Power amp, can I ???

[atkins4725]

Been reading alot about power amps on here lately and how they help with control over bass drivers, etc. I was asked on a previous post how my amp is coping with the B&W 683's. Now this got me thinking, just how is my 75watt cambridge amp coping with 200watt B&W's and just how much would the speakers benefit from more power on hand??

I am itching for an upgrade in my system and was goin to look at CA's new dacmagic plus but now I'm considering a power amp. Can I even attached a power amp to my 650a??? If so what would ppl suggest???

 

[tyranniux42]

would depend on the quality of the amp IMHO.

When I had my 683's I ran them with a CA 640A v2 for the mid and tweeter and a 500w per side studio amplifier for the bass, sounded ok and they never ran out of volume but when I changed to my Nait XS the improvement was clear, and that was moving from 500+ watts per side to only 60.

Just to answer your question on whether a power amp can be used with the 650 by the way, yes by connecting the 'Pre' outputs to the inputs of the power amp will provide this.

Im a quality amplifier convert without a doubt, never heard deep bass from the Studio amp like I did from the XS.... trading in and upgrading to something like a Kandy K2 or simelar will provide better results in my opinion.

Kind regards

 

[atkins4725]

Thanks for the reply,

Think maybe I'll go look at some amps or call richer sounds and see if they have any info to whether CA are updating the 840 series.

 

[tyranniux42]

As much as I like Richer sounds remember that other popular hifi stores sell amps at that price range too generally with more variety, make sure you listen to as many as you can to see what sound takes your fancy.

The roksan K2 sounded great with the 683's from memory, but again this is my opinion, everyone is different.

kind regards

 

[AKMH]

Hi Atkins4725, you may wish to audition the Cambridge Audio 840W power-amp (200W per channel) with the 683s and consider this in a bi-amped setup with your 650A. I heard this at my local dealer with the 840E pre-amp, driving a pair of 683s with superb results (my own budget limited me to the 840A & 684s, which I'm happy with). Regardless of any potential future model upgrades for the 840 series (haven't heard anything so far), you'll probably find the 840W powerful and quite adequate for your purposes. Auditioning will help you decide.

 

[atkins4725]

Hi AKMH,

I have considered both the 840a to replace my current amp or going for the 840w connected to my 650a. My only concern was both these amps still retail at the same price as when they was first introduced (840a £799) (840w £1200) and they're quite old amps now. Are these amps still worth the money????

I read on the B&W website about a paring of the 840a with the 683's giving very gd results.

 

[cheyworth]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cambridge-Audio-Azur-840W-Stereo-Power-Amplifier-/120830307709?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item1c220c2d7d

840W on ebay

 

[atkins4725]

I've been following this myself but you'll see the reserve isn't met. I'll keep my eye on it but I'm guessing it'll go for much more considering there retail price of these amps.

Thanks, appreciate the link..

 

[AKMH]

In my humble opinion, I would consider the CA 840A and 840W as very good amps, despite being available for a few years. Besides, the 840 series is promoted by CA (a well respected British HiFi brand) as their top-of-the-line range. Interestingly, the B&W 68 series still remains highly acclaimed, also being round for a number of years. The 840A v2 is actually quite a unique amp, with separate and individual power supplies for the pre-amp & power-amp section in one integrated unit. WHF awarded it 5 stars back in Feb 2008 (First Tests) and I personally find it's performance to be excellent. I was even more impressed after replacing the generic power cable with Chord Co's PowerChord, which works very well with the high-current design. You should be able to find a competitive deal for either 840A or 840W by shopping around. Let us know how you go. Best of luck!

 

[atkins4725]

Picked up a CA 840a for £340, looks bran new, not a scratch on it. Anyways, it's connected up to my 683's but haven't had a chance to have a gd listen yet. Looking forward to have a good listen at a decent volume tomorrow :-D

 

[kevinJ]

Nice, let us know how it goes

 

[atanakata]

Well done,and Yes it would be great to give us some details after a good listening session. It will be interesting to know how you compare it with the previous -one . By the way, so sorry if by asking you how your amp performes with the 683 `s ,I made you spend money on a new one Just wanted to know,because I was very close to buiyng one of them 650A`s, but ended up paying double for a Leema )) It is always like that , you know right...