I've owned a few of the Dayton plate amps (SA25, SA70, SPA250DSP), the desktop DTA-100LF and the rack SA1000. I went through all the others before I ended up at the SA1000 and I don't think there exists a better stand-alone subwoofer amplifier on the market; certainly not under $1,000. I can't recommend any of the other amps either. They were all disappointing.

If you need a plate amp, I would stick to the SPA500 and SPA1000 (I think they are of similar design to the SA1000 except on a plate, but don't quote me on that), and if you want stand-alone and have the space, the SA1000 all day, everyday. I don't remember exactly who the designer was, or the model of the sister amp that sold for twice the price before being discounted, but a web search should bring up a few forum posts about it. It's a stout amp with a beefy power supply, well laid out design, and all the features you could ever want, without being excessive.

I use a stereo receiver, for FM, LPs and my TV, but if you use a different source like a DAC, or streamer or just a phone, you could also look for a 3-channel power amplifier and feed that from a DSP like the miniDSP 2x4HD, Dayton 4to8 or even an ARC PS8.

 

Thanks, Nemesis, for that detailed response.

I should have mentioned earlier that I am not looking into plate amps but only at stand-alone models. It's good to hear that the stand-alone beats out all the Plates, plus more, haha.

I use a MINIDSP Flex, and my sources are my phone / TT. The mini DSP feeds into an AVR that I am using to power some bookshelf speakers and also into a self-powered REL "SUB WOOFER." I want to mess with the subwoofer side first, as I may try to build my bookshelves next, so I have no Idea what amp/power requirements I will need.

 

If everything goes through the Flex, I would buy a 4-channel power amplifier and use 2 channels for your bookshelfs and run dual subs with the other two.

 

Do you have example or a good power amp for that scenario? I am using some B&W book shelf’s that are like 100 watts at 8 ohm.

 

Power amplifiers seem like the most abundant piece of home audio equipment, second only to speakers. From budget friendly (Dayton) to out-of-your-g-d-mind (D’Agostino).

It’s not a rabbit hole I ever intend to fall down, but whatever your favourite manufacturer is, chances are they make a power / integrated amplifier.

I would break this into 3 categories, depending on budget / needs, but you have affordable amps by Dayton, Monoprice, Outlaw Audio, Emotiva, NAD and many, many more.

Then your popular home audio amps like McIntosh, Hegel, Luxman, Rotel etc. that arebbetter built, and certainly look nicer, but cost considerably more.

And third would be a more “DIY” category that uses amp modules like Hypex and Purifi, from VTV, Deer Creek, Apollon and Buckeye.

It all depends on what you like the use and look of, your budget, and how much power you need to achieve the SPL level you need to enjoy your music (not necessarily how much power a speaker can take).

 

Or just keep it simple and buy the Dayton SA1000. Lol

 

Crown XLS