Amplifier for Spendor SA1s

kusum65

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I recently auditioned Spendor Sa1 speakers and loved now covet a pair. When i asked the dealer if they would suit my amp , a Rotel 1062 , he told me no problem but im doubting this based on their db rating. Has anyone had experience with the speakers or can make any suggestions as to power rating that would suit? My main source is an Arcam 192 but i also have a TT which is powered through a valve pre amp.
 
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Anonymous

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According to the various test data published on the SA1 they have an easy impedance load on the amp but are low in sensitivity. This means that they really just beg for volts to get volume rather than requiring huge amounts of current along with it. I use a 100W Quad amp capable of 20A peak current. It seems to do a good job in my med/small room and goes plenty loud enough for me.

In practice I'm still trying to determine how much better these speakers get with more current. The only way to know is to try some different amps. I'd expect your Rotel to do a good job in a med/small room. Does it all sound in control to you?
 

kusum65

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Hi , i was hoping you would post. Yeah, my rotel does a surprisingly good job with my AVI neutron speakers, they always sound fast with dance beats for example, and the base always sounds tight. I was thinking 100w but a lot of mid price amps with this power are often reviewed as forward sounding which i dont like. I recently took a side step to a Roksan kandy and couldnt wait to sell it on. Big mistake. And interestingly it didnt sound any more pwerful than the Rotel dispite the 60w 100w difference.
 
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I didn't like the Kandy MKIII either. I've often wondered whether it lacked a high current, "stiff" power supply but I'm not sure. My gut feeling on the Spendors is that you want something like a Primare I30 or Musical Fidelity A5.5 or M6 to get them singing. Or even a Cyrus Xpower. David from Frank Harvey Hifi thought the ATC Sia2 did a decent job too.
 

kusum65

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Interesting point. I read an article by a valve amp manufacturer who said its not the watts its the current that drives the sensitive speaker. I guess im looking for an amp with power but is easy on the ear. Arcam possibly. The thing that puts me of Arcam amps is a lot of users seem to buy the power amp before they are satisfied which sounds an expensive route.
 

kusum65

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At the moment 800. If i wait a few months , taking into account the SA1s are comming down in price the sensible thing would be to wait and set an amp budget for 1000/1200 area.
 

poldo

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well I heard the Spendor A6 with Exposure 3010s and Naims XS yesterday and it was very nice, maybe exposure 2010 or naim 5i?

I finally bought NAD with Monitor Audio because that was more budget proof :)

But I would go Naim or Exposure.
 
igglebert:I didn't like the Kandy MKIII either. I've often wondered whether it lacked a high current, "stiff" power supply but I'm not sure. My gut feeling on the Spendors is that you want something like a Primare I30 or Musical Fidelity A5.5 or M6 to get them singing. Or even a Cyrus Xpower. David from Frank Harvey Hifi thought the ATC Sia2 did a decent job too.

Recently I heard the SA1 with the caspian and Leema and to my ears they sounded immensely impressive. Likewise, just after Christmas I heard the SA1 and A5 with Naim XS/Cyrus combo, and although it was fairly brief affair, sounded really good but they didn't do it for me like the Caspian and Leema amps.
 

poldo

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I think Exposure easier to listen, but if you like the Naim it wil grap you by the throat and never let go, but..the 2010s is more value for the money then the Naim5i.

If you go higher up the latter, Naim XS is unbeatable with Naimcd5xs.

I did not demo Leema and Roksan so I cannot advice on that.
 
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poldo:...the Naim it wil grap you by the throat and never let go...
...just how I like to relax in the evenings...
 

chebby

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igglebert:poldo:...the Naim it wil grap you by the throat and never let go...
...just how I like to relax in the evenings...

...and misleading.

Smooth melodic music is smooth and melodic on my Naim.

Vocals that are deep and rich sound deep & rich.

Loud, rasping, brass is... err ...loud and rasping.

If you play the sort of music that... "grabs you by the throat" then the Naim will oblige rather than file off all the sharp edges to make things artificially cosy for you.

If you want to play some laid-back, warm, smooth sounds then it'll do that too. It really will. (So long as the music was recorded with that intention.)

However, it will do it without sounding 'cloying' or exaggerating the warmth. It doesn't do a 'harsh caricature' nor a 'soft focus/rose-tinted' portrait, just an honest one.
 
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Yes, totally concur,

I love my SA1s with my Supernait, can't see me ever wanting to change, I stopped looking for upgrades after my present kit was installed............
 

kusum65

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Naim seems to draw marmite like opinions form people. AVI say they are under powered but the big rough trade record store in the east end use Naim and pmc and its the best large scale sound system ive heard.
 

chebby

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kusum65:Naim seems to draw marmite like opinions form people. AVI say they are under powered but the big rough trade record store in the east end use Naim and pmc and its the best large scale sound system ive heard.

Yes, well, I don't think hifi in general (or Naim in particular) has reached the point where the whole industry is simply... "a debate with AVI" as much as they would like it to seem so.

They are a small company that make a good product for a particular niche, and I doubt very much that their owner's pronouncements on Naim will affect that company's sales or reputation one jot.
 

Frank Harvey

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AVI say a lot of things....

Kusum - your Rotel is a pretty potent amp for it's budget, so will do just as good a job as anything else at the price point, maybe even better. From your posts, you seem to after something smoother - Rotel are fairly neutral, and a little on the bright side of neutral for some. If you want something a little easier on the ear, try amps from Rega, Arcam, or even Quad as igglebert is using.
 

kusum65

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Thanks David. From that point of view i can go ahead and get my Spendors and look into amps at a later date.

Im curious , as an Arcam dealer does the " you have couple the power amp with the integrated" school of thought have any resonance with you? Ive read of so many Arcam owners over the years who do this. THe a85 then the a90 and the current FMJ range, many seem to get the power amp before they are happy, and that just sounds expensive , plus one box to many.
 
kusum65:I recently auditioned Spendor Sa1 speakers and loved now covet a pair. When i asked the dealer if they would suit my amp , a Rotel 1062 , he told me no problem but im doubting this based on their db rating. Has anyone had experience with the speakers or can make any suggestions as to power rating that would suit? My main source is an Arcam 192 but i also have a TT which is powered through a valve pre amp.

Hi kusum65

The RA1062 is imo the finest amplifier Rotel has produced over the last ten yesrs. It is still an excellent amplifier. The RA1062 has more than enough quality of power which is current rich and one with a good damping factor. One of the speakers used at the design stage of the RA1062 were the 801's (which are known for their resistive load). Whilst the RA1062 was not ultimately designed to get the best out of the 801's it is however more than capable of offering a respectable performance and power delivery to the 801's. I have listened to this pair and the RA1062 has more than enough consistent, stable and potent power for the SA1's.

If you still feel the need to look at another amplifier than i think an amplifier that will give you more than a fair upgrade (certainly in terms of sound quality) is Naim's Nait's XS.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

crusaderlord

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i used to own an Arcam A70 which i did feel would be best paired with a power amplifier. I havent felt the A32 ever needed a power amp but that isnt to say i wont ever get one.

I demo'd the Spendor SA1 with Arcam A32 and later an A38 and thought they sounded great and had enough power.
 

kusum65

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Thanks my friend, interesting history. I would hate to give up on the old girl its a beautiful build and when one of the channel outputs went Rotel fixed it in 10 days and charged me £40. I was very impressed. Plus i thought it scored better than the Kandy in everyway.

Should have been more of a success than it was.

Well if it can handle 804s then its of to the shops i go.
 

Frank Harvey

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kusum65: Thanks David. From that point of view i can go ahead and get my Spendors and look into amps at a later date.

Im curious , as an Arcam dealer does the " you have couple the power amp with the integrated" school of thought have any resonance with you? Ive read of so many Arcam owners over the years who do this. THe a85 then the a90 and the current FMJ range, many seem to get the power amp before they are happy, and that just sounds expensive , plus one box to many.

It depends how good the amplifier is. In many cases, all you'r doing is adding a more powerful amp to drive the bass. The quality of the integrated amp is still the same, so actual quality won't be improved. This is one reason why speaker manufacturers like Dynaudio and Spendor have done away with bi-wiring posts, because adding a power amp or adding a second power amp of the same value is a minimal upgrade - it's far better to move to a better power amplifier or integrated amp.
 
kusum65:
Thanks my friend, interesting history. I would hate to give up on the old girl its a beautiful build and when one of the channel outputs went Rotel fixed it in 10 days and charged me £40. I was very impressed. Plus i thought it scored better than the Kandy in everyway.

Should have been more of a success than it was.

Well if it can handle 804s then its of to the shops i go.

Hi kusum65

Your welcome.

If you are happy with the RA1062 than hold on to it for as long as possible. From what i remember i think the RA1062 can deliver around 27amps of current and 500w of peak power into a 1ohm load which is almost text book like.

Ultimately i don't know how well the RA1062 has done for Rotel however personally i sold many of them (in fact i exclusively had and was selling the RA1062/RCD1072 a month before anyone else in Europe).

Btw, i was referring to the even tougher 801's although 804's are easier.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

wtaylorbasil

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igglebert:poldo:...the Naim it wil grap you by the throat and never let go... ...just how I like to relax in the evenings...

[Quote user=wtaylorbasil] You know a lot about amps! Please give me some advice here. I have a pair of IMF TLS80 MkII transmission line speakers (20Hz to above audibility but power hungry 85 dB sensitivity of the 70s) and like the sound from them a lot. At the moment I use a Yamaha 5.1 DSP to service my HT needs as well as my more serious 2-channel listening. If I were to have an amp just for the 2-channel use, what amp/s would be ideal?
 

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