Amplifier choice to use with Tannoy D700 speakers

[Pavlo]

I am having problems getting this to appear on forum! Appologies if this is a repeat.

i would like help from those who know much more than I do to suggest a new or nearly new amp to compliment my Tannoy D700 speakers. I am not a hifi buff but enjoy good sound and do not want to spend a fortune. There is a huge amount of choice out there so guidance needed! I currently use a Harmon Kardon AV amp but this is physically too big and new technology will have improved since I bought it. any suggestions will help.

 

[toyota man]

Hi Pavlo what is your budget how big is your listening room and what sort of music do you listen to ?

 

[Pavlo]

My room is 10ft by 10ft and I like to listen to all types of music from rock and pop to classical. The speakers are good with all types of music, Budget ? I suppose up to say £800 as I can't justify more. There is Naim Nait 5i (mk2) available for £500 - second hand. Is this a good choice? It's certainly the right physical size.

 

[Electro]

Controlling Tannoy D700's so that they don't overwhelm a 10' x10' room will be a major challenge for any amplifier .

The Tannoys will not need many watts to go loud because of their high efficiency but they have quite a reactive load so the amplifier will need plenty of current and power into low impedances to control them properly .

My recommendation for you to try would be this Abrahamsen V2.0 integrated amp brand new for a touch over £500 .http://www.store.abrahamsenaudio.no/

It has 70 wpc into 8 ohms and doubles to 140wpc into 4 ohms and has a very high current output and damping factor so it will control the Tannoys very well .

They are on sale at the moment and are a an absolute bargain imo , you can buy one online and try it , if in the unlikely event it does not appeal to your taste you can return it within the specified period under distance selling regs .

I have no connection to the company *smile*

Just in case you didn't realise , the V2.0 is the top box only *smile*

 

[Pavlo]

Yes the speakers are on the large side for the room! They were bought when I lived in a much bigger place. I suppose an alternative would be to sell the Tannoys and start again. Are they still saleable these days? I can't remember exactly what they cost me but it was a lot of money. The ones I have are in excellent condition. I do like the Tannoy sound though! Thanks for the link to the Abrahamsen site. difficult choices ahead.

 

[CnoEvil]

Thanks for the link to the Abrahamsen site. difficult choices ahead.

If the Abrahamsen is anything like the Electro ECI-3, and I suspect it will be....then imo it should be a decent match with the Tannoys; and there will be nothing (new) that will touch it for the money.

FWIW. These are big, expensive (when new), revealing speakers, which ideally require a very competant source and amplification....or they will show up the system to which they are attached. That Abrahamsan is the bare minimum that they will require (imo).

 

[Pavlo]

Thanks for the comments. Are here any amps available in the UK you could recommend? Or second hand amps to look out for? I.e alternatives to the Abrahamsen - not that I am ruling it out or anything - just interested in others as well.

 

[CnoEvil]

http://www.audio-cinema.co.uk/electrocompaniet-eci-5-intregrated-amplifier-6103-p.asp

http://www.audio-cinema.co.uk/electrocompaniet-eci-3-integrated-amplifier-6102-p.asp

http://www.audiodestination.co.uk/used-products/electrocompaniet-prelude-pi-1-integrated-amplifier

As well as the above amps (ideally, the ECI-5), you could keep an eye out for the Musical Fidelity M6i......here is one at a good price: http://www.fanthorpes.co.uk/musical-fidelity/musical-fidelity-m6i-amplifier-2211209-418082-823390.php

 

[Electro]

Thanks for the comments. Are here any amps available in the UK you could recommend? Or second hand amps to look out for? I.e alternatives to the Abrahamsen - not that I am ruling it out or anything - just interested in others as well.

The amps CNO has suggested are all spot on especially the Electrocompaniet ECI 5 integrated , but the trouble is finding one within your budget .

The Abrahamsen V2.0 performance is somewhere in between the Electrocompaniet ECI3 and ECI5 , it has a stiffer power supply than the ECI3 but is not as powerful as the ECI5 , the sound balance and quality is very similar between all of them .

It is very hard to think of any other amp apart from the Abrahamsen that is under £ 800 that would completely control and sound wonderful with those lovely Tannoys , do not be fooled by the reduced £500 price tag the Abrahamsen is a serious amp that is comparable with others at £2000 or more *smile*

I would avoid Naim with the Tannoys personaly but you could give it a try , or you could look out for a second hand Quad 99/ 909 pre/ power amp if you can find one cheap enough .

 

[CnoEvil]

I would avoid Naim with the Tannoys personaly but you could give it a try , or you could look out for a second hand Quad 99/ 909 pre/ power amp if you can find one cheap enough .

I would also agree with this.

It is worth the OP bearing in mind, that Tannoy's modern equivalent is the DC10T, which costs over £5k....this is why a decent source/amp is needed in order to get the best out of them.

 

[Pavlo]

Blimey! That's a lot to pay for their modern equivalent! I bought them some years ago in Singapore when I lived there and although they cost quite a bit I don't think they were in that league. On the other hand add inflation since then..........?

I have e mailed Norway manufacturer to find out the shipped price of the AbrahamsenV2.0 to the UK and what their policy is on guarantee / returns etc.

 

[CnoEvil]

I think you are heading down the right path.....if you get the other parts of your system right, you should achieve a great sound.

 

[Pavlo]

I am still awaiting a reply on the Abrahamsen v2.0 but meanwhile would appreciate any thoughts or comments on the Arcam A19 which has 90w into 4ohms. This should do a good job with my Tannoy's?

On a slightly different subject - how important is DAC. Would I notice a real difference with one of these in the system?

 

[CnoEvil]

The Arcam A19 should sound pleasant enough, but is a bit out of its depth, as it's really the A49 you should be looking at.....maybe the new A39 might be a reasonable compromise.

The right DAC should bring improvements, but this is something you need to assess. Ideally, you should be looking at something like a Chord Hugo.....but on a tighter budget, you should look at DACs from Rega, Arcam, Audiolab and Musical Fidelity.

 

[Pavlo]

One thing that concerns me is the apparent lack of treble/ bass controles on these amps. If you have perfect hearing that's ok but as one gets older the treble needs a slight boost to maintain the correct sound. Any thoughts?

 

[CnoEvil]

Cheaply implemented tone controls are (imo) a rather coarse means of adjustment......a properly balanced system doesn't really need them.

 

[Electro]

I am still awaiting a reply on the Abrahamsen v2.0

Have you had a reply yet ? If not it may be because Abrahamsen audio just launched a new website with a range of upgraded products so I imagine they may have been a little busy *smile*

http://abrahamsenaudio.no/

 

[jester]

I will buy your Tannoy D700 speakers from you. Would you take around $2000 for them?

 

[andrew]

hi would you sell your speakers and how much
Regards Andrew

 

[iQ Speakers]

Just came across this thread in my search for the Damping factor, evidently its the ability of an amp to control speakers. Or more preciely to control the back EMF. Now i remember back EMF from my HND electronic days, its the current spike caused from a inductor/transformer when you switch off the juice. An electric fence uses this principle to send out a high voltage low current spike down the wire. Evidently if this not controlled the speaker mis behaives! Now if i could only find the damping factor for this amp it would be good! Amplifier specs, I never knew and I was an electronics Engineer! Why I'm doing this at 2.31 on Sunday night I have know idea, over to you Vlad!

 

[Andrewjvt]

As lots here have said and id agree go for the Abrahamsen amp.

But id pay an extra little bit and get the upgraded version. have not heard it yet but just from the internal specs and power supply it beats hands down any british amp of same price easy- no contest.

As for tone controls - dont worry -think to yourself - howcome only cheap amps have them and the high end stuff does not.

 

[paulkebab]

with tone controls, and very expensive ones too! My next and final amp will have tone controls, so that rules out the Abrahamson; top of my current shortlist is the Vincent SV237 hybrid.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Yes I must admit that is one good looking amp especially in silver. I nearly bought one. Edit arrrr, I see as you may know, Ivan at IPL uses one, he's trying out a V20UP in the next couple of days.

 

[SteveR750]

Cheaply implemented tone controls are (imo) a rather coarse means of adjustment......a properly balanced system doesn't really need them.

And then there's room correction!

Sorry...*dash1*