Recommend an amp

[QuestForThe13thNote]

It does impact the sound I think. I’m sure someone on here will tell me the distortion is inaudible for some technical reason.

Obviously we don’t tell them apart by measurements but by our ears as you say, but I always found it interesting messing around with old arcam and cyrus amps versus the av amps, like onkyo and Sony, when you can use these 2 channel amps in ‘home cinema bypass mode’ (the 2 channel amp powers the front speakers in home cinema mode but can still operate as a 2 channel amp when home cinema system off) and without exception the 2 channel amps always sound better than using the av amps, disconnecting bypass etc, and using the av amps as 2channel amps. if you spend more on av amps less of an issue, but this Sony was £500 In the early noughties, and that would get you a good cheap audiophile amp made around that time of the Sony that is better than the Sony. A no brainier really.

 

[insider9]

Speakers and room can contribute 1-10% THD depending on volume and frequency and amps 0.005%-0.5% at the same time.

That Sony you refer to didn't measure any worse to £4k EAR Yoshino or a £1.6k Primare amplifiers when it comes do THD. That's when measuring a whole system (which is what you hear).

What I'm saying is difference you hear in majority of the cases have little to do with amplifier distortion. And yes I could quite distinctly tell amps apart.

Going back to point Drummerman was making a well built and well designed amplifier will sound good in most cases and it makes no difference what label has been put on it. That includes brand and its intended use.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

I’m sorry insider but your aren’t talking any sense.

the Sony may not but the onkyo’s do, and anyway a lot of it comes to not just one thing like thd, in sound quality. It’s a number of things that decide if it’s beter if you want to get multimeters out. I’d prefer to do away with that and just concentrate on sq, what our ears will tell us

These decent 2 channel amplifiers are built for an entirely different job. Different components, better quality power supplies, different types of power supplies that may introduce more noise or not, better dacs, isolated parts of the circuit, better cases - this all costs but increases sq. That’s why they will perform with better speakers and it will be easy to tell the difference with any speakers that are decent.

The Sony is built and designed for people who are unlikely to spend more than £500 on 5.1 speakers. So it’s coming against that competition that does the same. They will probably buy satellites around their living room. It isn’t built and designed for putting very good quality stereo speakers around it. If you break it down, how much of the price is on amplification too - with all the design of the displays, switches, av circuitry, and stereo radio too. Maybe £100 or that price?

So the Sony May be well built for what it does, nobody could deny that - it is solid. But the issue is is it best for the job in 2 channel and it’s definitely not. The intended use of course has an effect, as these amplifiers are all designed for particular uses. I tried putting one of my stereo power amps on the centre channel to improve clarity and it did an amazing job against the onkyo. I’m not surprised.

 

[insider9]

I’m sorry insider but your aren’t talking any sense.

Clearly

 

[Vladimir]

It depends on the units compared. There are good and bad apples in both baskets. I consider Sony QS/ES and Yamaha DSP series to be quite good.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

In my opinion I feel that Arcam is not a great match with any Dali speakers you would be better looking at Marantz or Yamaha as the sonic quality would be a lot better .

i had a demo on a Arcam A19 about 2 years ago and I felt that the sound sounded dull with Dali’s but whether this was down to the Arcam being a new amplifier just taken out of the box before I got to the demo I am not sure but did try the Arcam A39 and felt that sounded a little better with Dali speakers but the Arcam A39 is a lot more money .

so for £500 you could own a Marantz PM8005 which would work better with the Dali speakers or buy a Av amplifier like the rest have said .

 

[knaithrover]

In my opinion I feel that Arcam is not a great match with any Dali speakers you would be better looking at Marantz or Yamaha as the sonic quality would be a lot better .

i had a demo on a Arcam A19 about 2 years ago and I felt that the sound sounded dull with Dali’s but whether this was down to the Arcam being a new amplifier just taken out of the box before I got to the demo I am not sure but did try the Arcam A39 and felt that sounded a little better with Dali speakers but the Arcam A39 is a lot more money .

so for £500 you could own a Marantz PM8005 which would work better with the Dali speakers or buy a Av amplifier like the rest have said .

I liked my Arcam/Dali combo very much, excellent at low to medium volumes in a small room. The Dalis however lost the plot in a large room and at higher volumes - they went quite shrill and boomy. I still have the Dalis in my 2nd system (see sig) nice all rounders and cheap as chips 2nd hand.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

In my opinion I feel that Arcam is not a great match with any Dali speakers you would be better looking at Marantz or Yamaha as the sonic quality would be a lot better .

i had a demo on a Arcam A19 about 2 years ago and I felt that the sound sounded dull with Dali’s but whether this was down to the Arcam being a new amplifier just taken out of the box before I got to the demo I am not sure but did try the Arcam A39 and felt that sounded a little better with Dali speakers but the Arcam A39 is a lot more money .

so for £500 you could own a Marantz PM8005 which would work better with the Dali speakers or buy a Av amplifier like the rest have said .

I liked my Arcam/Dali combo very much, excellent at low to medium volumes in a small room. The Dalis however lost the plot in a large room and at higher volumes - they went quite shrill and boomy. I still have the Dalis in my 2nd system (see sig) nice all rounders and cheap as chips 2nd hand.

yes I’ve had quite few different Dali makes my self and like there speakers very much but felt that the Dali speakers that are 4ohm load need a good strong amplifier to get the very best out of them ..

 

[knaithrover]

In my opinion I feel that Arcam is not a great match with any Dali speakers you would be better looking at Marantz or Yamaha as the sonic quality would be a lot better .

i had a demo on a Arcam A19 about 2 years ago and I felt that the sound sounded dull with Dali’s but whether this was down to the Arcam being a new amplifier just taken out of the box before I got to the demo I am not sure but did try the Arcam A39 and felt that sounded a little better with Dali speakers but the Arcam A39 is a lot more money .

so for £500 you could own a Marantz PM8005 which would work better with the Dali speakers or buy a Av amplifier like the rest have said .

I liked my Arcam/Dali combo very much, excellent at low to medium volumes in a small room. The Dalis however lost the plot in a large room and at higher volumes - they went quite shrill and boomy. I still have the Dalis in my 2nd system (see sig) nice all rounders and cheap as chips 2nd hand.

yes I’ve had quite few different Dali makes my self and like there speakers very much but felt that the Dali speakers that are 4ohm load need a good strong amplifier to get the very best out of them ..

A few yrs ago I had the Zensor 3's and they really sang with an old Arcam A85, definitely need power behind them

 

[pogologo]

Thanks for all of this. Really helpful.

The Dali's are 6ohm. There is talk of 4 v 8. What should I be considering them as?