Proceed Amp 5

If your looking for a quality used amp hunt around for a Bryston. They carry a 20yr warranty that's transferable. I don't know what your budget is but there are also plenty of capable new inexpensive 5 channel amps on the market. The NAD T-955 and also models from Outlaw and Emotiva come to mind.

I had a Proceed AMP 5 that I paired with an Integra DTC-9.8 processor and thought it was a fantastic amp. It may be psychoacoustics based on what some people on this forum say about all amps sounding the same, but to my ears, I thought it sounded better than the Sunfire Cinema Grand and NHT Power^5 IcePower amps I was able to compare it to when driving my Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers.

Never had a chance to compare it to a Bryston, Classe, and other high-end amps that the Proceed is often times compared to. But considering it retailed for nearly $5000 new and now can be had for <$1,300 used, I think there definitely are some deals to be had on the AMP 5. Good luck trying to find a used Bryston 9BST at that price.

Just be forewarned that the Proceed AMP 5 is large (20" deep) and heavy (~115 lbs.) so make sure that your rack can accommodate this beast of an amp.

What speakers do you have? Based on what I hear about the quality of the amp section in the Anthem MRX, might be worthwhile trying out the receiver first before jumping to the conclusion that the amp section is inadequate and buying an external amp needlessly....

I did exactly what you are thinking of, MRX300 / external amp, but I wish I had more strongly considered the MRX700 -- just for simplicity. My speakers don't really need the extra power of a separate amp. My 70WPC integrated can push them louder than I can stand. The ARC room correction on the MRX has also significantly tamed the bass. My in-room gain is rather high.

Do you suppose that your dealer might also be recommending the $2500 price tag over the $1000 price tag?

AJ

I am partial to the Anthem, but I did experience a dealer pushing $5K separates over the 2-3K I was ready to spend. Didn't seem to be interested in selling anything that wasn't $5K.

Arcam's room correction system is an off the shelf solution that comes along for the ride on its incorporated Analog Devices DSPs. It is reportedly and observably inferior to Anthem Room Correction.

http://www.stereophile.com/musicinth..._39/index.html

AJ

Solid amps that are tanks and sound great too.

If there is such a problem then unless Anthem has really dropped the support ball (since having an AVM 20), I'd expect they'll get it resolved. What does Anthem have to say about the allegation?