Budget amp for AVI Neutron 5?

[admin_exported]

hi,

after way too many visits to hi-fi stores and poring over these forums, i've finally settled on getting the wonderful AVI Neutron 5 speakers...

the remaining question is which budget amp to partner them with? i auditioned the AVI's with the NAD C315 amp and the Marantz PM4001, and marginally preferred the NAD, but would I get much/any improvement in sound quality at low-ish volumes if I partnered the AVI's instead with the Marantz PM6002? (I've heard the PM6002 with different setups, but not with the AVI's) Or any other budget amps to consider, costing less than £300 and ideally much closer to £200?

most of my listening is done at low-ish volumes & i'll be using a laptop + Dacmagic or Beresford (and ocassionally an ipod) as a source.

thanks for any thoughts!

chris

 

[daveh75]

Get the neutron's with the power amp packs(they're on special offer at the moment) here. Then use the beresford as pre-amp!

 

[Anonymous]

thanks daveh75, that sounds interesting! would it sound much better than pairing with a 'normal' budget amp?

other issue is i like to mess around with the bass/treble on some albums + i'd like to have the 2 inputs of dac/laptop plus ipod dock both connected to the amp.. still, certainly an interesting option for me to think about!

 

[Anonymous]

I would go for an Audioab 8000s, and you can pick them up for £250 from here http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/2387

Great sounding amp imo.

 

[John Duncan]

chrisdj:
thanks daveh75, that sounds interesting! would it sound much better than pairing with a 'normal' budget amp?

other issue is i like to mess around with the bass/treble on some albums + i'd like to have the 2 inputs of dac/laptop plus ipod dock both connected to the amp.. still, certainly an interesting option for me to think about!

The amp-pak Neutrons are extremely good value at the moment, though I only know the amps by reputation (I own the Neutrons).

Use EQ on iTunes or iPod if you must have tone control. Alternatively, that would give you some spare cash to investigate a modest preamp on well-known auction sites...

 

[Anonymous]

I am not a HiFi expert and have not tried various amplifiers, but my Neutron 5 have the strapped-on 100watt amplifier and it certainly makes for a clear and punchy sound.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the advice everyone. for a novice like me the idea of adding on an amp pak to what was a passive speaker seems a bit strange... but given your feedback it does seem likely it'll beat a separate budget amp for sound quality.

 

[John Duncan]

At the price it ought to yes, but you need to weigh up the practicalities for what you want to achieve - if you're getting a Beresford then there's volume control for the DAC, but you might still want other inputs, which means auction sites for an old preamp (though you'll not that there are some spectacular ones on there for not much money, if you fancy pushing the baot out).

Note also that you need power to each speaker and an interconnect (*not* speaker cable), from preamp to speaker.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting re: multiple inputs, as ideally yes I'd like to have my ipod plugged in at the same time (plus a cheapie DVD player, but I suppose that could go through the Beresford).

In fact, before hearing the AVI Neutron 5s, I'd been leaning to the Dynaudio MC15s. The MC15s sounded much better (particularly crisper? vocals) than everything else I'd heard, but I'd been put off by their single input as well as their price. Then i heard the Neutron 5s which to my ears sounded nearly as good as the MC15s, & were more "room filling", if that makes sense.

 

[John Duncan]

In which case, consider a cheap preamp from a well-known auction site - a Rotel RC[insert any number here] can usually be had for less than fifty quid - which'll give you multiple inputs.

 

[Cypher]

Will the Marantz PM6003 work well with these speakers ? I heard the Neutron speakers need a smooth amp.

 

[John Duncan]

Not so sure about smooth - I wouldn't say they're rough at the top end. They like a bit of power though, and might be better served with a Cambridge 650A or NAD. I was using a Primare A20 which pumped out the watts...

 

[Cypher]

The plan is to buy the new Marantz Pearl Lite amp in the future so power will be no problem.........

I always had the idea the Neutron was a fairly aggressive speaker but I'm wrong I quess

Thanks for your answer John.

 

[JoelSim]

Cypher:

The plan is to buy the new Marantz Pearl Lite amp in the future so power will be no problem.........

I always had the idea the Neutron was a fairly aggressive speaker but I'm wrong I quess

Thanks for your answer John.

You don't want active speakers then

 

[Messiah]

You could always email Ashley direct and he'll give you an answer pretty quickly.

 

[John Duncan]

Messiah:You could always email Ashley direct and he'll give you an answer pretty quickly.

"Buy ADM9.1s"