"EB" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am not seeing the Khartago on their website...

EB

I just checked and I didn't see it either.

The advice about upgrading your speakers is very good. That kind of money
will go very far towards making your listening experience a better one.

What do you have driving your current speakers?
How much power?
As to proamps sounding bad, that's a decision you should make after more
research, don't take anybody's word for it. You can check on the amp I
recomended at The Audio Critic webzine.
Here is an excerpt of their review: Well, there are a number of things
going on. To begin with, the measured performance of the A500 isn't up to
the level of a Bryston or a McIntosh, although that doesn't mean the A500
will sound worse. (As I have said, and written, innumerable times, any two
amplifiers with high input impedance, low output impedance, flat frequency
response, and sufficiently low distortion and noise will sound exactly the
same at matched levels if not clipped.) Then there are construction details,
such as the XLR input jacks without push tabs, the bare-wires-only output
terminals, the flimsy front panel, etc., etc., that would obviously be
better on costlier amplifiers. The fact remains, however, that Behringer is
able to offer sophisticated audio equipment at lower prices than anyone
else. It's a lesson to all of us audiophiles.

Two things are obvious from these measurements. The minimum distortion never
goes below -72 dB (0.025%), even in the best case, and the clipping levels
are approximately 120 watts and 180 watts (generously!) at 8? and 4?. Not
that there is anything wrong these numbers; they indicate a completely
transparent amplifier of considerable power-but Behringer's specs are 0.01%
distortion and 160/230 watts into 8?/4?. As I said, maybe it's just my
sample, or maybe the manual was printed before actual production units came
off the line, or maybe Behringer's measurement conditions are based on a
totally different standard. (I use the Audio Precision SYS-2722 instrument,
the de facto standard in the USA.)
Fig. 5 shows the FFT spectrum of a 1 kHz tone at clipping level into 8?, in
the same channel as Fig. 3. The Fig. 3 numbers are confirmed, but the good
news is that the distortion is almost completely dominated by the second
harmonic, which is basically harmless. (Thank heaven for FFT.)



The measurements of the Behringer A500 are not quite as good as those of any
number of more expensive solid-state amplifiers but they are more than good
enough to meet all the criteria for transparent sound as specified above, in
the second paragraph of this review. There is no such thing as an effect
without a cause, and there is no scientifically verifiable characteristic
that would cause the A500 to sound different from any other amplifier that
meets those criteria. The main reason why golden-eared audiophiles hear
differences between amplifiers that do meet those criteria is that they don't
listen at matched levels. (Let's not even bring up the more complicated
subject of double-blind listening tests.) If one amplifier is just 0.2 dB
louder than another, it will sound different, and therefore "better" or
"worse."

The Behringer A500 is an amazing phenomenon at the price. There is nothing
else like it. I'll tell you what. If you need a new power amplifier, or
maybe just a spare amplifier, throw caution to the wind. Be the last of the
big-time spenders. Buy the A500 at the lowest price you can find (maybe
$180?) and take a chance on it. After all, it comes with a one-year
warranty.

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For the price, as I said, there's very little risk,a nd you can use the rest
of the money for a fine preamp or possibly a preamp/tuner.