The Two Channel Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Nov 10, 2016.

  1. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    EDIT: Purchased a Crown XLi3500


    I believe my 2-chan subwoofer amplifier is on it's last legs - and it's about time I upgraded anyways. It is a Samson SX1200. It's doing 450x2 @ohm stereo. It's a bit weak for the large area the subs occupy. It is also a bit noisy (fans).

    Recommendations for a stereo subwoofer amplifier, woofers are DVC 2ohm, and I like to keep them at 4ohm - seems like a fair load for this type of driver. They are 1,000 wrms each. CSS SDX12 built to sealed spec. So for HT material, they really need some help - 450 might not cut the mustard fully, but I do get to reference level at seating position - I think the amp hard clips at reference + 0.5 db +

    I don't need anything fancy - I use dirac live for tuning, it is capable of handling stereo subs.

    When I was younger, I would take an inverter and crank the voltage to 14.4 and see how much I could get out the wall and into a 12v car stereo amplifier. I had a pair of 15's and bass shakers under my bed. I was perv when letting girls on my bed and giving them a show, but also slightly embarrassed for spending my time in that way - it's kind of a weird hobby for a kid. Pimp my bedroom.

    I do wish I had built dual vented 15's for my current setup, but the space IS limited and the CSS's are right in my wheelhouse. My car audio handle is "ImageDynamicsM3" I think. I was on a bunch of car audio forums - it was cheap and accessible. Hi-Fi was snooty. Personal audio just made the most sense. No bull-shit, no competition's. Just you and your music in the way you like. I've been able to try spices, herbs, delicacy's, all sort of other libations through the use of headphones. Yes that is a metaphor for different headphones that are much easier to try than speakers. In most ways, they are better for me. Lack of pure immersion from a stereo setup unless you are in the sweet spot with a properly acoustically modified room, not a normal-ass house.

    Anyways... 2-channel amp recommendations... :p
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2023
  2. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    What are people's thoughts on mitigating vibration in electronics?

    I am considering some Class D monoblocks because I find the technology to be very interesting. I wanted to put them directly behind each speaker on the floor. I would have a 2 - 2.5M balanced interconnect from the preamp to each power amp, then a < 12" speaker cable going directly to the loudspeaker. The binding posts for each speaker are basically on the floor.

    The desire to put the amps close to the speakers and on the floor is to keep as much empty space between the speakers as possible. I've found that this is necessary for good mid-bass and sub bass performance. If I can get all source gear spread out and close to the ground, I think this will have a nice sonic benefit. Putting the source gear off to the side will probably not be an option.

    However, I wonder what could be the effect of vibration on the amps? Some of these Class D amps are only 5 - 10 lbs. My speakers have side-firing woofers and side-ports. I wonder if low frequencies would affect the amps being close to the speakers? I have seen the effects of vibration on electric circuits and devices during automotive validation testing, but never sub-bass from loudspeakers. Is there anything to be worried about? Might it be necessary to add mass to the chassis and decouple them from the floor?
     
  3. famish99

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    Short answer would be do it. Longer answer is that capacitors in general are sensitive to vibration and for audio where we can sometimes hear immeasurable differences, it can matter.

    Having said that, you probably really want to ask yourself why consider class D...
     
  4. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    Why consider Class D? I find the latest tech to be quite interesting. My ultra fancy A/B power amp sounds wonderful. But it idles at 285-300W from the wall while I listen at < 77dB. Most of the time I am listening at 65-70dB. The efficiency of Class D is intriguing and the audible silence is also nice. I've tried a Hypex NC252mp and it was very interesting. I want to try some others.

    Similarly, I got two Schiit Gjallahorns yesterday. With the right preamp they are DEAD SILENT. They idle at 10W each from the wall, and pull 11-12W at 77dB peak volume in my system. Cool. But there is a lot to be desired in terms of all of the audiophool sound quality that I am after. The detail, soundstage layering, separation, and tonality are simply not there. For now I will keep using them because the prospect of turning 10W into sound vs. 300W into the same level of sound is useful to me today. For future iterations I want to plan for something different.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2023
  5. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    Well let me know if you find one that sounds good enough to replace what you got. I'd say class D with Hypex has gotten to the point where it's acceptable, especially for TV use, but I still wouldn't critically listen to one. If you find a great one, I would love to use it for my TV setup...
     
  6. artur9

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    Using them as monoblocks for 30W each or...?
     
  7. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    Yes, using them as mono blocks for Vivid Kaya 90. Audia Flight FLS-1, Topping A90D, and Holo Bliss as preamp. Audia Flight sounds the best but it is inherently noisey which is really bothering me. The A90D and Bliss are dead silent even with my ear on the tweeter. I'm only about 7 feet from each speaker in my current space so getting everything balanced has been really hard. I expect to be in a much better physical space in about 4 months so I am scoping out various things for when I have a new setup with more space and an ultra-short-throw projector. So, opening up the space between the speakers is important to fit the UST PJ properly as well as better mid-bass and bass response.
     
  8. Entropy

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    mm, not so sure about adding mass. You can just weigh an amp and choose the proper size and type of Sorbothane hemisphere for it. Link to a site where you can pick them up: https://www.isolateit.com/products/...eet-with-adhesive?_pos=3&_sid=6a140290d&_ss=r)
     
  9. Armaegis

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    If you regularly listen <77dB, I wouldn't be concerned at all about vibrations affecting your amps. Your caps will age out before the vibrations do anything to them.
     
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  10. bixby

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    Amps like dacs, computers and everything else in your system will vibrate and will have a small effect. I would not add mass but rather would try different footers to decouple from the floor. Experiment and see what you hear. Sometimes a sandwich approach can work well and you don't even have to buy stuff, try wood, foam, etc.

    Generally I have found that suspended wood floors are the worst, concrete slabs the best as far as their contribution to overall "tone" without intervention. Enjoy!
     
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  11. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    A couple of months ago, I read on a forum — I'm pretty sure it was right here on SBAF — about a power amp with the following characteristics: compact (about half-rack width), fairly high-power (maybe ~125 Wpc into 8 ohm speakers), not class D (but probably G or H), European manufacturer, price point somewhere in the 2-4k range. I completely forgot what it was, and I can't find it by skimming threads. Can someone help me figure out what it was? (It's not the Benchmark AHB2.)
     
  12. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Not European, but Jeff Rowland makes an amp around that power, and I think it's in the $3500 price range. It might be class D though.
     
  13. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    Cyrus and heed audio make half width amplifiers which are class AB to my knowledge.
     
  14. gsanger

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    Was it the SPL s800?

    I’d love to hear other’s experience with Heed amps. I had an Obelisk integrated for a while and it just never really resonates with me.
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2023
  15. Armaegis

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  16. gepardcv

    gepardcv Almost "Made"

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    That’s it! Thank you. I’ll also take a look at the other amps that came up.
     
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  17. Armaegis

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    I used to have a pair of AHB2's and currently have an s800. Both are really great for different reasons. The s800 isn't nearly as clean as the AHB2, but it has a thumpier fun to it.
     
  18. Jokko

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    Looking to build 70/30 music/tv setup from scratch in our medium sized living room. Strongly prefer to have HDMI arc connected to our TV. I know this a bit of a vague post but any gear advice is very welcomed. I see lot's of used speakers on second hand market, probably due to high interest rates. This is some of the gear I have been looking at:

    Amp:
    - Marantz Model 40n ($)
    - Yamaha R-N2000A ($$)
    - Naim Nova ($$)
    - Cambridge Edge A + Streaming device ($$$)
    - McIntosh MA8950 + Streaming device ($$$)

    Speakers:
    - Buchardt S400 MKII ($)
    - Q Acoustics Concept 50 ($)
    - Arendal 1723 S Towers ($)
    - Dynaudio Heritage Special or C1 ($$)
    - JBL 4349 or 4429 ($$$)

    PS typically do not like like bright metal tweeters from Focal, B&W, KEF etc... Any speaker recommendations?
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2023
  19. Climber

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    I had those Buchardts when I was in an apartment last year and loved them. They paired great with a NAD M10 which makes me think they are tuned just a bit on the warm side of neutral. I too was about 70/30 music/TV in a medium-to-large sized living room.
     
  20. Collusion

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    I've owned two pairs of Buchardt S400's and one pair of Buchardt S400 MK2's. I've found there are unit to unit variations on how the Buchardts sound.

    My first pair of S400's was probably best of the bunch: Bass heavy, slightly mid-centric sound, smooth at the expense of microdetail but still very enjoyable. The upper bass was bleeding into the midrange giving the overall presentation a modicum of warmth, but I never found this to be excessive. However, I felt there was a slight timbral discontinuation between the woofer and tweeter, the upper part of the woofer's bandwidth being more prominent than the lower treble. Despite not being dark sounding speaker, the presentation never had that much air. I guess you could say the treble being a tad dry sounding. Overall, not a bad speaker considering the price, but not perfect.

    Later on I upgraded to a pair of S400 MK2's and there were some differences: Bass was now more controlled and reached a tad lower. Also, the upper bass was now better behaved without making speaker sounding thin. Integration between the woofer and the tweeter was also clearly improved, rendering a more tangible soundstage. Overall the sound felt less smoothed over, which meant better detail retrieval, but unfortunately it also meant a etched and grainy sounding upper midrange and treble. I tried three different amplifiers and with all of them had the same problem. I gave up on these.

    I went back to a different pair of S400's and I was surprised to discover they sounded somewhat different than my first pair: Upper register had more microdetail than I remember my first pair having. The treble was definitely drier sounding than previously - and considering it was already somewhat dry on my first pair, I felt this pair went into the wrong direction. As a total package not as offensive as the MK2's, but I never found these to be that enjoyable.

    TL;DR: Buchardt's decision decision to use cheap ass tweeters can be heard and it also seems to lead unit to unit variations.

    I am currently rocking with Dynaudio Heritage Special's and they might just be the best speakers I've ever owned. These probably deserve their own post, so I'll get back on the topic later.
     

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