Sound system / Amp help

[Eltsac]

Ello,

I am looking to purchase a new amp and need a bit of help...

Yamaha amps are a bit out of my price range but the two pioneer amps i am looking at are:

VSX-920K (new) and VSX-919ah-k (old) (what do you think)

Are there any other makes/models you would recommend?

The other thing that springs to mind is that if your speakers have a max capacity of 150w per channel does that mean you need your amp to match the capacity or will that just mean your speakers will under-perform?

Any help is much appreciated!

Cheers

[murky21]

dont get too caught up on the wattage ratings for amps and speakers - a lot of speakers/ amps have misleading ratings anyway. The best way to match them up is just buy of a similar price range/ quality. I had a Rotel amp once with only 35 watts RMS that powered great big Mission floorstanders with quite a high wattage with no problem...

Good quality hi-fi is usually made to last - ebay can be an excellent source of good hifi for cheaper, maybe look for older items from hifi enthusiasts or resellers who clearly look after their kit.

I personally wouldnt go near any Yamaha or Pioneer hifi equipment - if you are listening to bass music and are on a budget, I really could not recommend NAD enough, extremely warm and punchy sound. What speakers do you have? What is your budget? I have no hifi left to buy so dont get to search for it any more would happily send you over a couple of options!
Oli

[jondavey]

The guys here;
http://www.avforums.com/
are very knoweledgable and helpfull. They helped me build my system and told me about power amps/controler amps. I also bought a bit of kit from the sales part of the forum at a really good price.