Integrated Stereo amp help

[Led Head]

Hello everyone,

I'm going to be getting into the Hi Fi world. I originally was going to buy a A/V receiver, to use it as a sort of all in one package. However I've rethought that and have decided to do my audio setup in a completely seperate room. Therefore I've decided to go with an integrated amplifier.

My question is though, since I am still quite new to the Hi Fi world, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding amp specs. The top amps I'm looking at are the Roksan K2, or the Cambridge Audio CXA60. The frontrunner being the Roksan. But where I'm confused is the wattage output. The Roksan puts out 125 watts per channel. Whereas the Cambridge amp puts out 60 watts per channel. I remember reading somewhere that wattage isn't everything, but current can be a more telling specification. What should I be looking for to be able to tell how well they will be able to drive speakers? Why the difference in wattage?

Thank you all for your help!

 

[Andrewjvt]

In a simple way the more power or watts per channel the louder it will go.
But....
this does not give any sort of indication of the quality of the sound as it may not be able to cope with demanding speaker loads. The more expensive roksan m2 is only 70 or 80 watts but is a better sounding amp.
Specs alone dont give you the full picture.
But i have a roksan kandy and for a budget amp its a lot of amp for the price and sounds great.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Contact iq speakers on the forum or look them up on the web. They sell abrahamsen intergrated amps between £600 - £900 and they according to the specs have 70 watts per channel but have much more current to drive demanding speaker loads. Id look at that also.

 

[drummerman]

It is always a good idea to look at the amplifier in the context of speakers used.

If you have a very insensitive small standmount you may need a more powerful amplifier to achieve reaonably high levels. Just don't over-drive them.

With more efficient speakers, stand or floor (not all floorstanders are efficient or easy to drive) you will generally have less limitation with regards to power.

Most people in most circumstances rarely use more than the first few watts of their amplifiers power and 10 watts is generally loud with reasonably efficient speakers.

Regarding distortion, a fair few solid state amplifiers have higher distortion within their first one or two watts which is where most comfortable listening is probably done on average. Depending on what kind of distortion that is, it may or may not be an issue for you.

So, by any means look at amplifer technical specs but I personally would choose the speakers first and then match the amplifier to it. - Also don't forget to look at niceties ... do you want a headphone socket, in-built DAC, streaming facilities, need a phono stage, want to assign different names to inputs, adjust sensitivity and is the product perhaps upgradeable in the future?

Some of these may not matter immediately, some can be added with separately but you can't really have enough of facilities as long as basic sound quality is not compromised.

Good luck

 

[SteveR750]

Generally, you probably can't have too much power. Another consideration is the size of room and how loud you want it. The relationship between amp power and sound pressure level is logarithmic, that means that as you increase the loudness subjectively, the increase in power is proportionally much more. It's generally accepted that a ride of +10dB is a subjective doubling of loudness (not the same as measurable sound pressure level). a 3dB increase in output requires a doubling of the audio system power output, so if you turn the volume up, you can quickly run out of power. As DM says, most people in an average domestic lounge will never see a peak above 10W, but double the volume and you'd need nearer to 100W.

 

[Infiniteloop]

Power isn't everything. My 24W Unison Research SET amp easily powers my 4 ohm Sonus Fabers, or 6 ohm Focal Electra 1008Be's to very high sound levels without struggling.

 

[bigfish786]

What you are looking for is Quality in Quantity.

Dont be bamboozled by numbers. Go listen to some amps in your price range, and take it from there.

 

[rainsoothe]

What you are looking for is Quality in Quantity.?

Dont be bamboozled by numbers. Go listen to some amps in your price range, and take it from there. 

yup. Also, add Croft Phono Integrated and Arcam A19 + Kef LS50, Focal Aria 906 or XTZ 93.23 mk II to your list. Whatever you do, try to audition, be it in a shop, or at home if you find a nice dealer or buy online with the option of returning if you don't like it (i know that works for the Croft and XTZ at least)

 

[BigH]

I would add the Creek 50A to your list if you can hear it, if not they do a 2 week trial at home. The Roksan K2 was OK, as said a lot of power for your money however I thought it lacked some clarity but depends on your tastes. A lot depends on the speakers and room.

 

[Led Head]

I was also thinking of the Arcam A19 amp. I was thinking of pairing the Arcam with some Tannoy XT6F's. Does anyone know if these two pair well? I'm like to have a good bass response, but also like my sound to be very clean with nice highs, along with good detail.

I was also thinking of Q Acoustics 3050, Q Acoustics Concept 40, Cambridge Audio's Aeromax 6, or B&W's 683 S2. do any of these pair well with the Arcam, or any of the previous amplifiers that I mentioned, the Roksan K2, or the Cambridge Audio CXA60, and of course the Arcam A19

 

[rainsoothe]

I was also thinking of the Arcam A19 amp. I was thinking of pairing the Arcam with some Tannoy XT6F's. Does anyone know if these two pair well? I'm like to have a good bass response, but also like my sound to be very clean with nice highs, along with good detail.

I was also thinking of Q Acoustics 3050, Q Acoustics Concept 40, Cambridge Audio's Aeromax 6, or B&W's 683 S2. do any of these pair well with the Arcam, or any of the previous amplifiers that I mentioned, the Roksan K2, or the Cambridge Audio CXA60, and of course the Arcam A19

Wait, first of all - how big is the room you want to put your system in? You might not need floorstanders. Secondly, the Arcam and the Croft I suggested are warm sounding amps (that's why I suggested airier-sounding speakers) - so it's important to audition them if you can. If you want good bass response (I'm reading that as "agile"), you might find the Arcam at least a bit too relaxed, and you should consider the likes of Creek Evo 50A, Exposure 3010S2, Hegel H80 or Naim Nait 5si (or used Supernait 1 if you can find a cheap one). Don't know how they partner with the Tannoys though, but B&W 685s2/683s2, Focal Aria 906/926, XTZ 93.23mk II, Sonus Faber Toy/Toy Tower or ATC SCM 11 (for the Hegel and Supernait in particular) might be worth considering.

 

[Led Head]

My room is about 10' x 15'. Would floorstanders be too much for a room this size?

I think I've narrowed my search down to either the B&W 685 S2's or the B&W 683 S2's.

 

[rainsoothe]

Well, in my experience, yes, floorstanders would be a bit too much, unless you can create conditions for them - like have a lot of space around them and being able to listen to louder volumes and tolerate a bit of bass rumble (and treat the room acousticly, or use furniture and rug to dampen sound etc etc). I mean it's not like standmounts don't require care in placement, but they're a bit less demanding then floorstanders. And for a room that size, imo, standmounts are enough (I had floorstanders in 4mx4m room, and bass was too much).

As for speakers, the B&W 685 s2 should be great, but if you can, try to audition some of the others I suggested, they're really nice. The amps on your shortlist should start with Naim Nait 5si, and contain at least Exposure 3010S2, Hegel H80, Roksan K3, Croft Phono Integrated and maybe Arcam A19. If buying used, check Supernait 1 or Rotel RA 1520 or RA 1062.

 

[CnoEvil]

I wouldn't be quite as pessimistic as Rainsoothe, provided you go for slimline ones like Totem Arro, SF Toy Tower and Spendor A3.

 

[Led Head]

I've been looking into the Arcam A19 and the Creek Evo 50A. I was wondering what everyone thinks of these two amps. Which of the two would you recommend?

 

[audipheonix]

Both r good amp. It depends on ur taste. Arcam is laidback(particularly good with classical stuffs) and Creek Is energetic (a better allrounder). Audition if you can to suit ur taste.

 

[rainsoothe]

Both r good amp. It depends on ur taste. Arcam is laidback(particularly good with classical stuffs) and Creek Is energetic (a better allrounder). Audition if you can to suit ur taste.

The Arcam is not THAT laid back - I mean it's not a Maranz, I listen to a lot of prog on it, it's just that it's warmer and yes, not that speedy, but it's still ok,. And, indeed, the Creek is more energetic, but it laks in the bass department a bit and can sound a bit thin sometimes imo (to be fair the Arcam has more of it, but with poor matching can be tubby i think).