plus's

I was looking through the "It's too loud" forum and my agenda is maybe a bit different than some others. While I like loud music, I am going to protect what hearing I have left, need to protect the babies hearing as she goes through speak development phase, and am respectful of my neighbors right to live in peace. What I'm after is enough juice that the AL-III's sound great at nominal (sometimes louder) levels. I do like to play them loud enough to hear through the entire 1500 sq ft rambler we live in. Currently they are missing the "brightness". Note that I don't care for too bright a sound, as I found out with my car's set of Focals, but the Carvers right now are flat when compared to the newly acquired hts speakers. However, the Carver's still sound much fuller, as in a "the room has sound" kind of way, not where you hear the music coming from a spot like you do with the hts speakers. So... am I overshooting the power thing with a Sunfire 300 for my needs? i.e. Interested in quality (and a little loud) sound.

negetaive on the over shoot. if i had to describe it, i would say the al's and the sunfire's are soul mates. they are so much finer sounding than the carver amps i have, and it has only been contended now by the 400wpc seven channel sunfire i just got. not enough time on that amp though to give a real honest comparison as of yet, but at low volumes i liked what i heard. keep in mind the amp is newer, and three times that of the 2 channel from the same guy named bob. as time goes by, he keeps uping the ante with his products.

negetaive on the over shoot. if i had to describe it, i would say the al's and the sunfire's are soul mates.

Awwwwwsome! Looking forward to a hearing.

you can never have to much power......

kirstenj- if it helps any.....I have used a Sunfire 300 x 2 to drive my Apogees for 20 yrs without even thinking about "upgrading".
The amp is competitive with amps costing 5 to 10 times as much! Has NEVER even ran hot and the load of an Apogee speaker can be quite taxing on many high powered amps!

Good luck on your decision and good listening!

Cheers~

You can trust Garfield above.

Your original post was to upgrade from a 100 watt receiver for under $500. My posts were aimed at that $500 goal. I stand by them. More is always better, but for $500 these were the best.

Here, people are eat up with OCCD as am I, and now I suspect you are too.
(Buy the Corvette, not the Prius). Looking over the thread, all have been spot on, but most have not been in you stated budget. I do understand women reserve the right to change their mind.

All the amps covered here on this thread are an upgrade from what you have apparently been happy with for many years. To say that this or that one can not pull the load better than what you are used to is funny.

Most now listed here cost more than your original goal of $500, which was not a good goal, but what you stated.
Since you were kinda OK with what you had before, even my favorite Carver -> 400T would be a huge step up.

Sure, if you have the $$, buy more.
None here will argue that the Sunfire 600/etc cannot carry the load.

You can't get those for $500, but you can buy better than what you have for that.

That does not mean that other less expensive amps mentioned here are not a big improvement on your present system. The difference will be apparent.

Idiots here (like me) sit, listen and sometimes concentrate on the music. Bob says it is best to do that in a dark room for optimum enjoyment.

OCCD says bust your budget. That is good advice as opposed to constantly upgrading. Most here (like me) buy cheap, then upgrade.
Buying better to start with is the best way in any hobby as it saves money in the long run. Few do that, and I bet no one on this forum has not bought less, been completely happy and never upgraded.

SunFire might not actually be Bob's best work.
He sill lives, and is back into the tubes he abandoned years back with a million new ways to improve the sound.

The bottom line is not just $$, but also prestige.
It goes way beyond blind testing amps in a dark room.

If you want the best - Bob's new Tube Amps are for you.

You talk about rooms and zones.
2 channel stereo nuts like me are not yet ready for that. Music about the house and yard is hard to consider for most here. Some/all may have it, but none here consider that real music. To appreciate/enjoy music, one sits in a chair that is dialed in. We all like to dance around to tunes. I do that too often on the boat, the deck, the dock, but while it is fun, not proper for your speakers as they require ???. Just being funny as this has become a funny thread. It is important though. How often will you be sitting there just listening to music? Not many do that. A $500 amp can fill the room with good music and the rest can be spent on the kid.

For good stereo, you don't have zones, you sit in a chair with a cold bottled water/etc and enjoy. Part of the enjoyment is looking at the gear. If I keep working at that, someday I too will be an audiophile.

Young guys are falling out of the trees to help you. Not many women are members and none post regularly. I hope you don't go away after you decide on an amp.


It would be great for all here if you would be a real member and post your thoughts also on other threads. So far, you have not done that.

OO

Young guys are falling out of the trees to help you. Not many women are members and none post regularly. I hope you don't go away after you decide on an amp.

It would be great for all here if you would be a real member and post your thoughts also on other threads. So far, you have not done that.

OO

1. Not just young guys; there are very few of those around here, actually~
2. Good call on low # of ladies & not posting regularly--I agree with Bill here, Kirsten. Hope we see you on a regular basis!
3. Yes, please stick around -- it is always good to get a woman's perspective on things, even if she IS an Aquarian who is technically oriented~

you can never have to much power......

that's what i always believed....thanks again mike for the time spent checking out my amp. kudo's to you,

you can never have to much power......

that's what i always believed....thanks again mike for the time spent checking out my amp. kudo's to you,

Can I qualify that?
Being really lazy yesterday as I experimented with some of my junk, failed to turn everything off and down.

One of my woofers went inside out.

Sometimes you can have too much.

It would be great for all here if you would be a real member and post your thoughts also on other threads. So far, you have not done that.

I would like to "pay back" and have enjoyed the conversation and advice a lot, so anticipate checking in as I can. My #1 priority however, is my daughter. As it is, I feel a little guilty for the vast amount of time I spent on the computer researching this and other needs surrounding the home theater and music listening. I will also be wiring up the satelite speakers and running the ethernet myself after all, due to the bid being out of our budget.

For all, I have bought Angelo's Sunfire ($ in the mail) and am happy with the decision.

Peace,
Kirsten

You'll be quite happy with the Sunfire, congrats to both of you!

Glad it worked out kirstenj and Angelo!!!

Congrats on the new amp. I have owned two of them and they will drive your speakers very well!

Next...bi-amp with 2 300x2's!!!!

For all, I have bought Angelo's Sunfire ($ in the mail) and am happy with the decision.

Peace,
Kirsten

We are Happy with your decision too! Sunfire is the way to go...

Congrats

Congratulations to Kirsten & Angelo!

I'm certain you'll be more than please with your purchase.

Glad we could be of assistance to you~