EAD PowerMaster 500 or Primare A30.5 ???

I am in Canada, and the Primare distributor is very nearby. My local hi-f i shop has some pieces, but I have never heard the Primare amp in question.


I am an EAD junkie though, owning an Ovation and PM2000. My friend is also an EAD junkie with an Ovation, PM1000, and UltraDisc 2000. I know those amps very well, but have not listened to a PM500 though.


But my thoughts are these: a 5x100 amp is not enough for serious HT use.

I think you would be better served with 5x200 amps such as a Sunfire Cinema Grand, Anthem MCA5, or Sherbourne 1500. There is a ready supply of these amps on the used market at a very good price.


Personally, if I were on a budget, and knowing what I know now, I would get a decent powerful 2-channel amp for my mains, and some lower end stuff for centre & surrounds. ( I love my projector and watch losts of movies, but I truly find the value of surrounds to be over-rated. The centre is very important though. )


I am sorry that I cannot comment directly on the equipemnt in question, but buying new "sexy" pieces such as EAD & Primare's entry level offerings could be money better spent elsewhere.


- Andy

Thanks Rob and Andy,


I'm affraid this acquisition is part of a bigger deal with my local dealer, and I won't go for used equipment.

I'm also more stereo than 5.1 channels oriented, and experienced that 100W per channel was sufficient for my needs.

In any case, it seems you like a lot the EAD. Could you please confirm whether this was when listening to music or watching movies?


Thanks,


Didier.

The powermaster amps are excellent at both movies and music. During dynamic passages, they can 'borrow' power from other channels (output is only limited by the big transformer) if available.


Depending on your speakers, 100Wpc is fine. I was running w/ 60Wpc for many years, but my speakers are 90db efficient. I wouldn't run much less than 88db w/ 100Wpc. When you run in 2ch, you get 250x2.


Sonics for the PM500 are similar to the 2000, so read reviews on that. Most difference will between the 2 will be bass and transparancy. PM1000 MKII is much closer to the sound of the 2000 though.


Rob


------------------
Migliore Theater

I chose my PM2000 based purely on 2-channel listening. The fact that it is 5 channels is a BONUS !!! I will have this amp for life.


I keep reading that everyone thinks that the PM1000 and PM1000mkII are close to the sound of the PM2000. I, and my dealer, do not find this to be true at all. We all found, from A-B comparisons on several occasions, that the PM2000 is Sooooo much better than the PM1000. Extracting detail, image crispness & depth, are significantly better on the PM2000.

I mentioned the "recent" MKII upgrade to my dealer. He verified with EAD that every PM1000 he sold in Canada had the MKII mods. These are the amps we A-B'd against.


You may need to A-B them in a good rig to hear the difference. Our test rig was quite excellent, and the sonic qualities between the EAD amps were not subtle at all. Perhaps this excellent setup is what let us hear the differrences so easily.


Meridian 508.24

Audible Illusions Modulus 3A tube pre-amp

Meadowlark Heron-i speakers

Cardas Cross interconnects & speaker cables

Foundation Research line conditioners



Be sure to change the stock power cord. I have Blue Circle BC-62's on all my gear, and they really helped with the PM2000.


Regardless of the EAD model you end with, it will be a great audio ( and visual ) performer !


If you go EAD, be sure to follow the EAD users site at:
http://eadusers.cjb.net/


Enjoy ! - Andy