Soundcraftsmen purchase help

[JBLAddict]

So why did you pass on this one? http://ebayitem.com/180352549386 :dont-know

(Pro-Power-Four sold 5/8/09 for $207.)

well, couple reasons. mainly, the contents of this thread. TiD's statements about the A400 are compelling, and your statements about the PP4 being less than an even older Crown unit.......both from experience on the actual L7 I plan to mate it up to.

secondly, I'm a limited collection guy, and want to have (and am willing to pay for) ONE best amp(for now) to go with my current system. I only have both the L5 and L7 because like you, was fearful of the L7's finicky nature per TiD's cautions and after countless months of procrastination, pulled the trigger on that $240 L5 set in PA when it came up (my first speakers since the L100).

When you grabbed your first set of L7 and said he was being overly cautious I found myself lusting after that fuller richer sound and jumped on Ti's pair in the selloff. Keep in mind that I'm currently powering them with a brand new 75WPC Harman Kardon AVR.....which I think sounds pretty decent but realize probably pales in comparison to quality power...

so....I'm trying to weigh all the recommendations in this forum, among other places, and make one solid buy that I am happy with. I was all set with the A400 decision, but they just don't come up often, so I decided to consult the experts on the rest of the SC line, and your feedback was enough to make me decide to just holdout for the A400. When the S800 came up this week, it was new to me so I thought I'd ask. Even with Dougs recommendation, as much as I'm tempted to grab it, I'm still a little hesitant...mainly because I've read SOOOO much about how critical the L7's response is to the amp selection, that I don't want to blow it....in the span of a couple months I've gone from a set of L100s and a 15yr old Kenwood, to a set of L5, L7, and a $800 AVR, I probably have one purchase left (this one) before my wife tells me to cool it...

[hjames]

Its a moot point - someone saw it and snapped it up while i was having first coffee this morning!
600w in bridged mono mode, hmmm?
Thats a sub shaker indeed!

here's the S800 I see on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:B:SS:US:1123
......

[JBLAddict]

Its a moot point - someone saw it and snapped it up while i was having first coffee this morning!
600w in bridged mono mode, hmmm?
Thats a sub shaker indeed!

only moot in the sense that that person was me

after reading my response I realized it was time to stop splitting hairs and jump in.......

[hjames]

only moot in the sense that that person was me

after reading my response I realized it was time to stop splitting hairs and jump in.......

Waitaminnit! I saw that between 5 and 6ayem ... Eastern!
Mighty early for a Californian

Thats alright - you saved me from explaining to Emma why i bought yet another piece of gear ... !

[JBLAddict]

Waitaminnit! I saw that between 5 and 6ayem ... Eastern!
Mighty early for a Californian

Thats alright - you saved me from explaining to Emma why i bought yet another piece of gear ... !

click the link, the BIN ended at 21:32:34 PST on 5/18 so about 9:30PM my time last night?

[JBLAddict]

still waiting on my S800

but anyone know what model this unit is??

[BMWCCA]

...anyone know what model this unit is??

Was there supposed to be a link here?

[BMWCCA]

...well, I could be if I wanted to be.

Looks like at least two people thought this Pro-Power Four was worth over $300, plus $40 shipping!

http://ebayitem.com/220500626785

A nice-looking Pro-Power Four got eleven bids with a winning bid of $341, though it did include the bridge adapter, not that you'd ever need/want it. And amazingly all the knobs were still on it.

[JBLAddict]

I saw that PP4 and was watching as the bidding rocketed, $341, wow.

So..... another S800 came up a few weeks ago, with a min bid of $85, which I was the only bidder and won at that price. It arrived today in very very nice shape, better than the first in this thread for which I paid $200, has dim lights, and a strong smell of ash-tray coming out of the fans which took months to get rid of! Only thing is this S800 has an S860 manual and CoC, so hoping that I'm not the victim of a front plate swap? (Funny side note, both CoCs are signed by Steve Palandri, but in very different handwriting)

It's clear that collectors/nostalgics have no place for a Soundcraftsmen with "MTX" on the front, but I only care about the performance, so if it's pure Soundcraftsmen inside, I'm good with it.

Bought the Y cables and banana plugs this weekend, and just finished hooking up the "two wire bi-amp" (can't believe in one year I went from having a pair of L100A and a mid-range Kenwood integrated, to bi-amped L7s fed from 4x230W!)

Impressions of my first ever bi-amp? Well, it sounds remarkably good, crisp, clear, articulate, while at the same time that special L7 depth, but not to the point where I can tell or recall with certainty, after the hookups, where/how it sounded better than the single amp.

Assuming the LF would steal most of the juice in the single amp config, I'm listening in particular for the improvement in the MF/HF having their own dedicated current source. The MF/HF sound just great, but it sounded great to my ears on a single amp as well. The vocals are so smooth, the highs are brilliant, and the soundstage is downright phenomenal, which might be the clue to the improvement, the vocals now seem to be floating around the room in a way in which they didn't off the single amp...will need some time with the kids out of the house to drive them hard and make a more thorough assessment...wish there was an easy way to quickly a/b such a thing

[Titanium Dome]

Uh, the easiest way I found was to have several pairs, but then I shipped a pair to my son in MI, then sold a pair , so now I've only got one pair left, plus a spare.

I'm not surprised you like them bi-amped, even passively. They'll drink the power, and like a bar at closing time, the more juice you get the better everything seems.

[BMWCCA]

I saw that PP4 and was watching as the bidding rocketed, $341, wow.

So..... another S800 came up a few weeks ago, with a min bid of $85, which I was the only bidder and won at that price.

People must like the LEDs; a nice Pro-Power Three just went for $122 (same amp and chassis w/o LEDs): http://ebayitem.com/220504813781

[BMWCCA]

well, couple reasons. mainly, the contents of this thread. TiD's statements about the A400 are compelling, and your statements about the PP4 being less than an even older Crown unit.......both from experience on the actual L7 I plan to mate it up to.

I see. But then I was comparing the Pro-Power-Four to a Crown PS-400, not another Soundcraftsmen. I don't think T-dome ever said the Pro-Power's weren't the same (or better) amp than the others, just that the switch-gear seemed prone to having their buttons go missing. But then considering the others have no buttons . . .

I have no other Soundcraftsmen amps to compare to the Pro-Power but all the reviews (one linked below) seemed to imply the circuitry was the same and the Pro-Power performed either identically or maybe even better than the 800-series shoe-box predecessors and contemporaries. http://www.soundcraftsmen.com/test_reports.htm

I like my Pro-Power-Four lot. I just like the Crown better, for personal reasons that may or may not make sense or even be a reference for anyone else wanting the Soundcraftsmen amp. If you're looking for a 200wpc Soundcraftsmen for around $200 you probably shouldn't kick the Pro-Power out of the running just because they actually have switches on the front panel!