Amp for Acoustic Energy Radiance 2s

[admin_exported]

I have the Acoustic Energy Radiance 2s and am looking for an integrated amp.

I have about £800 to spend.

I play mainly Latin music and classical.

I use a CD player as a source.

Does anyone know which amp would go well with the AEs?

Thanks ...

 

[AEJim]

Hi TDR,

They were designed on a Naim Supernait so the Nait 5 would probably be your best bet for matching. We also have AVI and Audiolab in our 2nd and 3rd listening rooms which both work well with them, the current Audiolab 8200a is definitely a good alternative to the Naim.

Cheers,

Jim.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I have the Acoustic Energy Radiance 2s and am looking for an integrated amp.

I have about £800 to spend.

I play mainly Latin music and classical.

I use a CD player as a source.

Does anyone know which amp would go well with the AEs?

Thanks ...

Hi tdr1975

Rega's Brio R, NAD C356BEE or as James as has suggested Naim's Nait 5i and Audiolab's 8200A are amps worth a look.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[AEJim]

Ooh, that reminds me Rick - I promised you some speakers! Will check the stock...

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the advice! This is just what I needed.

If you'll allow me two more quetions ...

Many people seem to say that the Naims are quite forward and the Audiolabs, if anything, a bit polite. So, between the Naim Nait 5i and the Audiolab 8200A, is it just a matter of taste, or is the Naim still the most natural partner?

And what about the Rega and NADs? Are they second options or just as suitable as the other two?

Thanks ...

 

[AEJim]

My Pleasure!

I'd say the Naim's aren't as forward as they used to be and the Audiolab's aren't quite as polite as you've heard - Both have different presentations but aren't a million miles from each other, neither is slow or bloated sounding. I've not heard the Rega or Nad to compare but generally they make decent gear, Rega in particular having a generally solid and musical sound to their equipment which should partner the Radiance 2's well. The Naim will match in character to our Supernait but be a little less powerful, having tried their UnitiQute for the Bristol show I'd say it will still have enough "grunt" to drive the 2's perfectly well as they're not a difficult load.

As with all the Radiance Series the 2's are designed to be upbeat and musical, this is through tight, solid bass, very clear mid-range and low cabinet colouration. If partnering equipment has a similar philosophy then the match should be a good one. Anything over-bright or bassy would push the balance away from neutral and be less satisfactory. Definitely worth having a listen to whatever you're considering as it's a fair amount you're looking to spend and good dealers may even allow a home trial to make sure you're happy.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I have now found an amp for the AE Radiance 2s. I tried to find an amp with tight bass, clear mid-range and low colouration, as recommended by AEJim.

I first tried an NAD C245BEE, but it didn't really sound all that great - great PRAT but a bit lack-lustre in the upper regions. Then I got an XTZ 100D3 on Ebay and I have to say it works really well.

I didn't know the AEs were capable of such musicality and clarity! The XTZ does not have the PRAT of some other amps, I'm sure, but it is very clear and subtle and a joy to listen to. It suits the AEs really well, the emotion of the music comes through wonderfully

With that settled, I'm now looking for speaker cables. So my next question is: Would the AEs do well bi-wired, or won't the difference be all that great?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi tdr1975

Firstly i'll recommend that you single wire your speakers.

As for speaker cables look at standard 500 strand OFC type as i feel these will be more than good enough for your components Fwiw, i used this speaker cable with a Plinius Hiato amplifier :twisted: and the Acoustic Energy AE1 MK3 SE's and their new Reference 1/Reference 2 speakers with excellent results

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestion,

Why is the AE Radiance 2 better with single wire?

I tri-wire my Linn 109s and that makes a signifficant difference. Why would the AEs be different? I find this very confusing...

 

[AEJim]

Hi again TDR,

The Radiance 2's are basically a single-wire design at heart as all our new speakers (AE1mkIII SE onwards) are. This is because it allows us to design a simpler, better crossover. Some models/brands may work better bi-wired, some won't, with our models I'd always recommend using better single-wire cable rather than bi-wiring if possible.

The AE1mkIII had 14 components in its crossover, the SE modification brought this down to 6, the result being much improved clarity and lower distortion. For this reason we use the same philosophy on all our newer models - another benefit to fewer components is that we can use higher grade crossovers for the same price as the lower-grade ones with more components in! We also no longer use resistors, very common in crossover design to adjust levels, they have the biggest negative impact on detail retrieval in our testing.

Your Radiance 2's have just 7 components in their 2nd-order crossover, few other multi-driver floorstanders can match that low a number - this is largely due to mechanical properties we engineer into the driver assemblies to minimise driver break-up and extend useable operating parameters. The only way we could make it simpler is to go 1st-Order but this isn't really an option when using metal drivers due to their break-up points. There would be no real benefit in bi-wiring them - they will be better single-wired with that particular crossover design. We only add a bi-wire option on the Radiance due to market demands in some countries.

Other manufacturers may design in bi-wire configuration which may mean they work better that way - we all do things differently!

As with most things Hi-Fi, less is usually more! (he says after writing an essay! )

Cheers,

Jim.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jim, for the comprehensive and convincing explanation.

Would you suggest simple 500 OFC copper cables as has been suggested?

And is the best way to do the jumper cables to use the speaker cable I get for the jumpers as well?

I have to say the Radiance 2s do sound great with the XTZ amp...

Tdr

 

[AEJim]

Well I'm glad you're getting the most out of them! The XTZ should be very good from what I've heard, our Chief Engineer spent some time with their founder in China recently and speaks quite highly of them.

In designing we use a solid-core copper cable (Crimson Audio, somewhere around £400 for a pair of 3m runs from memory) which is amongst the best I've heard regardless of price - and we've got some ridiculously priced stuff we've been given over the years! You should get a similar presentation from any good copper cable, either solid-core or multi-strand. I haven't found the performance of silver cables to work as well with our speakers, generally having a "glossier" top end and softer bass than copper. These are of course generalisations but I've always found the basic cable type has a larger influence on its sound than anything else.

Replacing the brass links with matching cable would be preferable and should yield some minor improvements, you may or may not be able to hear them but it will certainly do no harm!

Cheers,

Jim.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread,

Any similar recomendations for some radiance threes? What power would you recommend that I need! Had them bi-amped off an Arcam avr350 (4x 100w). Looking to go for a stereo setup now.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread,

Any similar recomendations for some radiance threes? What power would you recommend that I need! Had them bi-amped off an Arcam avr350 (4x 100w). Looking to go for a stereo setup now.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

Can somebody recommend the amp for AE Radiance three :help:

 

[AEJim]

Hi utrennik,

The Radiance 3's are much like the Radiance 2's in character so the same recommendations further up the thread stand. They are even easier to drive though, so you aren't really restricted with choice in terms of power requirements.

As with all the Radiance range they are quite up-front in their presentation, not bright but they do have a mild mid-forward bias with emphasis on vocals and percussion. If you like that sound then they will be good on Naim/Exposure/Rega type amps, I'd avoid Cyrus as I've just not found the character to match well with our speakers. If you want to reign in the mid for a more balanced sound then something a little more restrained such as Arcam or similar would suit.

It really will depend on your taste and if you could experiment with a local dealer it would help find the best results for you.

Cheers,

Jim.