Hi all, Newby here just reviving my HiFi hobby again after years of neglect. I hope you can help me with the following: I am currently planning to install two speakers (probably the Q Acoustics 3020 as they got good reviews and are quite efficient) wall mounted in our dining/kitchen area of 3.5 by 6.5 m. Wall mounting is necessary because of space restrictions and I expect the children to bump into any stands. As this is a second setup and mainly used during dinner and cooking at reasonable sound levels I am looking for a simple source so got a chromecast audio which works fine for me. Now I am looking for a small amplifier (it will have to fit on a windowsill) which only needs 1 input connection (either RCA or optical in) and two speaker connections. Any ideas? I have been looking at the Tripath amps, such as amptastic and the Topping vx22 or similar, price range also fits nicely within the budget. These amps would easily fit, but I am worried about the sound quality. This especially as we have hard floors (terrazzo composite floor), which did result in quite a bit of local reflections in a test run I performed with some old Diamond 9.1's.

Thanks in advance,

Rory
 

tino

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Sep 29, 2011
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Rory Dalman said:
Hi all, Newby here just reviving my HiFi hobby again after years of neglect. I hope you can help me with the following: I am currently planning to install two speakers (probably the Q Acoustics 3020 as they got good reviews and are quite efficient) wall mounted in our dining/kitchen area of 3.5 by 6.5 m. Wall mounting is necessary because of space restrictions and I expect the children to bump into any stands. As this is a second setup and mainly used during dinner and cooking at reasonable sound levels I am looking for a simple source so got a chromecast audio which works fine for me. Now I am looking for a small amplifier (it will have to fit on a windowsill) which only needs 1 input connection (either RCA or optical in) and two speaker connections. Any ideas? I have been looking at the Tripath amps, such as amptastic and the Topping vx22 or similar, price range also fits nicely within the budget. These amps would easily fit, but I am worried about the sound quality. This especially as we have hard floors (terrazzo composite floor), which did result in quite a bit of local reflections in a test run I performed with some old Diamond 9.1's.

Thanks in advance,

Rory
You could try the Monitor Audio A100 - last few available at about £130-£150. They can be mounted vertically on the stand that comes with them and placed sideways will easily fit on a windowsill. It has analogue and optical digital inputs. Also supports wireless DLNA and Airplay.
 

Benedict_Arnold

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How about something like a secondhand Cyrus?

There's usually plenty to be found on eBay, obviously the older ones being a lot cheaper than the newer ones.

Oh. Sorry. You want digital inputs. Forget them then.

Onkyo 8050 is a bit above your price point new, but you might be able to find a used one. It comes with wired (not wifi) internet connectivity, 2 co-axial and 2 optical digital inputs. I had one, but sold it on because I couldn't use it to drive the 6, ideally 8, channels of Muzak I need for my living / dining / patio room area without adding extra power amplifiers. So I'm going to buy a modest AV receiver instead, use it in all channel stereo mode.

And that brings up another idea - do you have an AV receiver with Zone 2 outs? If so, you might only need to run the cables and buy a modest integrated with no digital inputs or even just a modest power amplifier for the kitchen.

FWIW virtually any amp can be stood on its side and will still work. Electrons don't know which way is up. Just make sure you don't block any ventilation holes.
 
I must say the Monitor Audio A100 does seem like a good choice, especially at the price level stated. Unfortunately I live in the Netherlands and the lowest price is 499 euro! No idea why the prices are so much higher than in the UK. Will see if any of the UK based companies will ship to NL.
 

Barbapapa

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The Monitor Audio A100 can be found for € 349 at https://www.audiovoordeel.nl/product/monitor-audio-airstream-a100-airplay-streaming/ I think I've seen even cheaper offers some time earlier this year. A Belgian site (http://audiohifistore.be/monitor-audio) offers it for € 300.

Alternatively, you could look at the MicroMega MyAmp which is really tiny and may have what you need as well. This can also be had for around € 349 or maybe cheaper.
 

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