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7 Channel Amp: which would you pick - Anthem, B&K, or Sherbourn?

1279 Views 13 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Andy Lammer, Sep 14, 2003

bob53

Discussion Starter · Sep 10, 2003

Hi everyone...

In an effort to save space and break my 2-channel and HT systems apart, I am selling off my Paradigm Reference v2 system mainly becuase my Studio 100's are too big to move around and I anticipate moving in the not too distant future... I may replace my v2 system with a 7.1 v3 system using less demanding Studio 40 and get a sub finally! Since my newer 7.1 system will consist of less demanding loads, I can probably get by with an amp with 125 WPC I would assume... Some that come to mind are the Anthem PVA-7, the B&K AV125.7 and the Sherbourn (the powerhouse of the three and more money too)... I currently have an Anthem MCA-3 and think it is great, as such I lean toward the PVA-7 as it SHOULD have the same sonic signature which seems to work well with Paradigms. It also has the least amount of power. Should this worry me at all? A powered sub should ease most of the strain off the Paradigm Speakers, right? The B&K is supposed to be a warm amp, and this would also go well with Paradigm. What do you think?

Thanks,

-Bob

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1 - 14 of 14 Posts

Johnla

· #2 · Sep 10, 2003

If you're thinking of a Sherbourn, you should also consider a Outlaw amp as well. www.outlawaudio.com

As they are almost the same amps. Outlaw has both a 100wpc and a 200wpc in a 7 channel amp. But they also have B-stocks, and still with the full 5 year warranty on them. At a price of $825 for the 100wpc and $1549 for the 200wpc amps, so that would be a good way to get the higher power, for lower dollars.

And they are supposedly made by the same company that makes the Sherbourn amps, for Sherbourn.

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nethomas

· #3 · Sep 10, 2003

Look into the Adcom 7807. 7 channels at 300wpc. Sounds awsome. I love mine!

nethomas

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rsh

· #4 · Sep 10, 2003

Sherbourn, no doubt.

Roman

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Larry Fine

· #5 · Sep 10, 2003

Consider Sunfile, too. Powerful, cool-running, and they thrive on low-impedance loads.

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Dan Driscoll

· #6 · Sep 10, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by Johnla
If you're thinking of a Sherbourn, you should also consider a Outlaw amp as well. www.outlawaudio.com

As they are almost the same amps.

I'm sorry, but this is completely and utterly WRONG!.

About the only thing the Sherbourn and Outlaw amps have in common is that they both amplify audio signals. Other than that their designs are totally different. All the Outlaw amps have shared toroids and capacitor banks. The Sherbourn amps are monoblocks with independent toroids and storage capacitors. The only things shared by the channels of a Sherbourn amp are the sheetmetal and AC power cord.

The Sherbourn and Outlaw pre-pros are both variations of the Eastech processor, as is the ATI pre-pro and the Fosgate.

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eulogytool

· #7 · Sep 10, 2003

I must concur with nethomas. I have an GFA7807 300x7 also and it will blow the others straight out of the water. I nabbed mine "used" (it was only opened to take pics, it was never even played) for $2,000 shipped. The only other 7 channel amp on the market with more power is the sunfire sig. 7 and I, I'm not a big fan of Bob Carver. If Adcom is not an option I would say sherbourn for sure.

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Ted Pugh

· #8 · Sep 14, 2003

Listen to all the amps you have mentioned. The B&K amps are warm sounding and do sound quite nice with the Paradigm's. I own the 200.5 amp and it is built like a tank. Another amp to consider is the Aragon 2007. It can be had for around $2250 to $2400 pretty easily. Just my .02 worth.

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Lantern

· #9 · Sep 14, 2003

Sherbourn gets my vote as is usually the case when this question comes around

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James R. Geib

· #10 · Sep 14, 2003

If you are using an Anthem AVM20, get the PVA-7. Not only would you get a great sounding/performing amp at a great price, it would match your preamp cosmetically. If your not using an AVM20, the other suggestions would be fine as well. The PVA-7 is a great amp (I auditioned it while searching for my system), and the reviews have been excellent on it as well.

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hometheaterguy

· #11 · Sep 14, 2003

Don't forget the 7-channel ATI.

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Andy Lammer

· #12 · Sep 14, 2003

If it were me, I would suggest a "great" amp for the front 3 speakers, and a "lesser" amp for the surrounds.

- Andy

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hometheaterguy

· #13 · Sep 14, 2003

Less power to the surrounds while good for DPL, digital surround formats send full band-width to the surrounds and 5 and 7 channels amps send discrete,equal power to all channels.

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Andy Lammer

· #14 · Sep 14, 2003

My recommendation is based on that "most" people do not have full range capability at their center and surrounds. And even if they did, fewer actually run 7 identical speakers all around.

I re-read that the poster will probably have 7 Studio 40v3 and can see where he will want to keep things as identical as possible.

- Andy

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