Digitial Amp for BBC speakers

Hi guys,

I have just saved my dad from chucking out his old BBC speakers which are Spendor SA1 and he has also very kindly given me is vinly collection and a turntable to get started.

I am having problems on my choice of amplifer i have found the Denon PMA50 as its in my budget and offers digitical connections which i manly use bluetooth, Dac with usb and optical. My issue is that even thouse these speakers are great they aren't very sensitive rated 82db @ 1m with 1w and with a power rating of 40w while the denon's output is at 30w.

will i be noticablly underpowering these speakers?
 

Frank Harvey

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Some might pop on and give you advice based on numbers, but all I'm going to say is that putting just any amplifier on the end of a pair of SA1s is a sure route to disappointment. Book yourself a time slot at your local dealer and try a few amps out, from budget up to more than you can afford. This will tell you straight away just what will be needed to get them sounding good, and what is needed to get the best out of them.

Any amplifier can drive any speaker, but the end result will vary, a lot. Any amplifier (including the Denon you mention) can sound amazing, used with a well partnered pair of speakers. Don't underestimate the importance of choosing the right amplifier and speaker combination.

There won't be any amplifier within your budget that will bring out the best in a pair of SA1s, in my personal opinion. I suspect you will be needing to double your budget to get something that will start to get the SA1s to start sounding any good. To qualify that statement, you will need to hear exactly what they are capable of before being able to assess which amplifiers are able to do a good job driving them.

What amplifier was your father using with them?
 

davedotco

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On this occasion anyway...*blum3*

Modern SA1s cost well over £1000 and although somewhat different to your vintage models, it does give you an idea of the level of amplification required.

I think you will probably have to spend more to get decent results, let alone all that they are capable of, perhaps you can do things in stages, perhaps buying used equipment?
 
Thanks David,

He was always swapping and changing his amp as he use to be a engineer so always had some new unit that he had fixed but i rember them being on a Music Fidelity A1.

i would love to test them out at a shop but sadly i don't have access to a car and they weigh a ton! i would also love to double my budget but i can't as it just wouldn't be sensible.

i have throught about used amps or "vintage" amps but am i right in thinking that most modern amps would have simply surpassed all of them unless they where extremly high quailty when they came out?
 

Infiniteloop

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Elliott Leishman said:
Thanks David,

He was always swapping and changing his amp as he use to be a engineer so always had some new unit that he had fixed but i rember them being on a Music Fidelity A1.

i would love to test them out at a shop but sadly i don't have access to a car and they weigh a ton! i would also love to double my budget but i can't as it just wouldn't be sensible.

i have throught about used amps or "vintage" amps but am i right in thinking that most modern amps would have simply surpassed all of them unless they where extremly high quailty when they came out?

I had a Musical Fidelity A1 many moons ago. It sounded warm and sweet and was kind of what got me interested in Valve Amps. - Maybe something to explore?
 
Sorry to dig up this thread again,

but thought i should say i ended up going with the NAD D 3020 and after having it for a few months i can say i am very happy with it. Although the neighbours aren't too keen :p it is missing a slight warmth that i have heard on older Amps but i'm often impressed by its performance.

my cirtisicm is that i have realised the limimaitons to apt-x bluetooth vs using spotify via ps4 with optical connection to the amp i do notice a drop in sound quailty and colour, which is a shame as this was one of the main reasons i wanted this amp. however i do not put that down to the amp but more to the limits of bluetooth as i have recently listened to all of whathifi best bluetooth headphones and a few of their speakers and amps and i'm never really happy with the quailty.

I can really see this amp lasting me for a good few years and due to its small form factor in the years when i have more money and update my amp i can see this being a great amp for the kitchen or bedroom! I also think that spendors SA1's will always stay as my main audio speakers as even with new set i think i would find it hard to find a pair that would beat them without selling my soul, they are amazing!

but to sum up if anyone comes across this thread with a similar query have a think about how much you need a bluetooth amp as the quailty will never be as good as other connections and with things such a spotify through a chromecast there isn't a need for it.

thanks for the help guys
 

muljao

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Great to get something you are happy with. I consider Bluetooth handy (for say background music, or when you cant actually really sit down to listen) but when you need the music quality there are better options
 

NS496

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Elliott Leishman said:
Sorry to dig up this thread again,

but thought i should say i ended up going with the NAD D 3020 and after having it for a few months i can say i am very happy with it. Although the neighbours aren't too keen :p it is missing a slight warmth that i have heard on older Amps but i'm often impressed by its performance.

my cirtisicm is that i have realised the limimaitons to apt-x bluetooth vs using spotify via ps4 with optical connection to the amp i do notice a drop in sound quailty and colour, which is a shame as this was one of the main reasons i wanted this amp. however i do not put that down to the amp but more to the limits of bluetooth as i have recently listened to all of whathifi best bluetooth headphones and a few of their speakers and amps and i'm never really happy with the quailty.

I can really see this amp lasting me for a good few years and due to its small form factor in the years when i have more money and update my amp i can see this being a great amp for the kitchen or bedroom! I also think that spendors SA1's will always stay as my main audio speakers as even with new set i think i would find it hard to find a pair that would beat them without selling my soul, they are amazing!

but to sum up if anyone comes across this thread with a similar query have a think about how much you need a bluetooth amp as the quailty will never be as good as other connections and with things such a spotify through a chromecast there isn't a need for it.

thanks for the help guys

I find the D 3020 a great 'lifestyle' amp. I got so used to its neat smallness, that most 'normal' amps looks unnecessarily oversized! Very high W-A-F too!

I think the amp (DAC + amplification) sounds sweet with my music choice, but agree with the Bluetooth observation - very convenient but ultimately you want to use the best connection for serious listening, which amounts to the USB input, or optical which I use to stream from the Airport Express.

Regarding the headphones: I never liked BT sets, but recently got a pair of JBL Everest 700's and for the first time I have a BT headset that I'm fairly happy to use. It really is 'good enough' for me - I was pleasantly surprised as I thought I'll never like a BT set, despite all the convenience. The only major gripe is that there is a lip-sync lag issue with BT if used with video.
 

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