DIMD PP10/Kef R3

Jan 11, 2021
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Hi all, new to the forum.
Thinking of upgrading my system and would appreciate a bit of advice on pairing.
Currently have a Yamaha AV amp with 7.1 surround Monitor Audio speakers. Radius 270, 225,90's and sub.
I'm happy with the surround sound, but stereo sound could be better.
I have temporarily set up another amp for stereo, wired just through the MA 270's.
This definitely improves the sound for music only listening.
Therefore thinking of buying a decent amp, possibly the DIMD PP10, and pairing with a pair of Kef R3's to replace the MA 270's and use those in the 7.1 set up.
The room isn't large, about 4.5m x 4m.
I'll be running a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 through the new amp for streaming.
Anyone got anything similar? Or any reason why these wouldn't sound good together?
Both the amp and speakers have very good reviews, and I reckon they would look great together, but I'm a bit apprehensive about spending 4 grand without being able to hear the equipment first. No chance of that at the moment obviously, but even without Covid, finding a supplier with both the bits of kit I want won't be easy!
Any ideas/advice?
Thanks in advance,
Matt.
 
On paper the DIMD is rather underpowered for the likes of the KEF R3. I had to look up the amp because I’d never heard of it. It looks stunning, but even if the sound was ‘perfect’, ten watts isn’t really enough for insensitive small box speakers, although they’re not as insensitive as some. Even KEF state a minimum of 15 watts.
Would you consider a SS amplifier with 80watts or more?
 
Jan 11, 2021
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Thanks for your reply.
I would much prefer a valve amplifier, and did particularly like the look of the DIMD. Could you recommend a pair of speakers to match with that amp?
I don’t need to be able to crank up the volume too much, as it is only a fairly small room.
 
It's not so much about cranking up the volume it's more to do with the amplifiers ability to control the speakers sufficiently well to produce a great sound.
in my opinion you need to be looking at some speakers that are specifically designed to work with low powered valve amps such as these..
 
Thanks for your reply.
I would much prefer a valve amplifier, and did particularly like the look of the DIMD. Could you recommend a pair of speakers to match with that amp?
I don’t need to be able to crank up the volume too much, as it is only a fairly small room.
In that case you’d probably be ok. I’d hesitate to recommend speakers more sensitive of that ‘Bookshelf’ size beyond budget models by Q Acoustics, because such designs tend to be more eccentric, perhaps using horn loading or other techniques which give wildly varying results.
In practice, the DIMD may well yield greater power under test, but unless you find a dependable source, such as Stereophile or Hifi News it is hard to know. Tube amps often have a high output impedance, around 1 ohm, which affects the frequency response of the attached speaker. So outcomes are hard to predict. A hybrid valve design might be a better long term choice.
 

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