What AMP for ELAC UniFi UBR62 Reference?

[JMDM]

Hi All,

New in here.

I have bought Elac UniFi UBR62 Reference(6 Ohm, 86db, 140Watts) home after auditioning from a HiFi Shop.
At the shop it was paired with some Prima Luna Tube Amp 45Watts a channel during the audition.


However I am not satisfied with the sound pairing it with a class D amp i.e SMSL AO200.

So I am planning to go for a MidFi Class A/B Amp and i was considering stuffs from Arcam (Alpha9 or Delta 290) as I prefer slightly warmer and laidback presentation.

Also I prefer an AMP with a Remote control, Tone Control & an HT input like the Arcam has, so that I can use my AVR with the same front speakers.

However I could be completely wrong and don't wanna make a big mistake by buying the wrong amp, hence I am here for all your suggestions/recommendations.

Btw My budget is limited and is about 470£

Thanks in advance..

 

[JMDM]

Bump!

 

[JMDM]

So after a bit of research I have narrowed down to 2 options :-

1 - Either get a vintage Arcam Delta 290 - 75W @ 8 ohm which also has a HT/processor mode
- or-
2- Get a Rega IO or Brio or Cambride AXA 35

Can any one shed some light on this, as which of the above AMP would be a good match for my Elac Uni-Fi Reference Speakers for warm and laidback sound ?



Thanks in advance.

 

[daytona600]

Project MaiA S3

Untitled-1 (henleyaudio.co.uk)

MaiA S3 – Pro-Ject Audio Systems (project-audio.com)

 

[nopiano]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

You heard your new speakers with some highly regarded valve/tube amps, probably several steps higher in quality/price. You know how good the speakers can sound, but you’re unlikely to get close to that with your selection.

If you choose carefully secondhand, and get original packaging so you can safely ship, then you might be able to sell any amplifier on that you don’t like. But it’s fairly risky without hearing first.

Can your Elac dealer/shop offer any useful suggestions?

 

[RoA]

S/H Audiolab 6000A

 

[JMDM]

Project MaiA S3

Untitled-1 (henleyaudio.co.uk)

MaiA S3 – Pro-Ject Audio Systems (project-audio.com)

Thanks @daytona600 for this AMP suggestion. However I feel its way underpowered for my 85db 6Ohm 140W speakers. Also I am not a big fan of power supply outside stuff.

 

[JMDM]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

You heard your new speakers with some highly regarded valve/tube amps, probably several steps higher in quality/price. You know how good the speakers can sound, but you’re unlikely to get close to that with your selection.

If you choose carefully secondhand, and get original packaging so you can safely ship, then you might be able to sell any amplifier on that you don’t like. But it’s fairly risky without hearing first.

Can your Elac dealer/shop offer any useful suggestions?

Thanks for the welcome message @nopiano.

This dealer has all way expensive AMPs which is way over budget like the Prima Luna, hence was looking at the Brio from Rega or now the Cyrus One.

Any opinion on the above AMP's ?

 

[JMDM]

S/H Audiolab 6000A

Laid back and Warm sounding ? How is it compared to Brio and Cyrus ?

 

[nopiano]

Thanks for the welcome message @nopiano.

This dealer has all way expensive AMPs which is way over budget like the Prima Luna, hence was looking at the Brio from Rega or now the Cyrus One.

Any opinion on the above AMP's ?

I don’t know them well enough really. I’d expect the Rega to be a shade richer sounding than the Cyrus, but the latter is more powerful.

Be sure to check which version you’re buying. The Rega has had several case changes over the years while keeping the Brio name. The Cyrus One was succeeded by the One HD I think, and there’s also a Cast version. Some homework for you!

 

[RoA]

Laid back and Warm sounding ? How is it compared to Brio and Cyrus ?

Balanced

 

[Al ears]

Balanced

Can you expand.
Balanced can have many meanings.

 

[RoA]

Neutral, pretty much. Bass, MIDs and treble are equal into different speaker loads and at different volumes. It has good control over speakers (for the money). I would assume that is because it is using a fair amount of negative feedback in its design. Some say that's a bad thing but I think in the absence of something like Hegel's 'SoundEngine' circuit which achieves something similar but in a more sophisticated way (and which is out of scope for an amplifier of the 6000A's cost),negative feedback, if done right, has more advantages than otherwise. Especially in context of budget amplifiers who's owners may not have the money or experience in matching speakers/amplifiers perfectly.

Many amplifiers measure similar in frequency response, they can differ greatly when asked to power real life speaker loads which vary greatly over a speakers response and that is asking certain amplifiers to perform outside their comfort zone.

The 6000A is not one of them. A decent power supply ... 200VA transformer with 4x 15'000 uf of smoothing regulation helps.

Having said all this, the Cyrus looks interesting too. I have owned an evolving full Cyrus system for years and have a weak spot for the brand. Lovely but not quite balanced. Speaker matching is required imho.

 

[JMDM]

Neutral, pretty much. Bass, MIDs and treble are equal into different speaker loads and at different volumes. It has good control over speakers (for the money). I would assume that is because it is using a fair amount of negative feedback in its design. Some say that's a bad thing but I think in the absence of something like Hegel's 'SoundEngine' circuit which achieves something similar but in a more sophisticated way (and which is out of scope for an amplifier of the 6000A's cost),negative feedback, if done right, has more advantages than otherwise. Especially in context of budget amplifiers who's owners may not have the money or experience in matching speakers/amplifiers perfectly.

Many amplifiers measure similar in frequency response, they can differ greatly when asked to power real life speaker loads which vary greatly over a speakers response and that is asking certain amplifiers to perform outside their comfort zone.

The 6000A is not one of them. A decent power supply ... 200VA transformer with 4x 15'000 uf of smoothing regulation helps.

Having said all this, the Cyrus looks interesting too. I have owned an evolving full Cyrus system for years and have a weak spot for the brand. Lovely but not quite balanced. Speaker matching is required imho.

Thanks for breifing.
Do you think AL6000 can can drive my speakers i.e 6ohm 85db 140w without any hassle ? With good dynamics and not limited, as I am listening at moderate volume levels in a mid sized room ?