Small, cool, efficient amp needed!

[Dazed and Confused]

Hello,

I am creating a small audio and TV set-up in a small room. All the kit is going on a small rack with a closed front and sides, alongside a NAS (which runs hot) and a compact DVD player (to be decided, but it will be very cheap), so space is at a premium.

I am therefore looking for a small amp to connect a Sonos ZP80 and a Panasonic P42G20 to some Monitor Audio Radius R90 speakers. The amp needs to be small and run cool. Ideally it would use little or no power on idle, as it will spend 100% of the time on, but be used for only 2 or 3 hours a day. (Class D?) It will be used to play all types of music and TV/films, but rarely at high volumes - mainly quiet to medium. I currently have a Musical Fidelity X-150 amp, that is too big (particularly deep), runs too hot, eats too much power, and is too expensive.

Any ideas? I'm happy to go second hand, unusual brands, etc. My budget is slightly less than whatever an X-150 is worth!

What would be cool is if the volume of the sources could be varied independently. The Sonos's volume output is variable, while the Panasnic TV is fixed (I believe. If it could somehow be set to be variable that would solve the problem - the amp's volume would never need to be touched.)

The other option might be some active speakers with 2 inputs, if that would be cheaper or easier.Thanks in advance!,

 

[bigboss]

Now I am dazed and confused! :?

 

[bigboss]

Check this:

http://www.marantz.co.uk/uk/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=HomeTheatre&SubCatId=AVReceiver&ProductId=NR1403

Standby consumpton is 0.2W.

 

[bigboss]

I didn't understand your question about volume output. What do you mean by "Panasonic TV's volume output is fixed"?

 

[bigboss]

Another option:

http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/42/98/405/VSX-S500/page.html

Power consumption in standby mode: 0.45W. Output power per channel is double that of Marantz, at 100W.

Bear in mind I haven't personally heard the receivers I'm suggesting you. Make sure you demo them before making a purchase.

 

[hoopsontoast]

Why not a Sonos Connect:Amp? My dad uses his in a cabinet, gets left on all the time. One less box to worry about.

 

[The_Lhc]

Why not a Sonos Connect:Amp? My dad uses his in a cabinet, gets left on all the time. One less box to worry about.

They still get warm-ish in use, not sure just how restricted the space is, the Connect:Amp vents from the top.

 

[bigboss]

Why not a Sonos Connect:Amp? My dad uses his in a cabinet, gets left on all the time. One less box to worry about.

The OP already has a ZP80.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Thanks, bigboss - I'll look into those. Doesn't standby mean 'off using the remote' though, rather than on but not playing anything?

In terms of fixed/variable volume, what I mean is when you press Up onr down on the Sonos volume control, the output to the amp varies. So to control the volume you don't need to touch the amp's volume control - you simply leave it at a fixed level.

Out of the Panasonic TV the audio level is fixed, so you have to change the volume using the volume control on the amp. This causes issues when you switch back to the Sonos source, as the fixed level has nowchanged.

Make sense?

 

[hoopsontoast]

Why not a Sonos Connect:Amp? My dad uses his in a cabinet, gets left on all the time. One less box to worry about.

The OP already has a ZP80.

Ah ok, I thought the ZP80 was the bridge or whatever its called now. Whats wrong with using the ZP80 then?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Thanks, hoopsontoast, but then how would I get the sound from the TV to the speakers? (I know I Sonos has an input source, but then it gets tricky - switch on the TV with a remote, then open the Sonos app on a tbelt or PC and set the right source in the right room - this is to be used by children. The amp and TV can be controlled by one universal remote.)

 

[The_Lhc]

In terms of fixed/variable volume, what I mean is when you press Up onr down on the Sonos volume control, the output to the amp varies. So to control the volume you don't need to touch the amp's volume control - you simply leave it at a fixed level.

Out of the Panasonic TV the audio level is fixed, so you have to change the volume using the volume control on the amp. This causes issues when you switch back to the Sonos source, as the fixed level has nowchanged.

I've never looked at a ZP80 but if it's anything like a ZP90 it should have an option to fix the volume output. This is generally recommended from a quality POV as it stops the ZP mucking about with the signal digitally (it's a digital volume control), so ensuring best possible sound quality. That may not be a consideration for you though and of course would mean you'd need to adjust the Amp volume for every input.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The ZP80 is the player without the amp. Basically just a source like a CD player.

 

[The_Lhc]

Why not a Sonos Connect:Amp? My dad uses his in a cabinet, gets left on all the time. One less box to worry about.

This initially looks like a good idea as the volume would be adjusted wirelessly but there's a delay on the line-in with Sonos which can be a problem with TV usage. It may not be noticable (in terms of lip sync) if the TVs own speakers are muted but there will be a distinct echo effect if they aren't. I believe the lag is in the region of 70ms.

 

[The_Lhc]

The amp and TV can be controlled by one universal remote.)

Well then, definitely set the ZP80 to fixed output, if it supports it. Then you only have one volume to worry about.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

thanks, The_Lhc, but sound quality is secondary. Still important, but I want to keep the Sonos output variable so that all music can be controlled from the Sonos controller on its own.

This is a childrens room, so Sonos on a Nexus 7 for music (no mucking about with amp).

When they want to watch TV, universal remote switches on TV, virgin box, and switches amp source. Changes channel on Virgin box, and volume on amp. When finished, switches off TV and Virgin box, and switches amp back to Sonos channel.

Does that make sense?

One option seems to be the AVI ADM9Ts. They have a remote, and seperate volume controls for each source. But they're more than I need in terms of sound and size.

 

[bigboss]

Ah ok, I thought the ZP80 was the bridge or whatever its called now. Whats wrong with using the ZP80 then?

ZP80 is the older version of Sonos:Connect / ZP90 (without an amplifier).

 

[bigboss]

What's your budget?

Check Audioengine 2 / 5 / 5+. You can connect these directly to ZP80.

http://www.audioengine.org.uk/

I've got Audioengine 2. I've connected my ZP90 to it (Input A). My TV is connected to the speakers via a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack cable (Input B).

In my setup, my TV volume is controlled by my TV remote.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Budget is about £500 for an amp, or £600 if it's for active speakers.

Do the audio engines have seperate volume for each source?

 

[bigboss]

No, but you wouldn't use both at the same time. The speaker's volume is set at a certain level. My Sonos controller adjusts the volume of Sonos, & the TV remote adjusts TV volume. Everything is already preset, so I rarely have to change the volume.

 

[bigboss]

Check out Adam ARTist 5:

http://www.adam-audio.com/en/multimedia/products/artist-5/description

 

[Dazed and Confused]

My Sonos controller adjusts the volume of Sonos, & the TV remote adjusts TV volume. Everything is already preset, so I rarely have to change the volume.

Ah yes, but how do I get my TV volume to adjust using the TV remote? All mine does is turn the TV speakers up and down - the line out volume remains fixed.

 

[bigboss]

My Sonos controller adjusts the volume of Sonos, & the TV remote adjusts TV volume. Everything is already preset, so I rarely have to change the volume.

Ah yes, but how do I get my TV volume to adjust using the TV remote? All mine does is turn the TV speakers up and down - the line out volume remains fixed.

In my case, the TV isn't connected to the Sonos at all. Both TV & Sonos share the same speakers. I've kept Audioengine's speaker volume constant. Now I can adjust the TV volume with my TV remote.

 

[bigboss]

If you have an amp though, then things are a bit different. I can't help you on this as my TV doesn't have any speakers of its own.

 

[cowboyab]

Take a look at this one QA100, this amp is kind of class D amp with very high effciency.