SirJack Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Item: ME 850 Stereo Power Amplifier Location: Glen Waverley, Melbourne Victoria Price: $1,800 Reason for sale: Too many amplifiers Payment: Bank transfer, COD Extra info: Legendary Australian Power Amplifier I've owned most of the ME Power Amps and I think the 850 is the best of them, with the Best Bass of any amplifier I've heard Had Full Service 2 years ago by Ron Berger from Winovate in consultation with Peter Stein Sonically perfect Power: 2 x 120 Watts RMS @ 8 Ohms 2 x 200 Watts RMS @ 4 Ohms 2 x 360 Watts RMS @ 2 Ohms Minimum Recommended Load: 0.5 Ohmn Max Output Current: 70 Amps Frequency Response: DC - 150 KHZ +_ 2dB Immense 2KVA Quadfilar Power Transformer Class A Operation to 8 Watts 52 High Current Capacitors giving an unmatched 245,000 uF of Energy Storage 38 kg
Green messiah Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 I aspire to own one of these magnificent beasties!
Jone5y Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Reason for sale: Too many amplifiers You, Sir, must have some cracking amps in your collection if this is the one you're letting go. I'd say GLWTS but I doubt you're going to need that!!
Guest Muon Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 What is meant by the "unmatched"? ... It is just meaning that it has a heap of capacitance storage for the power supply. Nice amp.... GLWTS
frankn Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 What is meant by the "unmatched"? ... the "unmatched" part of the specifications has to be read in context - this is a 20yr old design, back then there were very few amplifiers that employed such overbuilt power supplies. Nowadays, this isn't so uncommon. Very nice amplifier which should continue to give very good service for another decade or so.
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 the "unmatched" part of the specifications has to be read in context - this is a 20yr old design, back then there were very few amplifiers that employed such overbuilt power supplies. Nowadays, this isn't so uncommon. Very nice amplifier which should continue to give very good service for another decade or so. Actually, it is still incredibly rare, even in high end designs. I should add that the energy storage matrix employed by ME, is comprised of custom manufactured, very low ESR, very low ESL capacitors. Such an array where ripple current is shared by a large number of high ripple caps, combined with the cool air which is drawn past the capacitors, ensures a very long life.
evil c Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Aaaagghhhh - dream amplifier to match my NS1000M's located just up the road!!! If only I had access to lots of money - - @@Yamaha Man ???? 1
b@ndicoot Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 (edited) Aaaagghhhh - dream amplifier to match my NS1000M's located just up the road!!! If only I had access to lots of money - - @@Yamaha Man ???? Would you need such a beast for NS1000's? Ive heard them sing with low wattage single ended tubes Lovely amp by the way, very surprised it hasn't sold! Edited June 9, 2015 by b@ndicoot
evil c Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Would you need such a beast for NS1000's? Ive heard them sing with low wattage single ended tubes Lovely amp by the way, very surprised it hasn't sold! Run mine with a 40W / channel toob amp and just enough I think which equates to around a 100W S/S so this high Current amp at 120W would be good!
brumby Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 My word. It's been almost 24 hours since this came up and it still hasn't sold. I've always thought that the 850 was the "sweet spot" in ME's amp lineup. GLWTS, a great amp at a very good price.
WhoRu? Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Someone please buy this before I do..... I have too many amps as it is...
PKay Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Decibel hifi are selling the same model for 2750 so this is a relative bargain.
wildragon Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 Read somewhere that ME power amp should be paired with ME pre-amp to bring the best out of it. Does it mean ME power amp is difficult to match with other brand pre-amp? What about Cambridge Audio Azur 840E pre-amp, anyone?
Catostylus Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 I can't see why that would be a problem as long as the input-output impedance matching was okay. But why settle for less than ME?
Addicted to music Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 I can't see why that would be a problem as long as the input-output impedance matching was okay. But why settle for less than ME? ME 850 and its series is the only power amps I know with low input impedance, apparently they decided to have a low input impedance for sonic reasons, so a matching ME preamp with low output impedance is the way to go, however I've been informed that the input impedance can be raised with a modification at the expense of Slight reduction in SQ.
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 (edited) Read somewhere that ME power amp should be paired with ME pre-amp to bring the best out of it. Any high end, low output impedance preamp will work just fine with the ME850. ME preamps tend to offer a lot more bang for your Buck though. For those who use poorly designed preamps (ie: Those which exhibit a high output impedance), the ME850 can be modified to operate with such preamps, though there will be slightly compromised performance. Does it mean ME power amp is difficult to match with other brand pre-amp? Not all ME power amps employ a low input impedance. Some (ME50, ME100, ME75, ME150, ME200, ME550-II, ME555) employ a high input impedance as standard. ME's very best power amps, however, all employ a low input impedance (which can be adjusted up to 68,000 Ohms, if required). What about Cambridge Audio Azur 840E pre-amp, anyone? The output impedance of the 840E is a rather high, 100 Ohms (less than 10 Ohms is desirable for ANY preamp in ANY system, not just those used with ME power amps. That said, the output impedance of the 840E is significantly lower than many, badly designed, preamps. It will work fine with an unmodified ME850, though for best operation, the ME850 should be modified for the 15,000 Ohm input impedance with that preamp. Edited June 10, 2015 by Zaphod Beeblebrox
Addicted to music Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 Any high end, low output impedance preamp will work just fine with the ME850. Me preamps tend to offer a lot more bang for your Buck though. For those who use poorly designed preamps (ie: Those which exhibit a high output impedance), the ME850 can be modified to operate with such preamps, though there will be slightly compromised performance.Not all ME power amps employ a low input impedance. Some (ME50, ME100, ME75, ME150, ME200, ME550-II, ME555) employ a high input impedance as standard. ME's very best power amps, however, all employ a low input impedance (which can be adjusted up to 68,000 Ohms, if required).The output impedance of the 840E is a rather high, 100 Ohms (less than 10 Ohms is desirable for ANY preamp in ANY system, not just those used with ME power amps. That said, the output impedance of the 840E is significantly lower than many, badly designed, preamps. It will work fine with an unmodified ME850, though for best operation, the ME850 should be modified for the 15,000 Ohm input impedance with that preamp. I gather that input impedance modification cannot be done by the average person.
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 I gather that input impedance modification cannot be done by the average person. Although it is not difficult, it is not recommended. It should be performed by a tech, particularly with older models. One slip and the amp is toast.
alistairm Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 All fascinating and I appreciate in response to a potential purchaser's question, but the OP is selling a fantastic Australian power amplifier at a very competitive price... so let's stay focused on that. @@wildragon The Azur 840E is very capable and I have no doubt would be capable of driving the ME850 well... and Trevor has stated that "It will work fine with an unmodified ME850", and nobody is likely to know more about how ME gear plays than Trevor. As a bonus, the ME850 at this price isn't likely to lead to any money down the drain if you decide to flip it again. @@SirJack - good luck with the sale, not that you'll need it. 1
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