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Ian996

Junior Member
Messages
88
And, a last one, what do the pre amps do? Give extra power or different (and mixing) tone?

The main benefit of a separate pre-amp is that the processing of the delicate source-signals have a greater degree of isolation from the noise generated in the output section of a power amp (this was much more relevant in the age of turntables, when the source signal was tiny ). The downsides include the need for another set of cables/connections and another set of casework.

On the whole, if you are talking about components costing hundreds of pounds, rather than thousands, the cost/benefit relationship is more likely to favour an integrated amp. Although, having said that, Cyrus (among others) do offer a Naim-esque upgrade path, where you can start with an integrated, then add power amp(s), PSU(s) if required.

In terms of budget split between source/amp/speakers, I think any real truth behind the "Front-End-First" approach was rooted in the analogue age, as the level of mechanical engineering needed to make a decent sounding turntable was and will always be expensive. The economies of scale involved in digital processing now means you can get a half-reasonable sound from CD at a relatively low-cost, so there is a fair bit of sense in putting the majority of your budget towards speakers.

Most important thing (as has been said earlier) is to listen to some alternatives and, if at all possible, listen in your own system rather than just a demo room (some retailers will let you take kit home if you leave a deposit).

Second most important thing is not to fall down the slippery "upgrade" slope if you can help it!
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,758
Just specc'd up a Naim 500 Series system, just shy of £100k - I think I will stick to my pre-owned lower their market
 

Mr.Cambio

Member
Messages
7,096
Putting this back forward... saw some models by NAD, but only 2*80 watts would be the one that could be of interest. Speakers are 100 w each. What is the truth behing the wattage? Should speaker and amp watts are the same or amps' should be a bit more or less?
For some people here these questions may sound stupid, i just not get in the business...
Impedance 8 ohms of course.
 

m1980k

Junior Member
Messages
467
The numbers that matter relate to speaker sensitivity (how much volume you get per watt of input power) and impendance (how hard the speakers are to drive - their resistance). Looks like your speakers are 90db and 8ohms so an 80w amp should be absolutely fine.
 

Mr.Cambio

Member
Messages
7,096
Looked back at the specs of the speakers, it's 90 db and 100w max.
Christ...choosing a car is more simple...
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Looked back at the specs of the speakers, it's 90 db and 100w max.
Christ...choosing a car is more simple...

You're overcomplicating it. It really doesn't make much difference unless there is a major mismatch in power capability of the speakers (in which case you just don't turn the volume up so much) or the sensitivity is *really* low, and you have a low powered amp.

C
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Thanks Chris, i just try to learn the business!

Heh. No worries, Nicolas. Find something you like to listen to otherwise it'll just sit in the corner gathering dust. Then you'll probably get the upgrade bug. But really the numbers count for very little indeed (apart from the one after the € sign) :D

C
 

Ian996

Junior Member
Messages
88
Putting this back forward... saw some models by NAD, but only 2*80 watts would be the one that could be of interest. Speakers are 100 w each. What is the truth behing the wattage? Should speaker and amp watts are the same or amps' should be a bit more or less?
For some people here these questions may sound stupid, i just not get in the business...
Impedance 8 ohms of course.

Just in case you want to get geeky over this, here are a couple of useful tools which calculates sound level at the listening position from speaker sensitivity and amplifier power.

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

http://www.crownaudio.com/en/tools/calculators#amp_power_required

Main take away is that a couple of watts on speaker sensitivity makes a much greater difference than the same on amplifier power.

I have 89 dB/W speakers and can get very reasonable volume levels driving them from my 8 watt Headphone Amp. What it doesn't have is headroom for dynamic peaks and, as has been said previously, with solid-state amps you can easily fry speakers if you overdrive the amps.

Fora 90dB/W speaker, 50 watts would give you very comfortable "normal" listening levels, but if you are thinking of cranking them up to party levels, 80w would be a sensible minimum and 100w + would be a safer bet. It is quite hard to fry a speaker with clean power, so there is no real problem in using a 150 amp on a speaker that recommends 30-120 watts. Unless the room is shaking, the periods where the amp is chucking out more then the speakers rating will be very short and not normally harmful.
 

Mr.Cambio

Member
Messages
7,096
Thanks for the links, they are very useful!

Chaps, as the amp will sit on the living room table, just near the 3200 -engine-table, i will need some nice looking cables, so the jacks must be gold or silver. Any recommendations?
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,539
Thanks for the links, they are very useful!

Chaps, as the amp will sit on the living room table, just near the 3200 -engine-table, i will need some nice looking cables, so the jacks must be gold or silver. Any recommendations?

Silver will tarnish. I have Chord Sirens, and they go black.

C