What is a powerful amp?

[Vladimir]

Naim UniQute 2 = 30W = £1,150 = 38.3 £/W

Anthem Integrated 225 = 225W = £970 = 4.3 £/W

A difference of x9 higher price per W for the Naim.

 

[Paulq]

Naim UniQute 2 = 30W = £1,150 = 38.3 £/W

Anthem Integrated 225 = 225W = £970 = 4.3 £/W

A difference of x9 higher price per W for the Naim.

My ears 'tell' me I like the Naim. I don't 'need' 225w.

So not really sure what your point is? Unless you are suggesting we should all just buy the most watts we can get for the price?

PS: The Anthem is s/hand at £970. New it's £1475.

 

[drummerman]

Naim UniQute 2 = 30W = £1,150 = 38.3 £/W

Anthem Integrated 225 = 225W = £970 = 4.3 £/W

A difference of x9 higher price per W for the Naim.

At a quick glance I can only see the Anthem at £1495. Still a decent price for the power offered but it is hardly c(q)ute ... .

The UniQute may be the wrong example of an amplifier featuring in a thread about powerful amplifiers but it is what many (most?) people rather have at home and I have no doubt that its puny 30w/ch will be enough to make good music with reasonably sensitive speakers.

As often has been quoted, these are 'Naim watts' which seem subjectively more powerful/fun, a bit like some valve amplifiers ... just in a different way

 

[drummerman]

I have a feeling Collin's/iQ's upcoming Hypex power amplifier will top that watt per £ list soon.

 

[Vladimir]

I saw it for $1500 new, but nevertheless. Even at that price it amounts to 6.5 £/W, which is 5.8 times cheaper than Naim.

I simply replied to the "Watts aren't cheap and evil hi-fi salesmen rob innocent audiophiles of their money by selling them unnecessarily powerful amps" comments.

 

[matt49]

You've got it completely the wrong way round. What this thread has established -- and we have the evidence from the horse's mouth -- is that speaker manufacturers routinely understate the amount of power needed to drive their speakers without clipping. The "25W is good enough" line is marketing spiel.

I'm not sure I have Matt. The one thing that people on here (and other forums) tend to agree on is 'let your ears make decisions'.

In the last week I have demo'd 3 amps varying in output from 30 - 100 wpc with my very own system with my very own music. At the levels I listen to there was absolutely no discernible difference in their capability to reproduce the sound that I hear. Sure there was some difference in coloration that differentiate different amps' sound signature but that's it. The 30w amp did as good a job as the 100 wpc amp 'for me'.

So I'm afraid I still have the same view. Extra watts do not mean 'better' for most people. It just sells amps and makes dealers richer.

Fair enough -- for you. On the other hand, if you really believe that our ears should make our decisions, then you'll have to admit that for some people extra watts do mean better and that extra watts don't just sell amps and make dealers richer.

BTW did you read the thread on the Harbeth User Group forum?

 

[Vladimir]

I have a feeling Collin's/iQ's upcoming Hypex power amplifier will top that watt per £ list soon.

Devialet Expert Le 400 [/b]= 400W = £9,980 = 24.95 £/W

Dual mono 400W Devialet is 1.5 times cheaper than 30W Naim UniQute 2.

This is still apples to apples comparison since Naim is SS, not valve. Old tech comes at understandable premiums due to exclusivity. Naim is as mass goods as a Yamaha.

 

[DocG]

I have a feeling Collin's/iQ's upcoming Hypex power amplifier will top that watt per £ list soon.

Devialet Expert Le 400 = 400W = £9,980 = 24.95 £/W

Dual mono 400W Devialet is 1.5 times cheaper than 30W Naim UniQute 2.

This is still apples to apples comparison since Naim is SS, not valve. Old tech comes at understandable premiums due to exclusivity. Naim is as mass goods as a Yamaha.

Devialet Watts are 'special Watts': Le 400 gives you 400W into 6 Ohm, so probably 300 W @ 8 Ohm. Still cheaper watts than Naim's. Just.

 

[Paulq]

[Fair enough -- for you. On the other hand, if you really believe that our ears should make our decisions, then you'll have to admit that for some people extra watts do mean better and that extra watts don't just sell amps and make dealers richer.

BTW did you read the thread on the Harbeth User Group forum?

I didn't - but now I shall.

 

[drummerman]

Devialet Watts are 'special Watts': Le 400 gives you 400W into 6 Ohm, so probably 300 W @ 8 Ohm. Still cheaper watts than Naim's. Just.

I am still amazed what they can get out of a set of phantoms.

Even if the 3000 watts quoted are best case peak figures it seems very impressive. No lossy electrical crossover will no doubt play its part too ...

 

[Vladimir]

I have a feeling Collin's/iQ's upcoming Hypex power amplifier will top that watt per £ list soon.

Devialet Expert Le 400 = 400W = £9,980 = 24.95 £/W

Dual mono 400W Devialet is 1.5 times cheaper than 30W Naim UniQute 2.

This is still apples to apples comparison since Naim is SS, not valve. Old tech comes at understandable premiums due to exclusivity. Naim is as mass goods as a Yamaha.

Devialet Watts are 'special Watts': Le 400 gives you 400W into 6 Ohm, so probably 300 W @ 8 Ohm. Still cheaper watts than Naim's. Just.

Still cheaper by 5 quid per watt. *yes3* Doesn't look like much, but you can squeze in another amplifier in just those 5 £/W.

TrevC is on hiatus apparently. Otherwise I'm sure he would have mentioned the Behringer A500 which yields 1 £/W. I thought I'd class it up with some French brands. *wink*

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

so what (watt) amp should i buy next?

Budget: £1500.00 (ex dem)

 

[CnoEvil]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

so what (watt) amp should i buy next??

Budget: £1500.00 (ex dem)

There are great amps around that price point from Creek, Rega, Arcam, Electrocompaniet, Hegel...and keep an eye out for Bel Canto C5i (ex-dem).

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

so what (watt) amp should i buy next?

Budget: £1500.00 (ex dem)

There are great amps around that price point from Creek, Rega, Arcam, Electrocompaniet, Hegel...and keep an eye out for Bel Canto C5i (ex-dem).

How about yamaha a s2100? Looks good both from outside and inside.

 

[CnoEvil]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

so what (watt) amp should i buy next??

Budget: £1500.00 (ex dem)

There are great amps around that price point from Creek, Rega, Arcam, Electrocompaniet, Hegel...and keep an eye out for Bel Canto C5i (ex-dem).

?

How about yamaha a s2100? Looks good both from outside and inside.

Why not?....add it to the list (I haven't heard one).

 

[Oie]

What about Abrahamsen? Are they powerful enough?

 

[FennerMachine]

What about Abrahamsen? Are they powerful enough? 

I've not had to turn mine past 50 out of 60.
Still controls the speakers.
Louder without harshness as I turn it up until it becomes uncomfortably loud.
Doubles power from 8 to 4 ohms.
They should be powerful enough for most at a relatively modest cost.
Some speakers at disco levels might require silly amounts of power though.

 

[dantt]

Let's see an example:I have a Hegel H80 (2x125w in 4ohm) with Dynaudio Excite X16 (150w in 4ohm,87db).In this example,only from specs,the Hegel H80 has enough power to drive the speakers,or i have to move to H160 (2x250w in 4ohm)?

 

[Oie]

What about Abrahamsen? Are they powerful enough?

I've not had to turn mine past 50 out of 60. Still controls the speakers. Louder without harshness as I turn it up until it becomes uncomfortably loud. Doubles power from 8 to 4 ohms. They should be powerful enough for most at a relatively modest cost. Some speakers at disco levels might require silly amounts of power though.

Well I don't go further than 40

I was asking because one of the things that made me buy the V20Up was not the "gross" power but the quality of the components and the somehow "oversized" of them, like if they were on steroids.

Maybe we come back to the same: quality and not quantity?

Regards,

O

 

[DocG]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

so what (watt) amp should i buy next?

Budget: £1500.00 (ex dem)

You could wait for iQ's Hypex amp (expected for one of these weeks). Colin said he could deliver a stereo NC500 amp for under a grand. Watts galore! (IIRC the NC500 gives you 400W/8 Ohm and 700 W/4 Ohm! -- talking about a powerful amp)...

Do you dare?*diablo*

 

[paulkebab]

the Vincent SV237 £1750 new, maybe you could stretch it.

 

[tonky]

The unitiqute is not just a 30 watt per channel amp - so comparing it to integrated amps is an unfair comparison. It's an all in one highly specced streaming system which the reviewers at What hifi gave a best buy 5 star review in its price range. How come some manufacturers are able to produce such good sounding equipment (read the positive reviews - plenty of them) irrespective of "power rating".

What price sound quality per pound? - Let your ears decide

It's subjective to everybody and only objective to the person that buys it.

tonky

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_664715932]

the Vincent SV237 £1750 new, maybe you could stretch it.

yes it looks geart.

Whats in the middle, is it a some kind of indicator?

is it a british made?

 

[matt49]

the Vincent SV237 £1750 new, maybe you could stretch it.

yes it looks geart.

Whats in the middle, is it a some kind of indicator?

is it a british made?

The window in the middle looks in on a valve. No level indicator or anything useful.

The brand is German, I believe.

 

[drummerman]

the Vincent SV237 £1750 new, maybe you could stretch it.

yes it looks geart.

Whats in the middle, is it a some kind of indicator?

is it a british made?

The window in the middle looks in on a valve. No level indicator or anything useful.

The brand is German, I believe.

Yes and its pretentiously lit by an led, ugly.

I heard Project's RS high end (for project) hybrid Valve/solid state system (2x110w/8ohm) comprising the RS stereo power and separate pre-amplifier with a set of MyAudio monitors. I thought it sounded (and looked) glorious and although the tube buffer stages are hidden inside the casings, prefer that to the gimmicky display on the Vincent/s. Just my humble onion.