Glad others are online right now. Please take a look at this and offer your opinion...the text below was the sellers response to my inquiry.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1216341334

Hi Dutch, The power capability of these amps are 200W @ 8ohm and350W @ 4 ohm. Although Soundstream build the 1201 forParasound, the M2 is more powerful than the 1201(150W@ 8 ohm) The 2 mono blocks are powered separately. You can take them out of the rack and place themindividually. They sound pretty good at the price. Ijust bought a Lexicon LX7 so I am selling all theother amps to simplfy my setting. Alot of people thought that Soundstream produces PAamps so the M2 will have fan noise, but this isactually the first amp they made trying to go into theHT market, so no fan noise at all. Please let me know if you have any other question. Thanks,Joe

> TO: Music_enjoyment> > Hello, I'm getting mixed information on the net> about the power capability. Can you confirm the> output? Lastly, are the amps seperately powered> i.e. they could be removed from the chassis and> plugged in at different locations? Kind regards,> Dutch

PM received.

The Audio Critic Magazine measured a Behringer A500 amplifier(-*test*-('") measurements made using Audio Precision Analyzer and PowerCube). I think you would be interested in the results since it appears to be a superb value.

Of special note...

-bridgable to use a high power monoblock
-balanced and unbalanced inputs
-rock steady stability into 4 ohm loads and into highly inductive/capacitive loads(required for some rare difficult loads that many recievers may have problems driving)

-The price tag!

Signal:Noise: -99dB

Crosstalk: -55dB

Frequency Response: -0.3dB @ 10Hz, -0.1dB @ 20Hz, 0.0db @ 1000 Hz, -0.2dB @ 10kHz, 0.6dB @ 20kHz,-2dB @ 40kHz

138 watts @ 8 ohms @ 1000Hz @ 1.000% THD+N, both channels driven

120 watts @ 8 ohms @ 20Hz @ 0.030% THD+N, 1 channel driven

120 watts @ 8 ohms @ 1000Hz @ 0.025% THD+N, 1 channel driven

120 watts @ 8 ohms @ 20000Hz @ 0.045% THD+N, 1 channel driven

220 watts @ 4 ohms @ 1000Hz @ 1.000% THD+N, both channels driven

180 watts @ 4 ohms @ 20Hz @ 0.056% THD+N, 1 channel driven

180 watts @ 4 ohms @ 1000Hz @ 0.050% THD+N, 1 channel driven

180 watts @ 4 ohms @ 20000Hz @ 0.050% THD+N, 1 channel driven

Harmonics of THD are primarily 2nd order, with subsequent harmonics approaching or under -100dB.

Power output was -*test*-('")ed from 0 degrees phase resistive load(results given above) and into other phase angles up to +/- 60 degrees. Little variation of output voltage occured, regardless of phase angle.

I must add this:

The dimension of the toroid inside the A500, very fundamental condition for a amp with good current delivery. 600 VA.

Changing the elect. caps with elect. audio grade caps it will make of this babe a killer amp, imho of course.

In that case you buy two, you bridge that A500 puppy, and for +- $400, you will have amps that will do something like 360watts into 8 ohms.

Qsc RMX 850 (?) and also of the Alesis RA300 amps, are imo Behringer A500 clones...or is it the other way around....?!




About Parasound, i'm aware Parasound's great reputation between audiophile community but i don't know nothing about them.

Edited:
I mean, i don't nothing about the model you'd mention.

Ok, discovered another candidate. Would anyone care to comment on the build quality or any experience with these...would be paired and run bridged for front L/R.

http://www.amchome.com/?q=node/83

There are so many possible speaker/amp combinations....Here's another one for you.

Did ever thought in two of these babies :

http://www.xindak.com/english/products/showditail.asp?id=265

http://www.cattylink.com/page49.html

Excellent quality components mounted on fiberglass PCBs, some 60,000 microfarads of Rubycon caps, Motorola, Toshiba and Sanken audio grade output transistors feature in the design, with a few exotic Black Gate, Xindak and Rubycon capacitors sprinkled about in critical areas of the circuit. The circuit features a Burr-Brown OPA604 balanced to unbalanced buffer IC with input relay muting, feeding a low distortion, discrete transistor symmetrical differential voltage amplifier which in turn drives a three-stage fully symmetrical current amplifier output stage. There are separate windings on the high current toriodal transformer supplying power to the various stages within the amplifier. Xindak designers have certainly done their homework with these amplifiers.

Oh man, just fantastic advice by all and sincerely appreciated. I am finishing up coordinating a deal for a pre/pro set up with a 7-channel amp used on Audiogon--amplifier here...

http://emotiva.com/lpa1.html

and then the preamp shown here...

http://emotiva.com/lmc1.html

The entire decision was based using online reviews so kudos to the glory of the internet and what it hides Despite both the units (seperate sellers) being geographically close to me in Rhode Island the UPS shipping is staggering figure $175 insured total to my door.

Oh yes; the preamp seller does have the externall HDMI switcher but I'll need to investigate if this is superior to routing direct and using the Plasma to switch channels. The tech part is really out of my realm Until now we've used optical outs from a source to the receiver while using HDMI from the same source to the TV. This way the kids can flip on the TV with sound and not have to play with the components or worse...DAAAAAD!!!

Excellent choice! Congrats.
I don't know why ( or maybe i do ) i always found the Emotiva design - and not only the outside - quite similar to Nad's Masters Series.

Enjoy your new toy.

I haven't had enough time to really dig into the history of Emotiva but based on your subtle reference is it a far guess one or more of NAD's gurus jumped ship?

I've only owned one NAD amp/pre combo but it was so long ago I can't remember any characteristics. Since my tastes lean to warm with excellent low end I'm hoping my new combo fairs well.

Dutch

I couldn't find pics from the same angle...but, witch one is Nad? or Emotiva?





Right click in your mouse and see properties doesn't help either.

by the cases i can tell that the bottom one is a NAD. by the insides they are strikingly familiar.

Big difference between a 120WPC amp and a +200WPC amp. There's also bandwidth/feedback network design and of course the length of time a lot of the higher-end amps stay in Class A.

I haven't heard the Behringer amps personally. But I have heard AudioSource and others. They don't stand up to the true cornerstones like the Krells, Thresholds, Classes. Or even the Nikkos and Sony's.

Sorry amigo, but you're wrong.
The bottom one is an Emotiva.

Even the other Emotiva models are very similar to Nad's electronics and design.

i've been duped!

Are you trying to compare a good $200 Behringer with a hi-end $10.000 Krell power amp?

You're given too much credit to Behringer...

No. You were by saying higher-end amps are overprized.

I agree the Marantz MA-500s are great monoblocks for the price.