my search for speakers ends.. got the Paradigm Titan Monitor

[murali_n]

Hai mpw,

Try Marantz PM 5003/ 6003 amps , not just for their star ratings in wHifi, but very musical sounding amps. Just heard them last saturday along with MS Aviano-2. Was a good combo.

N.Murali

 

[mpw]

murali,

thanks for your post. I like listening to Classic Rock to L Subramaniam and Indipop too. and with this in mind i dont know which amplifier would go best with my Titan Monitors that too within about a Rs 25K budget... sometimes i think i must have a dekko at the Norge's and buy peace for a few years till i save up some more.. some times i think what the heck.. just plonk 30k and get a UPA-2 Emotiva power amp direct from Emotiva. But just plonking money without a listen is a risk is something which i cant do.

havent got around to auditioning amps.. any more suggestions most welcome..

anybody with good quality used amps.. please chip in.. the other dat i saw a used Arcam for sale and i wondered how the Arcam woould sound with Titan Monitors..

will update this thread as and when i listen to 2 ch amps..

regards,
mpw

 

[magma]

Arcam is anice amp
where is it on sale?

 

[murali_n]

murali,

thanks for your post. I like listening to Classic Rock to L Subramaniam and Indipop too. and with this in mind i dont know which amplifier would go best with my Titan Monitors that too within about a Rs 25K budget... sometimes i think i must have a dekko at the Norge's and buy peace for a few years till i save up some more.. some times i think what the heck.. just plonk 30k and get a UPA-2 Emotiva power amp direct from Emotiva. But just plonking money without a listen is a risk is something which i cant do.

havent got around to auditioning amps.. any more suggestions most welcome..

anybody with good quality used amps.. please chip in.. the other dat i saw a used Arcam for sale and i wondered how the Arcam woould sound with Titan Monitors..

will update this thread as and when i listen to 2 ch amps..

regards,
mpw

Hai MPW,

Auditioned NAD 315 BEE with PSB Image B-6 at Decibels Chennai, the sound was very good. Imaging was pin perfect, the speakers totally disappeared. It is a very good combo.

N.Murali

 

[mpw]

Murali,

thanks for your post. I listened to the NAD C355 with the Paradigm Atom Monitors and found it a bit dry while i liked the sound of the Denon PMA 700 Stereo amplifier... ..

Maybe after your input, i should try out the NAD C315 also. Actually am looking for a continuous power rating of about 80W at 8 ohms atleast..

Maybe numbers dont make sense to the ear but my HK AVR produces 65W RMS at 8 ohms already..

will keep you posted thru this thread.. btw how is the sound of the Norge 2060 ?

regards,
mpw

 

[rikhav]

Hi MPW

Am no expert but the way the specs are written down differ from company to company.

NAD is known to give out conservative power ratinsg so when it says 50 watts its pure 50 watts.

First see if the resulting sound is to your liking or not.

 

[ajay124]

@Rikhav
I would disagree about Nad's 'conservative' rating.I used a 150WPC at 8 Ohms Nad C 375 BEE for two months and felt they were unable to drive my Dynaudio Audience 122.Sound was dull,hollow,boring,'powerless'.When I replaced the Nad with a 70WPC at 8 Ohms Cyrus 8VS2 the speakers finally came to life.Not only was the Cyrus immensely more detailed and musical,those 70WPC really carried weight.Much more than the big/boomy Nad.I believe a 70/75 WPC Cyrus/Arcam is a much better option than a 150WPC Nad.
But everyone should listen with their ears.Many folks may find a Nad better than a Cyrus.Going by the interest check on the Forum I would say Nad would be easily outselling Cyrus in India.Price difference of course is a major factor.Also not everybody likes the Cyrus shoebox look.It normally does not blend well in the 'looks' department unless one goes for an all Cyrus system.

 

[rikhav]

Ajay Bhai
The Titan Monitors are quiet easy to drive when you compare it with the Dynas.
But again as you said a 70 watt Cyrus gave you the sound you wanted then a 150 watt NAD. So ultimately as you said, MPW should listen to a Nad or any other amp with his speakers and then decide.

I think NADS sell more because some of its models come in the VFM segment.

 

[mpw]

Arcam is anice amp
where is it on sale?

Hey magma,

trust you are doing fine.

someone put it on sale on this forum a few days back.. now the thread is gone too..

mpw

 

[ajay124]

Boomarang had an Arcam Diva A70 until a few months back.May be still around.They also had a Moon i1.
Simaudio MOON i-1 Integrated Amplifier

 

[magma]

i think grattan took the moon home himself!

 

[hrd.hrishikesh]

mpw,
Congrats on Titans, nice setup there, very homely!

My 2 cents: Do not buy a very meagerly powered amp just because you want a '2 channel' setup. It won't feed the Titans to make 'em shine. If you want a Norge, audition it and see (have listened to Norge Concerto 1000 with Monitor 7s and sounded good to me). In your budget, you can find Yamaha amps (don't know how they work with Titan though). But since you only need a power amp, take a look at Emotiva also, Am saying this 'cos I got one, of course. Don't know where you could audition it. Humongous power at budget price defines the brand, you get 125 W/ch @8 Ohms power amp at much less price than a 70/80 W/ch integrated. But then, you gotta stretch your budget a little. Read my thread on Emotiva UPA-2. Before you invest money, first try and audition another amp in the exact setup at your house and see if you notice great difference.
P.S.- The cymbals at 22" in Heavy Fuel? They're pretty loud I thought, on my old n battered n wasted component system.

 

[mpw]

mpw,
Congrats on Titans, nice setup there, very homely!

My 2 cents: Do not buy a very meagerly powered amp just because you want a '2 channel' setup. It won't feed the Titans to make 'em shine. If you want a Norge, audition it and see (have listened to Norge Concerto 1000 with Monitor 7s and sounded good to me). In your budget, you can find Yamaha amps (don't know how they work with Titan though). But since you only need a power amp, take a look at Emotiva also, Am saying this 'cos I got one, of course. Don't know where you could audition it. Humongous power at budget price defines the brand, you get 125 W/ch @8 Ohms power amp at much less price than a 70/80 W/ch integrated. But then, you gotta stretch your budget a little. Read my thread on Emotiva UPA-2. Before you invest money, first try and audition another amp in the exact setup at your house and see if you notice great difference.
P.S.- The cymbals at 22" in Heavy Fuel? They're pretty loud I thought, on my old n battered n wasted component system.

==================================================

yes.. hrd.hrishikesh.. thanks for your post. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did putting it up so forum members could feel my selection dilemmas and how things panned out finally..

I did read thru your post on the UPA2 as you have the Monitor 7's and i assume the sound signature would be roughly the same. I heard the Monitor7's too in Mumbai and liked them but they were beyond my pocket.

The Emotiva folks quoted me $520 landed ( excl duties ) in Mumbai. Rs 30k is something i would have to get wifey on board and maybe i need to "crib and cry" a bit more often for this..:lol: the crying baby gets the milk na..

Hopefully with diwali around the corner and with a good bonus in hand..maybe.. whoknows..:licklips:

Denom offered to get his Norge 2060 over to my place for a try as he wanted to listen to the Titans too and maybe this month it will happen. Lets see.. else i dont know which dealer would get his amps at my place as i have "stuck" my titans on the speaker stands via bostik and am relectant to take them off.

Alternately i am also looking at the HK3490 as i like the HK sound quite well.

Please do look thru the Emotiva instruction & specs and tell me the max current drawn. The HK3490 is at 45 Amps. I think that would indicate the punch sent out to the speakers.

Thanks once again and the cymbals at 22 secs was pointed out by psychotropic. They can be heard well with the current HK AVR 255.

Regards,
mpw

=========================================================

 

[hrd.hrishikesh]

HK3490 is a good option if you like its sound. Over Emotiva UPA-2, its advantage is that it's integrated with all controls so you won't depend on your AVR, but IIRC, it doesn't have tone bypass. It also doesn't have a toroidal transformer. But then, it has two sub outs and digital input (whoa) and video in/outs and tuner too. Hardly any amp can beat it for the features for the price. Don't have current drawn figure for the UPA-2 but I'll tell you that it's a beast compared to all other integrated amps I heard in 100W/ch territory. Seeing your setup, don't think you'd be in need of power in excess of 100 W. So long as you stay above 50W, should be fine. If you intend to use only power section of the amp with pre from AVR, suggest you try the Norge and spend the saved money for good CDs.

 

[iaudio]

hrd.h, Does the Norge amp have the provision to bypass its pre section and use only the power section with external pre?

 

[hrd.hrishikesh]

@iaudio,
Not in Concerto 1000 gold, dunno of others. My point was, mpw might as well use the Norge as an integrated rather than finding a power amp just so he could use his AVR for pre.

 

[mpw]

HK3490 is a good option if you like its sound. Over Emotiva UPA-2, its advantage is that it's integrated with all controls so you won't depend on your AVR, but IIRC, it doesn't have tone bypass. It also doesn't have a toroidal transformer. But then, it has two sub outs and digital input (whoa) and video in/outs and tuner too. Hardly any amp can beat it for the features for the price. Don't have current drawn figure for the UPA-2 but I'll tell you that it's a beast compared to all other integrated amps I heard in 100W/ch territory. Seeing your setup, don't think you'd be in need of power in excess of 100 W. So long as you stay above 50W, should be fine. If you intend to use only power section of the amp with pre from AVR, suggest you try the Norge and spend the saved money for good CDs.

===============================================

hi friends,

today i purchased the Philips FA391 stereo amplifier from a forum member ( kapvin ). I also managed to integrate the stereo amp with my AVR using the pre outs. The sound is very good !!

Thanks kapvin !!

Kapvin has a very nice setup and i wish you all the best for your sale. the deals which you put up are very reasonable indeed.

Now i have to figure out ( at leisure ) to calibrate the system ( incl the stereo amp ) for 5.1 applications. Hope that will be possible and also the best possible connections linking up my TV, AVR, DVD player and the stereo amp.

Will post more listening impressions maybe in about a week to 10 days after i have had the chance to listen to more music. Next week is full of travel hope i can get some time to enjoy the music as well.

I think this should take care of the "stereo itch " and maybe in a few months i should save up enough for a good center channel from Paradigm to match the titans ( not that i am having any trouble with the JBL's ).

Also.. may thanks to the JBL store Mumbai.. a quick phone call to them and they could solve the AVR settings regarding the pre outs.

PS : wonder why Philips stopped making hifi stereo stuff.. this one sounds good. Philips is tne company that has many many inventions but has somehow not capitalized on them.


best regards,
mpw

 

[mpw]

Hey guys,

There is a stereo amp of mine connected to the AVR pre outs. The AVr is rated at 65W and so is the stereo amp ( both 8 ohm ) ( fronts also 8 ohm speakers ).

a. How do i ensure that my speakers dont get driven too hard ? In the sense which volume control do i use and how do i know i am approaching maximum. I like to listen to my music loud

b. How do i calibrate this set up for 5/1 ? My AVR has Eszet but now the system will have to contend with a stereo amp driving the front speakers ?

Do throw some light..

Right now am just playing it by the ear..

many thanks,
mpw

 

[kapvin]

Hey guys,

There is a stereo amp of mine connected to the AVR pre outs. The AVr is rated at 65W and so is the stereo amp ( both 8 ohm ) ( fronts also 8 ohm speakers ).

a. How do i ensure that my speakers dont get driven too hard ? In the sense which volume control do i use and how do i know i am approaching maximum. I like to listen to my music loud

b. How do i calibrate this set up for 5/1 ? My AVR has Eszet but now the system will have to contend with a stereo amp driving the front speakers ?

Do throw some light..

Right now am just playing it by the ear..

many thanks,
mpw

Hi MPW,

the Amp FA-931 has something called i-xda. as you approach levels beyond the dynamic headroom of the amp, there is a wee red led, below the volume control knob that starts flickering.

if the amp continues to be driven hard, then it applies an attenuation to the signal. this is usefult o prevent tweeter dmaging amp clipping

read the manual (my memory may have missed out facts)

as long as the led flickers only at the dynamic peaks of the music you should be okay. if it continuously flickers, you are driving it too hard.

Practically speaking, with speakers as efficient as yours..lt's unlikely that you'll be able to overdrive your amp/ speakers, without simultaneously damaging your hearing as well. .

re: calibration - an external amp should not make a difference. just put the external amp volume control at some "reference " level (between the 10o'clock and 2 o'clock postion) and then run the calibration. after that you can use your AVR vloume control to change levels across channels.

don't keep the external amp volume control too high or too low.. that may create level differences that your avr adjustment software cannot bridge.

cheers

 

[kapvin]

===============================================

hi friends,

today i purchased the Philips FA391 stereo amplifier from a forum member ( kapvin ). I also managed to integrate the stereo amp with my AVR using the pre outs. The sound is very good !!

Thanks kapvin !!

Kapvin has a very nice setup and i wish you all the best for your sale. the deals which you put up are very reasonable indeed.

Now i have to figure out ( at leisure ) to calibrate the system ( incl the stereo amp ) for 5.1 applications. Hope that will be possible and also the best possible connections linking up my TV, AVR, DVD player and the stereo amp.

Will post more listening impressions maybe in about a week to 10 days after i have had the chance to listen to more music. Next week is full of travel hope i can get some time to enjoy the music as well.

I think this should take care of the "stereo itch " and maybe in a few months i should save up enough for a good center channel from Paradigm to match the titans ( not that i am having any trouble with the JBL's ).

Also.. may thanks to the JBL store Mumbai.. a quick phone call to them and they could solve the AVR settings regarding the pre outs.

PS : wonder why Philips stopped making hifi stereo stuff.. this one sounds good. Philips is tne company that has many many inventions but has somehow not capitalized on them.


best regards,
mpw

thank you. it was a pleasure to meet you as well. i do look forward to inviting myself to your house for that cup of coffe and an extended listen, once you've got everything settled in.

cheers