Alpha 9 Power Amp ?

[Shanka]

Hi Anyone,

Just lying here and enjoying a listen to my 'new' Alpha 9 and was wondering if there would be much benefit to getting the power amp ?

My old missions are not bi wireable so the current amp would just be doing pre amp duties, personally I don't think there would be a sinificant difference but will happily be persuaded otherwise.

If I am patient they come up on ebay quite often so would get one from there, any views ?

Thanks for reading and any advice welcome.

 

[shafesk]

Hey Shanka,

I think if you feel you have enough power i.e the system still has dynamic reach at 11 o clock then you wouldn't benefit much from adding a power amp. More power will give you greater control and dynamic reach. It will only give you a slight change in tonal quality if any at all since its the same manufacturer.

 

[nlanks]

I would have thought, similarly to the last poster, that you probably wouldn't get any real world gains from adding a 9p if you can only single amp/wire your speakers, especially if you don't think the 9 on its own is struggling.

*warning - unqualified opinion about to be posted!!*

I have no experience of the 720's but they look pretty old. Would a better bet be a newer pair of speakers before thinking of upgrading the amplification? How do you feel they hold up compared to modern (1990's onwards) speakers?

Please excuse my ignorance if the above statement belies my lack of understanding /knowledge of the 720's.

 

[Shanka]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies which seems to bear out my thoughts but just liked the idea of more power ( the Clarkson effect ).

With regards to the speakers I agree but I love these old boxes, I like the sound they produce, a lot of bass which isn't particularly tight but when I play old reggae or rock they sound authentic to the time I heard the music, far more nostalgic than hifi.

I do have a pair of B&W 603S3 which I think will match the amp very well and will at some point hook these up and am looking forward to how they sound, they were too bright with my Caspian but think the Arcam being more laid back will suit them well.

Thanks again.

 

[eggontoast]

Hi Anyone, Just lying here and enjoying a listen to my 'new' Alpha 9 and was wondering if there would be much benefit to getting the power amp ? My old missions are not bi wireable so the current amp would just be doing pre amp duties, personally I don't think there would be a sinificant difference but will happily be persuaded otherwise. If I am patient they come up on ebay quite often so would get one from there, any views ? Thanks for reading and any advice welcome.

Absolutely none since the Alpha 9 power amp (I assume that's which model you would get) is an Alpha 9 integrated with a half loaded PCB fitted (missing the pre-amp section etc). It would sound exactly the same, if you were going to bi-amp that would be a different story.

 

[nlanks]

I do have a pair of B&W 603S3 which I think will match the amp very well and will at some point hook these up and am looking forward to how they sound, they were too bright with my Caspian but think the Arcam being more laid back will suit them well.

Thanks again.

Now that is a combination I have heard and really rate, used to sell a lot of the older series 2 603s with Arcam Alpha gear and NAD too. If you went this route then an Alpha 9p would be a good upgrade to bi amp the 603s, but they will sound good with just the Alpha 9 too.

With regards your Missions, if you love em, keep em! Hi Fi is about the music ultimately (which gets a bit lost sometimes) and if you enjoy what comes out of them, you're probably doing a lot better than people who may have spent thousands more but still aren't satisfied.