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Review 1 of 2
Price Paid:
$1050.00
from AudioBreakthru Summary:
Well, Clearly the B&K isn't exactly "audiophile grade" but it did the trick until I upgraded to the Halo A51... Before I begin on a sour note, I want to say for the money, this is a great amp- and in my opinion, one of the truest sounding solid-state multi-channels in this price range.
The B&K has decent power- 125x5 is more than ample to power your home theatre. My biggest complaint is how it sounds on 2 channel operation, as on my budget, as much as I'd love a dedicated set of JC1 mono-blocks, or a conrad C140 to do my 2 channel duties, it just doesn't make sense monetarily right now...
I use Alon Lotus Elites up front- gorgeous speakers- and I think they BLOW AWAY anything else in the price range- in fact, they blow away the Revel F-50's by ALOT.. but that's another review. The B&K does a very nice job at keeping response flat and true. I would clearly call it reference quality- however it is the low end that isn't quite as authoritative, and overall, I wish the amp would have been more assertive across the entire frequency spectrum. I like the amp- for home theatre, I think you'd be very pleased with the product - the power is clean, clear and it sounds very crisp- however in terms of warmth and openness, well, all I can say is it is simply very solid-state- no where near as warm as a tube amp and honestly, there are much better solid state pieces to be had out there- however it is the budget-mindedness that makes this amp very very good in this price range. Compared to the Halo A52, (the Halo 125x5) I would say the Halo IS better- it sounds a bit richer and has more of the stuff I wished for above- however it is marginal... Marginal to the point where I wouldn't be quite so quick to pay close to 2 grand for the little Halo when I could have a B&K for 1200 or less... which is why I chose the B&K in the first place. I used it for about a year and a half- until I finally decided to give the A51 (the big Halo, 5x200) a try at home.
Bottom line: The halo destroyed the B&K- it is richer, WAY more open and alot more transiently asertive- it is closer to "tube" sounding. Of course, the A51 is no JC1 monoblock - and it is not even remotely a Conrad C140 (one of my favorite tube 2 channels of all time) however the Halo doesn't fall into the "solid-state-trap" like the B&k- it does alot more.
I'm trying to be as honest and objective as I can on this one. Again, the B&K is a great amp - it blows away a receiver- I used to use a Denon 3801 which I really liked alot- Then I obtained the B&K and used the Denon as a pre-amp only.. Next step is I switched to the Halo C2- this DEFINITELY made the B&K come to life and sound the best I heard it sound- and I liked it- but still I wanted to more. Finally when I put the A51 with the C2, the system really sounds fantastic- althuogh I gotta watch out for my center and surrounds (paradigm refernces) because honestly, the A51 could easily blow them up...
All in all, from an objectivity standpoint, I don't think you can ask for much more from the B&K with an entrance fee of under 1200 bucks... It's a very solid piece- but it is also very solid-state!!!
If you were willing to spend up to 2 grand, I would most likely NOT buy the little Halo A52 - I would still take the B&K and spend the left-over money on decent interconnects and speaker wire- you'll get more bang for your buck. However when you push you r budget a bit upwards- and decide you want solid-state, but you really want GOOD solid-state, the A51 blows the B&K clear out of the water... It also does so to a tune of about 3700 dollars... so the bottom line:
From a utility/bang-for-your-buck standpoint, the B&K gets 4 stars- it sounds true, reference-flat, and pretty damned nice- again, way more than any receiver's power will get you.
From an audiophile standpoint.. well, again, this is NOT an audiophile quality amp- it is a damned good cheap solution- and from an audiophile standpoint I give it about 2 1/2 stars (maybe a touch higher). When you listen to the A51, A52 and 5125 B&K side by side, you'll see why.
Overall- 3 stars and a definite recomendation! If you're upgrading from a receiver like an integra, marantz or denon- something of quality, the B&K is a very good logical step in the right direction - it does it all and does it pretty well. But like anything else, there's much more out there- the Halo is the BEST thing in that price range- and if you want to upgrade and go much furhter, I still take the A51... hope this was helpful. Strengths:
Clear, solid, crisp- good power on a budget. Weaknesses:
not even remotely close to audiophile- it's not as open or as assertive as I would have liked- while the B&K sounds pretty good and makes me like it, the Halo comparatively MAKES ME WANT TO LISTEN MORE! Similar Products Used:
Halo, Arcam, Krell (way overpriced), Rogue, NAD
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