Arcam FMJ A19 with MA RX 6

[dan25]

Hello all,

I own MA RX 6 and after reading tons of reviews it seems that Arcam FMJ A19 seems to be a good match. Does anybody have this combo in order to share his opinion? I would also like to know how it handles less quality CD recordings? I am asking this because nowadays it's difficult to find good CD recordings. You may have seen some older posts when I've asked some opinions concerning Creek evo 50a but most people say that it doesn't perform well with my speakers(too bright). My room is 21 sqm. My budget is 1000 euro but I would like in this money also a DAC (maybe Arcam a19 + irDAC).
Great forum, great people!

 

[CnoEvil]

Flattery will get you everywhere. *biggrin*

I haven't heard that particular combination, but Arcam/MA are usually a good match.

The other amp to keep in mind is the Croft Integrated, which has a valve in the pre amp.

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes, Arcam and MA Silver range are a fabulous match. Although not heard the A19, and have owned the older DIVA range with RS6 for donkeys and loved the combo. However, there is one caveat: If you have a reflective room it may stray a little brighter than one would like.

Creek is also a fabulous match with MA Silver range (Evo2/RS6 combo).

Other makes around that budget is the Roksan Kandys, Primare and Marantz midrange amps.

**EDIT** Even better than my initial suggestion: Mr. Boggit is selling his Leema Pulse. I also have the Pulse and they sound cracking with RS6s and RX range. Should be a considerable step up from the A19 and other price compatible amps.

 

[Esra]

Peachtree amp.Nova 125/SE would be perfect but older models with lesser specs like a decco2 or Nova do it fine too,just avoid first gen. types as they are weaker and had some problems with the dac randomly if you go sec. hand. Great synergy with RX6 and great dac included,looks special and nice too.Prefered it over the Arcam expecially with poor recordings and streams though the Arcam is a nice combo and won´t dissapoint too.But for digital you need extra box and a comparable dac as the peachtree has incl. it won´t be cheap.

 

[dan25]

Thank you all... Arcam A19, from the reviews I've read, seems to be very sensitive concerning speakers and source and now PP pointed a new one: room acoustics. K2 is a powerfull amp but bad phono and headphone output. Nova 125 has only one analog input which is problematic for my system. Croft could not find in my coutry. Primare i22 could be a solution and also Marantz pm7005 or pm8005 which are not quite reviewed cause they're to new. Unfortunately I cannot demo because the dealers doesn't send equipment for audition in other cities. I am interested in a detailed sound with strong tight bass clear mids and treble bellow brigthness level. I've listened to nad356 bee with ma rs6 but the treble was quiet and the bass was to forward. Details were also missing. A bad recording sounded unlistenable. I am in a difficult situation that's why I need your experiences concerning ma rx6 amp pairing. Please share !

 

[Vladimir]

Can confirm that headphone output on the Roksan K2 / K2BT has no guts. I wonder why they bothered with it.

 

[dan25]

Ohhh... Forgot Leema Pulse PP. Read good reviews but only elements I could find here. An wow they're expensive.I think pulse is not available anymore.

 

[plastic penguin]

Think the safe bet is Creek and Arcam, but if your room acoustics aren't up to scratch then you might find a little too much transparency for it to be comfortable. That's the one problem with hard domed tweeters. Great in a acoustic-friendly room but can sound a little mechanical in a sparsely furnished one.

No, the Elements range replaced the Pulse.

 

[dan25]

I have very few experience concerning acoustics. In my room I have hardwood floor, 6 sqm carpet and 4 m long couch (L shape). Is this good or bad for acoustics ?

 

[dan25]

My room is rectangle 5.5 x 3.8. I have also curtains in the back of the speakers. Seems that I have decent acoustics .

 

[CnoEvil]

I have very few experience concerning acoustics. In my room I have hardwood floor, 6 sqm carpet and 4 m long couch (L shape). Is this good or bad for acoustics ?

Generally speaking, hard reflective surfaces (tiles, glass and laminate flooring) are bad (echoey); whereas carpet, curtains and soft furnishings are good, as long as they don't "deaden" the sound too much. Also, square rooms are not ideal for good sound.

 

[BigH]

My room is rectangle 5.5 x 3.8. I have also curtains in the back of the speakers. Seems that I have decent acoustics .

clap your hands, does it echo? Your floor may not help but apart from that seems ok.

 

[Esra]

Thank you all... Arcam A19, from the reviews I've read, seems to be very sensitive concerning speakers and source and now PP pointed a new one: room acoustics. K2 is a powerfull amp but bad phono and headphone output. Nova 125 has only one analog input which is problematic for my system. Croft could not find in my coutry. Primare i22 could be a solution and also Marantz pm7005 or pm8005 which are not quite reviewed cause they're to new. Unfortunately I cannot demo because the dealers doesn't send equipment for audition in other cities. I am interested in a detailed sound with strong tight bass clear mids and treble bellow brigthness level. I've listened to nad356 bee with ma rs6 but the treble was quiet and the bass was to forward. Details were also missing. A bad recording sounded unlistenable. I am in a difficult situation that's why I need your experiences concerning ma rx6 amp pairing. Please share !

From what you tell about your experience with the NAD356/Rs6 combo I assume you would like the Creek Evo50 with your RX6.

 

[dan25]

Claped my hands and whife asked "What are you doing ! There is some echo but much better then in another room with laminate flooring where the echo is harsh. So acoustics seems ok. Other experiences with speakers pairing?

 

[plastic penguin]

Claped my hands and whife asked "What are you doing ! There is some echo but much better then in another room with laminate flooring where the echo is harsh. So acoustics seems ok. Other experiences with speakers pairing?

Make sure you use copper speaker cables. They don't do an awful lot, but silver-based ones can accentuate any harshness a little. Other than that, audition until you find the right sounding combo.

 

[dan25]

Thank you for sugestion. Creek 50A was subject in the past. Users mentiones weak bass and incompatibiliy with ma rx6 speakers (sounds too bright). I like good bass but with nad 356bee the lows were to obvious and the trebble was left in the back. I would prefer a more balanced sound.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thank you for sugestion. Creek 50A was subject in the past. Users mentiones weak bass and incompatibiliy with ma rx6 speakers (sounds too bright). I like good bass but with nad 356bee the lows were to obvious and the trebble was left in the back. I would prefer a more balanced sound.

This is why I mentioned in my previous post to audition. The Creek I had on home dem (Evo2) the bass sounded fantastic with RS6s -- can't envisage any problems there. Dem and enjoy the experience. You really will only experience weak bass if the amp doesn't have full control over the speakers.

 

[Vladimir]

RS6 are 6 ohms nominal, which would indicate impedance drop under 4 ohms, probably down in the range of 3 - 4 ohms. Both the Creek Evo 50A and Arcam A19 will struggle with this load, resulting in lacking lower bass depth and deffinition. John Atkinson in his measurments in their Stereophile reviews also indicated that those amps are not for speakers going under 6 ohms.

That Leema would do a better job than both these amps I reckon.

 

[plastic penguin]

RS6 are 6 ohms nominal, which would indicate impedance drop under 4 ohms, probably down in the range of 3 - 4 ohms. Both the Creek Evo 50A and Arcam A19 will struggle with this load, resulting in lacking lower bass depth and deffinition. John Atkinson in his measurments in their Stereophile reviews also indicated that those amps are not for speakers going under 6 ohms.

That Leema would do a better job than both these amps I reckon.

On paper you're right. I had a 40 watt Arcam with RS6s for years and it was fine. Sure you won't get night club levels but ordinary day-to-day listening Arcam and Creek is fine, hence why I've emphasised in two posts about auditioning. He can decide for himself.

For the record, the Creek is the same wattage as the Leema, and the Pulse drove the RS6s with ease.

 

[Vladimir]

Not implying club level SPL at all. For that you need big PA speakers, not just a big hi-fi amp. Speaking strictly domestic SPL levels here.

The Arcam and the Creek were designed for easy to drive speakers and their specification clearly implies that. Looking at Leema's specs now and the PSU it might be similar case as well. But some people like less bass, it puts more accent on the rest of the frequencies. Big and deep bass makes the sound feel dark, warm, slow and homogenous, hiding the sprakly details of the midrange and crashing cymbals.

The MA RS6 are 91dB, meaning they go loud on few watts, but the bottom end (and they go deep, 38Hz) will still continue to suck current from the amp more as impedance dips and phase shifts occur. Combined with smaller amps these speakers will play, no doubt, but they will not rock.

Back in the days speakers were furniture big, so 20Wpc was good enough. Now speakers are small and hidden among the furniture thus they need more power to get the same sound. That's how it goes, Hoffman's Iron Law.

Arcam's FMJ A19 shouldn't be used for driving loads much below 6 ohms at high levels, but that is a sensible compromise made to keep its price affordable. Other than that caveat, the A19's measured performance is excellent.—John Atkinson

A high current NAD will drive these speakers well from top to bottom. Of course if that is what the OP wants. It has tone controls, you can have any tonal balance you want. If there too much bass, just turn down the knob. NAD becomes Arcam, Creek, Leema etc. That easy.

I used to rely on the "I heard it, therefore it is good" policy of me and others, but not anymore. People listen to speakers for years without noticing dead tweeters, out of phase connections, mono switches turned on etc. God knows how many times I've been to hear someones hi-fi setup and it distorts, suffocates, booms or screams of sibilants and they expected high praise of me how good it sounds. Speaking of audiophiles here, not everyday HT Joe. Human hearing is uterly unreliable and useless measuring tool if used on its own merrits.

 

[dan25]

Thanks Vladimir for such a deteiled technical presentation. What amp power then you recommend for my speakers ma rx6 to emphasize their qualities? I have a 21 sqm room and I don't usualy play loud volume.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thanks Vladimir for such a deteiled technical presentation. What amp power then you recommend for my speakers ma rx6 to emphasize their qualities? I have a 21 sqm room and I don't usualy play loud volume.

Technical guff isn't the whole story. I've always advocated that RS and RX range need quality amplification to hear them at their best. The difference is I've had Creek at home with RS6s, Vlad hasn't.

No doubt he'll be pushing Roksan Kandy BT, but Creek is a very gutsy little amp, more than ample for everyday use.

All this postering means nothing until you've heard one yourself.

 

[BigH]

RS6 are 6 ohms nominal, which would indicate impedance drop under 4 ohms, probably down in the range of 3 - 4 ohms. Both the Creek Evo 50A and Arcam A19 will struggle with this load, resulting in lacking lower bass depth and deffinition. John Atkinson in his measurments in their Stereophile reviews also indicated that those amps are not for speakers going under 6 ohms.

That Leema would do a better job than both these amps I reckon.

not sure about that, I heard the creek 50a with epos epic 5s which are rated at 4 ohms, it drove very easily, my only complaint was there was too much bass, on jazz the double bass was a bit overwhelming and that was in a large room maybe 60sq m. With fs I don't think the creek will struggle, with cm1s yes maybe.

 

[Vladimir]

Roksan is out due to the phono and headphone outputs, as described in page 1.

I'm not saying go and blind buy an amp. We are discussing here loosely what will fit the budget and the technical discussion should filter out unsuited candidates performance wise, giving the OP a much shorter list to further work with. Lets call it a qualification round. First choose what can do the job, then choose among them the best suited to fullfil personal preferences (sound presentation, buld quality, brand, aesthetics etc.). There is no free lunch. There is a good reason why manufacturers charge more money for more powerfull amps. They are simply better.

What you plasticpenguin heard in your room, with your gear, with your music, with your listening preferences, is of no value to the OP because he will hear something completely different with the same gear. Like you said, best for him to hear for himself, if possible take an amp home for a demo. All we can do is help with the shortlist on objective merrits.

I'd be comfortable recommending any amplifier model that is suited for 4 ohm loads, regardless of brand. NAD, Arcam, Creek, Rotel, Harman, Denon, whatever.

He can just buy the Arcam A19 or the Creek. I certanly won't loose any sleep over it. *unknw*

 

[Vladimir]

RS6 are 6 ohms nominal, which would indicate impedance drop under 4 ohms, probably down in the range of 3 - 4 ohms. Both the Creek Evo 50A and Arcam A19 will struggle with this load, resulting in lacking lower bass depth and deffinition. John Atkinson in his measurments in their Stereophile reviews also indicated that those amps are not for speakers going under 6 ohms.

That Leema would do a better job than both these amps I reckon.

not sure about that, I heard the creek 50a with epos epic 5s which are rated at 4 ohms, it drove very easily, my only complaint was there was too much bass, on jazz the double bass was a bit overwhelming and that was in a large room maybe 60sq m. With fs I don't think the creek will struggle, with cm1s yes maybe.

Again I can't comment on "I heard it therefore it is good" because you heard it and to you it was good. To me it may or may not be.