speaker amp advice

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

hi guys, im taking my first steps into the world of proper sound but need a little advice as not really sure what i should be getting this stuff is a little confusing for a noobie

as far as speakers go im pretty much on wharfedale diamond 220's they are really reviewed and seem they will be good starting point for me what im not sure about is the amp

the wharfedales are rated at 100w, ive had things reccomended to me like the marantz pm6005 and the nad c326bee the marantz is 45w per channel and the nad is 50w per channel shouldnt i be looking at something thats atleast 100w per channel? or is not that important

basicly i dont really have a clue what im doing so any reccomendations or advice would be highly appreciated, budget is £300-350 i might be able to stretch that a little further if its worth it

thanks 🙂

 

[wilro15]

Take the wattage rating with a pinch of salt, it doesn't mean much. If you can, get yourself down to a Richer Sounds and have a listen. They have a good range of speakers and amps at that price point, you may find yourself walking away with something you had never considered beforehand and will be much happier for it.

Also take magazine reviews with a pinch of salt! Buying two 5 star products doesn't necessarily mean they will go well together.... (also with standmount speakers you need stands - do you have any?)

 

[gasolin]

I don't like the Wharfedales diamond 220 it's top is very restrained not open and clear and theres a hughe lack of bass (not beacuse of the size of the woofer) so you have to use it in a corner or else theres not enough bass (theres is enough bass if you are playing hardcore edm,techno,kraftwerk)

Used a Marantz PM6005

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

I don't like the Wharfedales diamond 220 it's top is very restrained not open and clear and theres a hughe lack of bass (not beacuse of the size of the woofer) so you have to use it in a corner or else theres not enough bass (theres is enough bass if you are playing hardcore edm,techno,kraftwerk)

Used a Marantz PM6005

i mostly listen to rock and metal but also like darkwave, industrial and things like that wich can get pretty bassy, i was planning on getting a subwoofer a little later down the line so im not super concerned about the bass on the wharfedales, maybe you didnt like them because the marantz doesnt have the grunt to drive them properly 45w on a 100w speaker?

anyways speakers are the easy part i can always change on my mind on what speakers to get its the amp thats confusing me

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

Take the wattage rating with a pinch of salt, it doesn't mean much. If you can, get yourself down to a Richer Sounds and have a listen. They have a good range of speakers and amps at that price point, you may find yourself walking away with something you had never considered beforehand and will be much happier for it.

Also take magazine reviews with a pinch of salt! Buying two 5 star products doesn't necessarily mean they will go well together.... (also with standmount speakers you need stands - do you have any?)

interesting, i just assumed 100w speakers means 100w amp wich is why ive been looking at the yamaha as201 and the cambridge audio topaz sr20 because they are both in my budget and both rated at 100w per channel if that doesnt really mean anything then that just makes things more confusing lol

i think i do actualy have a richer sounds store somewhere near me i might have a walk down there and see if i can have abit of a listen and no i dont have any stands i figured they would be fine just sitting on my desk will that affect the sound?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Just check out some prices of 100 watt amps from good manufacturers,Creek,naim,arcam,Leema.the wattage means more when you're driving speakers with low sensitivity.I know fine well that you can go into currys,argos etc and they are selling stuff rated at 200 watts rms and making out that it's all powerful and it's the best thing from sliced bread.....but it ain't.A well put together 25 watt amp will easily outperform the offerings from your average electrical chain store.Also a speaker wattage handling means pretty much nothing,the numbers you want to be looking at are sensitivity ie 88db and ohms ie 8 is quite common.A speaker with sensitivity of 84 db is pretty difficult for a amp and therefore more watts will be required to achieve decent volume gain.so be rest assured that the wharferdales can be driven quite happily with a 50 watt amp of decent quality,also a good power supply is important to how amps handle large dynamic shifts and how a speaker reacts to them regarding current needed from the amplifier.hope that has helped a bit . I'm sure Vladimir,pp and others can shine more light on such a subject.

 

[gasolin]

I don't like the Wharfedales diamond 220 it's top is very restrained not open and clear and theres a hughe lack of bass (not beacuse of the size of the woofer) so you have to use it in a corner or else theres not enough bass (theres is enough bass if you are playing hardcore edm,techno,kraftwerk)

Used a Marantz PM6005

i mostly listen to rock and metal but also like darkwave, industrial and things like that wich can get pretty bassy, i was planning on getting a subwoofer a little later down the line so im not super concerned about the bass on the wharfedales, maybe you didnt like them because the marantz doesnt have the grunt to drive them properly 45w on a 100w speaker?

anyways speakers are the easy part i can always change on my mind on what speakers to get its the amp thats confusing me

Has nothing to to with how much watt the amp has and the rated wattage of the speakers

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

Just check out some prices of 100 watt amps from good manufacturers,Creek,naim,arcam,Leema.the wattage means more when you're driving speakers with low sensitivity.I know fine well that you can go into currys,argos etc and they are selling stuff rated at 200 watts rms and making out that it's all powerful and it's the best thing from sliced bread.....but it ain't.A well put together 25 watt amp will easily outperform the offerings from your average electrical chain store.Also a speaker wattage handling means pretty much nothing,the numbers you want to be looking at are sensitivity ie 88db and ohms ie 8 is quite common.A speaker with sensitivity of 84 db is pretty difficult for a amp and therefore more watts will be required to achieve decent volume gain.so be rest assured that the wharferdales can be driven quite happily with a 50 watt amp of decent quality,also a good power supply is important to how amps handle large dynamic shifts and how a speaker reacts to them regarding current needed from the amplifier.hope that has helped a bit . I'm sure Vladimir,pp and others can shine more light on such a subject.

i know nothing so any information deffinatly helps, thank you 🙂

is cambridge audio a good brand? there topaz sr20 seems like it would be the best option for my budget at the moment

 

[Andrewjvt]

2nd hand amps from ebay. For 300 or less you could get an nadc370. Thats more than enough amp for anyone let alone a start up hifi man.

Then you can pretty much choose any speaker and it will sing for you.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

2nd hand amps from ebay. For 300 or less you could get an nadc370. Thats more than enough amp for anyone let alone a start up hifi man.

Then you can pretty much choose any speaker and it will sing for you.

just found on on ebay for £275, looks very good but im a little hessitant to buy something second hand

 

[Andrewjvt]

2nd hand amps from ebay. For 300 or less you could get an nadc370. Thats more than enough amp for anyone let alone a start up hifi man.

Then you can pretty much choose any speaker and it will sing for you.

just found on on ebay for £275, looks very good but im a little hessitant to buy something second hand

Hi
I know what you mean.
Look at the feedback and also what items he sells. Ive brought and sold many items on ebay and have never had any problems.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

It might help if we know the budget you're looking at for speakers and amplifier,just been looking at the wharferdales and the sensitivity isn't the best to work with for a budget amp,but the Cambridge should be fine,the wharferdales are quite small if I remember correctly and I think you might do better else where,monitor audio bronze bx2,dali Zennor 1 should be around the same price or dali ikon 1 mk2 if you can stretch to £300 from richer sounds

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Both my naim amp,cd player were second hand off ebay,you just have to be patient look around,check feed back etc.most owners of decent hifi gear tend to look after it and tend to move on up the upgrade ladder well before the expiry time of they're electronics.it really is a savvy way to get the good stuff at affordable money.However sometimes it does go wrong and you do take a chance at the end of the day.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

the ebay page says its had a full service, replaced capacitors, components moved to aid heat dissapation. offset bias ISC (whatever that means) adjusted to factory settings

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NAD-C370-Graphite-Integrated-Amplifier-Remote-Instruction-Manual-/151925325561?hash=item235f747ef9:g:F30AAOSwYaFWemUw

thats the ebay page if you want to take a look at it, it is very tempting

 

[Andrewjvt]

the ebay page says its had a full service, replaced capacitors, components moved to aid heat dissapation. offset bias ISC (whatever that means) adjusted to factory settings

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NAD-C370-Graphite-Integrated-Amplifier-Remote-...

thats the ebay page if you want to take a look at it, it is very tempting

I personally would not go for that amp as its been repaired, modified etc and you cant be sure what it will be like. Others would be more than happy with that though.

There are always other amps that come up. Keep looking and im sure youll find a more suitable option.

 

[matthewpiano]

NAD C316BEE or Onkyo A-9010(UK). Then I'd suggest being open to trying alternative speakers. Dali Zensor 3 would be a good place to start, and considerably more capable than the Wharfedales.

 

[plastic penguin]

hi guys, im taking my first steps into the world of proper sound but need a little advice as not really sure what i should be getting this stuff is a little confusing for a noobie

as far as speakers go im pretty much on wharfedale diamond 220's they are really reviewed and seem they will be good starting point for me what im not sure about is the amp

the wharfedales are rated at 100w, ive had things reccomended to me like the marantz pm6005 and the nad c326bee the marantz is 45w per channel and the nad is 50w per channel shouldnt i be looking at something thats atleast 100w per channel? or is not that important

basicly i dont really have a clue what im doing so any reccomendations or advice would be highly appreciated, budget is £300-350 i might be able to stretch that a little further if its worth it

thanks 🙂

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned about the speakers suitable for amp recommendation. In fact 100 watts is max but it is suitable for a 25 watt amp - 100. If you are taken by the Wharfedales then build an amp around them: Look at the new Pioneer amps 'A' series, s/hand Arcam, Marantz and Nad.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

NAD C316BEE or Onkyo A-9010(UK). Then I'd suggest being open to trying alternative speakers. Dali Zensor 3 would be a good place to start, and considerably more capable than the Wharfedales.

thank you for the suggestions

i am certainly open to other speakers, i picked the wharfedales simply based on reviews and price wharfedale is also one of the few brands i know when it comes to hi-fi stuff

the zensor 3 does look good, little bit more than i wanted to spend but if its worth it then so be it

 

[SonofSun]

2nd hand amps from ebay. For 300 or less you could get an nadc370. Thats more than enough amp for anyone let alone a start up hifi man.

Then you can pretty much choose any speaker and it will sing for you.

The 370 is good amp (I've owned 2), however.....for a little over £300 a Roksan Kandy K2 can be obtained. Imho a better amplifier and a lot newer, it will work well with most speakers.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

2nd hand amps from ebay. For 300 or less you could get an nadc370. Thats more than enough amp for anyone let alone a start up hifi man.

Then you can pretty much choose any speaker and it will sing for you.

The 370 is good amp (I've owned 2), however.....for a little over £300 a Roksan Kandy K2 can be obtained. Imho a better amplifier and a lot newer, it will work well with most speakers.

thanks for the suggestion, maybe im looking at the wrong thing but i can only find that for around £700

 

[spiny norman]

thanks for the suggestion, maybe im looking at the wrong thing but i can only find that for around £700

Well, here's one starting at £250

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

thank you 🙂 didnt know he meant used

ill put a bid on this but i bet it will go way up

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Hay Mark I think a wee bit more info is needed.... What is your Total budget for amp and speakers, what source do you plan to use, how large is the room the equipment is to be used in, also most bookshelf speakers aren't really for bookshelves or desks for that matter and best sited on dedicated stands to obtain optimum sound from them.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_509759325851373]

Hay Mark I think a wee bit more info is needed.... What is your Total budget for amp and speakers, what source do you plan to use, how large is the room the equipment is to be used in, also most bookshelf speakers aren't really for bookshelves or desks for that matter and best sited on dedicated stands to obtain optimum sound from them.

budget for the amp around £300 same for the speakers, my source to get audio out of my PC in creative ZXR sound card i know alot of people scof at sound cards but it does have a pretty good DAC and i do also plan to get a turntable at some point room is about 12x12ft

the speaks will intialy be placed on my desk but i can grab some stands if neccessary

in regards to the source im not actualy sure if it will work, i was thinking about getting the ZXR or the xonar essesne STX from asus both of them have RCA but i have no idea if they are inputs or outputs as every site i have looked on some say they are ins and some say they are outs so thats kind of confusing, i would assume to get a signal to the amp they have to be ouputs

 

[Blacksabbath25]

for £700 you could get the marantz pm6005 + marantz cd6005 , dali 3 speakers all 3 have won what hifi awards for the last 2 years . lots of marantz pm6005 + marantz cd6005 on ebay secondhand or new as richer sounds have a sale on now the marantz pm6005 + cd player have come down in price as the amp is now £245 & so is the cd player £245 both were £350 each last year . both sound very good with metal music as this is what i had before i upgraded to the marantz pm8005 and the dali 3s are good value for money but not sure what price this are now but would of thought they have come down in price too .