Gain matching advise for Exposure 3010s1 power amp

[Alberich]

Good evening,

Can anyone please provide me with advice regarding gain matching when combining an Exposure 3010s1 power amp with an Arcam A19 as pre amp.

I'll be honest, my brain is not wired to make sense of these numbers I'm looking at.
I'm sure these specs are bread and butter to many of you and those with experience of matching gear with different gains would be familiar with them aswell.

Any enlightenment or simply confirmation whether the two amps are compatible or not would be greatly appreciated.

So my Arcam A19 has a spec of:
(Pre-amp output)
Nominal output level= 630mV
Output impedance= 230 Ohm

The Exposure 3010s1 power amp has a spec of:
Input sensitivity = 1.75V, gain + 24dB.
Input impedance = 18K Ohm.

The spec of the Arcam P35 that's compatible with the A19 has a spec of:
Nominal input sensitivity = 800mV.
Input impedance = 22K Ohm.

So to put it simply, are the A19 and P3010s1 compatible?

I'm sure these specs are pure child's play to some of you so any advice given to a differently inclined individual as myself will be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[Dom]

I'm like you, those numbers are meaningless, even though I know what the words are about.

I really hope somebody can help you, and make sence of it.

 

[davedotco]

Good evening,

Can anyone please provide me with advice regarding gain matching when combining an Exposure 3010s1 power amp with an Arcam A19 as pre amp.

I'll be honest, my brain is not wired to make sense of these numbers I'm looking at. I'm sure these specs are bread and butter to many of you and those with experience of matching gear with different gains would be familiar with them aswell.

Any enlightenment or simply confirmation whether the two amps are compatible or not would be greatly appreciated.

So my Arcam A19 has a spec of: (Pre-amp output) Nominal output level= 630mV Output impedance= 230 Ohm

The Exposure 3010s1 power amp has a spec of: Input sensitivity = 1.75V, gain + 24dB. Input impedance = 18K Ohm.

The spec of the Arcam P35 that's compatible with the A19 has a spec of: Nominal input sensitivity = 800mV. Input impedance = 22K Ohm.

So to put it simply, are the A19 and P3010s1 compatible?

I'm sure these specs are pure child's play to some of you so any advice given to a differently inclined individual as myself will be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance for any replies

The relevant part of the above spec is that the Exposure requires a greater signal from the pre-amp than the Arcam power amp, 1.75 volts for the Exposure as against 0.8 volts for the Arcam.

Put simply the Arcam/Exposure combination will be a little less loud for the same volume setting than the Arcam/Arcam pairing, just turn it up a touch. Given that modern amplifiers, especially pre-power combos, have more gain than they need I suspect the Arcam/Exposure pairing will be just fine.

(Though why you would want to pair an Arcam integrated with an Exposure power amp is beyond me.)

 

[andyjm]

Good evening,

Can anyone please provide me with advice regarding gain matching when combining an Exposure 3010s1 power amp with an Arcam A19 as pre amp.

I'll be honest, my brain is not wired to make sense of these numbers I'm looking at. I'm sure these specs are bread and butter to many of you and those with experience of matching gear with different gains would be familiar with them aswell.

Any enlightenment or simply confirmation whether the two amps are compatible or not would be greatly appreciated.

So my Arcam A19 has a spec of: (Pre-amp output) Nominal output level= 630mV Output impedance= 230 Ohm

The Exposure 3010s1 power amp has a spec of: Input sensitivity = 1.75V, gain + 24dB. Input impedance = 18K Ohm.

The spec of the Arcam P35 that's compatible with the A19 has a spec of: Nominal input sensitivity = 800mV. Input impedance = 22K Ohm.

So to put it simply, are the A19 and P3010s1 compatible?

I'm sure these specs are pure child's play to some of you so any advice given to a differently inclined individual as myself will be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance for any replies

The relevant part of the above spec is that the Exposure requires a greater signal from the pre-amp than the Arcam power amp, 1.75 volts for the Exposure as against 0.8 volts for the Arcam.

Put simply the Arcam/Exposure combination will be a little less loud for the same volume setting than the Arcam/Arcam pairing, just turn it up a touch. Given that modern amplifiers, especially pre-power combos, have more gain than they need I suspect the Arcam/Exposure pairing will be just fine.

(Though why you would want to pair an Arcam integrated with an Exposure power amp is beyond me.)

To reinforce Dave's point, the impedances are fine, it is possible that the combo might be a little quieter for the same setting.

The truth is that the specs for line level are a mess, it is unclear what 'nominal' means for Arcam or what the input level means for the Exposure amp - peak? RMS for full power output? could mean anything to be honest.

 

[davedotco]

The specs are pretty inconclusive, the Exposure power amp would seem to take a little more driving than the Arcam but I doubt the differences would be that great in practice.

I still wonder what it is that brings you to that combo?

 

[Alberich]

Good evening,

Can anyone please provide me with advice regarding gain matching when combining an Exposure 3010s1 power amp with an Arcam A19 as pre amp.

I'll be honest, my brain is not wired to make sense of these numbers I'm looking at. I'm sure these specs are bread and butter to many of you and those with experience of matching gear with different gains would be familiar with them aswell.

Any enlightenment or simply confirmation whether the two amps are compatible or not would be greatly appreciated.

So my Arcam A19 has a spec of: (Pre-amp output) Nominal output level= 630mV Output impedance= 230 Ohm

The Exposure 3010s1 power amp has a spec of: Input sensitivity = 1.75V, gain + 24dB. Input impedance = 18K Ohm.

The spec of the Arcam P35 that's compatible with the A19 has a spec of: Nominal input sensitivity = 800mV. Input impedance = 22K Ohm.

So to put it simply, are the A19 and P3010s1 compatible?

I'm sure these specs are pure child's play to some of you so any advice given to a differently inclined individual as myself will be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance for any replies

The relevant part of the above spec is that the Exposure requires a greater signal from the pre-amp than the Arcam power amp, 1.75 volts for the Exposure as against 0.8 volts for the Arcam.

Put simply the Arcam/Exposure combination will be a little less loud for the same volume setting than the Arcam/Arcam pairing, just turn it up a touch. Given that modern amplifiers, especially pre-power combos, have more gain than they need I suspect the Arcam/Exposure pairing will be just fine.

(Though why you would want to pair an Arcam integrated with an Exposure power amp is beyond me.)

Thanks for the info guys
I'm a little busy right now but I'll be back in a couple of hours to reply.

 

[Alberich]

The specs are pretty inconclusive, the Exposure power amp would seem to take a little more driving than the Arcam but I doubt the differences would be that great in practice.

I still wonder what it is that brings you to that combo?

Hi Davedotco,

What is it about the pairing that you find surprising?
Could you elaborate a bit please as I'm genuinely interested in why you think it strange.
The reason I'm considering the Exposure power/Arcam integrated pairing is that my A19 struggles with difficult speakers.
It needs a power addition imo.
Originally i was planning the natural upgrade path of adding a P35 to give me 105wpc but I have the opportunity of acquiring an Exposure 3010s1 for a decent price.

Do you consider them a mismatch purely on a sonic level?

I have another question on the gain match difference between the P35 and 3010s1 if you don't mind.
Your explanations in your previous posts have been very helpful and have translated the specs into a language I can fathom.

Since the Exposure requires a greater signal from the pre amp compared to the P35,
and subsequently would need a bit more volume when using the A19,
would the volume increase required add audible distortion to the signal from the A19?
Enough to discourage one from choosing this combo or will the proof just be in the listening?

 

[Alberich]

Davedotco I appreciate your clarification on the specs thank you.
Can you please elaborate on your comments that the idea to pair an Arcam integrated with an Exposure power is beyond you.
Obviously you're suggesting that they're an absurd pairing in your view but I'd like to know why you think that. Your comments are still a little ambiguous left as they are.

When you have the time thank you.

 

[davedotco]

Is simply the ratio between the input voltage and the output voltage of an amplifier expressed in dBs, in the case of a power amplifier it is fixed (as it las no level/volume control). It is often unclear because input levels are usually expressed in volts and amplifier output in watts.

In this case, both the P35 and 3010 amplifiers are about 100 watts per channel but the 3010 requires a higher input voltage to produce the same output as the P35, so the P35 has higher gain but the same output as the S3010.

In reality this simply means that your have to turn your pre-amp, in this case the A19, up a notch or two. Most pre-amplifiers, including the A19 will handle this with no problems. So yes the A19 and the 3010 are 'compatible' electronically.

Soundwise you are matching the fairly laid back characteristics of the Arcam with the more forthright and pacy presentation of the Exposure. Such a combination often leads to unpredictable results, hence my mild surprise at the combination.

Also the difference in power of 50 to 100 watts is modest only 3dB in terms of output (volume). The 3010 may or may not drive your speakers better than the A19, but the extra 'power' is only a part of the reason for any difference.

Interestingly, when upgrading an amplifier, it is most often improving the pre-amp rather than the power amp that makes the biggest difference, if the amplifier is of a decent standard, as the A19 is, increasing the power makes less difference than you might think.

 

[Alberich]

Is simply the ratio between the input voltage and the output voltage of an amplifier expressed in dBs, in the case of a power amplifier it is fixed (as it las no level/volume control). It is often unclear because input levels are usually expressed in volts and amplifier output in watts.

In this case, both the P35 and 3010 amplifiers are about 100 watts per channel but the 3010 requires a higher input voltage to produce the same output as the P35, so the P35 has higher gain but the same output as the S3010.

In reality this simply means that your have to turn your pre-amp, in this case the A19, up a notch or two. Most pre-amplifiers, including the A19 will handle this with no problems. So yes the A19 and the 3010 are 'compatible' electronically.

 

Soundwise you are matching the fairly laid back characteristics of the Arcam with the more forthright and pacy presentation of the Exposure. Such a combination often leads to unpredictable results, hence my mild surprise at the combination.

Also the difference in power of 50 to 100 watts is modest only 3dB in terms of output (volume). The 3010 may or may not drive your speakers better than the A19, but the extra 'power' is only a part of the reason for any difference. 

Interestingly, when upgrading an amplifier, it is most often improving the pre-amp rather than the power amp that makes the biggest difference, if the amplifier is of a decent standard, as the A19 is, increasing the power makes less difference than you might think. 

Thanks for getting back to me.
I'll give your comments a proper read in the morning.
Much appreciated