Another "first Hi-Fi system" suggestion thread!

[shize312]

Hey there, i finally sarted my first thread, nice to meet you!
I bet older timers have seen this kind of post a million times but i guess helping and sharing knowledge with a new timer could still be fun? i do not consider myself an audiophile, though i have tried to respect and train my ears at best throughout all my life.

I strongly believe that choices come down to personal taste and therefore i am not looking for a list of equipment i should get, but more of a suggestions and to discuss what i already have in mind.
My budget is in the 500 to1000 Euro range for the amplifier and about the same for the monitors; i do not have a proper listening room but i do have a ~ 35 square meters living room which will accomodate the system and where i already listen to music with a budget setup and a Denon DP-300F automatic turntable with an Ortofon 2m red cartridge - the turntable will be updated in the near future along with the cartridge.
I have had the chance to listen to two of the Cambridge Audio integrated amplifiers (AXA35 and CXA61) and i am not a fan of their sound as i am more on the warmer side!
What i like, though, is the Magnat MA900 hybrid integrated amp; the description says: "200 watts of sine power per channel at 4 ohms and 2 x 320 watts of maximum pulse power", and here comes my newbie question: how should i read and consider the output wattage? the 200W will be the output power provided to any 4 ohms monitors connected to it or the output wattage will vary depending on the monitor? and again, what means 320 watts of maximum pulse power? what should i look when pairing a set of speakers to this amp?
For now in my speakers list you can find the Wharfedale 4.1, KEF LS50 Meta and the Sonus Faber Lumina II; the latter are my least favorite as i find them to be too bright for my taste. Any suggestions, given the details you a few lines above, will be much appreciated.

PS: i also do not despise a more analitical - neutral - sounding monitor and amplifier.

Cheers

 

[Edbostan]

Hey there, i finally sarted my first thread, nice to meet you!
I bet older timers have seen this kind of post a million times but i guess helping and sharing knowledge with a new timer could still be fun? i do not consider myself an audiophile, though i have tried to respect and train my ears at best throughout all my life.

I strongly believe that choices come down to personal taste and therefore i am not looking for a list of equipment i should get, but more of a suggestions and to discuss what i already have in mind.
My budget is in the 500 to1000 Euro range for the amplifier and about the same for the monitors; i do not have a proper listening room but i do have a ~ 35 square meters living room which will accomodate the system and where i already listen to music with a budget setup and a Denon DP-300F automatic turntable with an Ortofon 2m red cartridge - the turntable will be updated in the near future along with the cartridge.
I have had the chance to listen to two of the Cambridge Audio integrated amplifiers (AXA35 and CXA61) and i am not a fan of their sound as i am more on the warmer side!
What i like, though, is the Magnat MA900 hybrid integrated amp; the description says: "200 watts of sine power per channel at 4 ohms and 2 x 320 watts of maximum pulse power", and here comes my newbie question: how should i read and consider the output wattage? the 200W will be the output power provided to any 4 ohms monitors connected to it or the output wattage will vary depending on the monitor? and again, what means 320 watts of maximum pulse power? what should i look when pairing a set of speakers to this amp?
For now in my speakers list you can find the Wharfedale 4.1, KEF LS50 Meta and the Sonus Faber Lumina II; the latter are my least favorite as i find them to be too bright for my taste. Any suggestions, given the details you a few lines above, will be much appreciated.

PS: i also do not despise a more analitical - neutral - sounding monitor and amplifier.

Cheers

I don't know if you are in the UK but Hi-Fi retailers put together packages at a range of prices. I would suggest choose a package to suit the depth of your pocket and have a listen.

 

[Gray]

The Magnat specs you've quoted are for its continuous and peak output power.
If it can put 200W into 4 ohms then it will have no trouble driving most speakers.
As far as speaker matching goes, note that impedance figures are nominal (the impedance always changes with the music signal).
Treat the maximum quoted speaker wattage as a guide rather than a hard limit. Just use the volume control sensibly to always ensure a clean, undistorted sound.

You say you don't despise an analytical sound - which is good, because that's what you'll get with any decent monitor.
Others may disagree, but as far as I'm concerned 'warm' and 'neutral' are two different things. (I'll take the latter thanks).
Good luck.

 

[shize312]

I don't know if you are in the UK but Hi-Fi retailers put together packages at a range of prices. I would suggest choose a package to suit the depth of your pocket and have a listen.

Thanks for your suggestion @Edbostan, i do not live inthe UK but i will have a look into it anyway.

The Magnat specs you've quoted are for its continuous and peak output power.
If it can put 200W into 4 ohms then it will have no trouble driving most speakers.
As far as speaker matching goes, note that impedance figures are nominal (the impedance always changes with the music signal).
Treat the maximum quoted speaker wattage as a guide rather than a hard limit. Just use the volume control sensibly to always ensure a clean, undistorted sound.

You say you don't despise an analytical sound - which is good, because that's what you'll get with any decent monitor.
Others may disagree, but as far as I'm concerned 'warm' and 'neutral' are two different things. (I'll take the latter thanks).
Good luck.

Thanks @Gray for your help on understanding the specs and terms best.

What i do not understand it is whether i can use the Magnat MA900 (in this case) to drive, let's say, any pair of monitors which have a nominal impedance of 6 - 8 ohms with a recommended amplifier power between 25 to 100 watts, or not? this is just to have a reference.
Will the amplifier deliver too much output power to the monitors, risking to burn them?

 

[gasolin]

Magnat MA 900: Seite 5 - i-fidelity.net

www.i-fidelity.net

 

[Gray]

What i do not understand it is whether i can use the Magnat MA900 (in this case) to drive, let's say, any pair of monitors which have a nominal impedance of 6 - 8 ohms with a recommended amplifier power between 25 to 100 watts, or not? this is just to have a reference.
Will the amplifier deliver too much output power to the monitors, risking to burn them?
[/QUOTE]
That's a good question.
Obviously, on paper the Magnat exceeds the recommended maximum of the speaker in your example. Ideally, your speaker would have a higher maximum rating.
In practice though, loads of people use amps rated higher than their speakers maximum - often well above. Not recommending it, just stating the facts
But it's certainly preferable to have too much, rather than too little power - both in terms of performance and damage potential.
To burn the speakers out in your example, you'd probably have to run them continuously at levels way above what would be comfortable for your ears.

You will see plenty of people advising against getting too hung up on specs.
(Without looking it up, I couldn't tell you the maximum recommended power handling of my speakers).

 

[robdmarsh]

Never heard of Magnat. Is that a brand which is popular in Aus and NZ? It looks like a beast and the hybrid tube and solid state technology is intriguing. Are those specs to be trusted? The power rating is off the scale!

 

[shize312]

Never heard of Magnat. Is that a brand which is popular in Aus and NZ? It looks like a beast and the hybrid tube and solid state technology is intriguing. Are those specs to be trusted? The power rating is off the scale!

The specs are given by the manufacturer!
The MA900 also have a smaller sibling: the MA700, and along with them come also two receivers from the same line: the MR750 and MR780!
They definitely look amazing and well built; i mostly play records and liquid music, unfortunately neither i have a way to audition them nor i can't find any detailed reviews or measurements online to see the quality of their components.

As a side note, i heard somewhere that the MA900 is built in the same factory as the Advance Paris A10 and they also share some of the technology (i don't know whether this is true or not, take it with a pinch of salt).
Also, the Advance Paris makes the A5 and A7 which are two receivers that i would place in the same category with the MA750 and MA780 from Magnat, but still, there are not many info around!