Amp recommendations for Mission QX-2

[DB1989]

My brother-in-law happened to get Covid and is confined to his room right now. He’s a very social person so being confined to his room, boredom is killing him. He’s a borderline AV enthusiast but he’s never seriously thought about getting into the hobby. Being bored out of his mind, he was asking me for Projector recommendations and I knew that it was not what he required since he already has an LG C8 65 and what he’s really missing out on is good sound to complete his AV experience.

As such, I decided to give him the requisite nudge by getting him a two channel system to start with. I’ve already ordered a pair of mission QX2s for him but I am in a dilemma regarding the Amp. Since he’s only going to be starting out and this is more of an interest building exercise, I do not want to make his very first venture complicated.

I was thinking Of getting him an amplifier that has digital inputs to connect to his TV as well as integrated streaming services so that he can play music directly from his iPhone or iPad. In this regard, I had my eyes on the Yamaha WXA 50 as it has has all the above mentioned functionality And it has a small footprint that will allow him to place it in his bedroom inconspicuously and not be objected to by my sister as cluttering up the room. However, I am concerned about whether it can drive the missions since their nominal impedance is four ohms only whereas The Yamaha amp only mentions a 6 ohm rating.

I have no idea about its sound quality either so some feedback in that regard from FMs who have experienced it would be reassuring.

My question is in two parts i.e. firstly, whether the Yamaha amp can drive the missions and secondly, considering a maximum budget of 40k, Are there any other competent one box solutions that are easy to use and have better SQ than the Yamaha. Will getting an AVR, Something like a Marantz NR1609, be a better bet?

 

[raghupb]

Test drive Allo Boss Player and Volt+D. Total outlay should be 17-18K.
You'll get an entire streamer/player/DAC/amp with volume control.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[DB1989]

Test drive Allo Boss Player and Volt+D. Total outlay should be 17-18K.
You'll get an entire streamer/player/DAC/amp with volume control.
Cheers,
Raghu

i did consider the Allo. However, this will be a two box solution and i’m afraid that he’ll find it too complicated/bothersome to use it on a daily basis. Plus the lesser devices to connect the better. connecting a preamp/streamer to the amp would require another wire in between them as well as an extra power socket to be connected to which starts cluttering up things. WAF is important.

 

[DB1989]

Even this looks promising and its at a lower price point:

Denon CEOL Piccolo DRA-N5 - Integrated Network Stereo Receiver (White)

Free Shipping (India) Brand New Unit(s) Price Includes GST Official Manufacturers Warranty EMI Payment Option Available

avshack.in

any FMs who’ve experienced this Denon?

 

[DB1989]

My brother-in-law happened to get Covid and is confined to his room right now. He’s a very social person so being confined to his room, boredom is killing him. He’s a borderline AV enthusiast but he’s never seriously thought about getting into the hobby. Being bored out of his mind, he was asking me for Projector recommendations and I knew that it was not what he required since he already has an LG C8 65 and what he’s really missing out on is good sound to complete his AV experience.

As such, I decided to give him the requisite nudge by getting him a two channel system to start with. I’ve already ordered a pair of mission QX2s for him but I am in a dilemma regarding the Amp. Since he’s only going to be starting out and this is more of an interest building exercise, I do not want to make his very first venture complicated.

I was thinking Of getting him an amplifier that has digital inputs to connect to his TV as well as integrated streaming services so that he can play music directly from his iPhone or iPad. In this regard, I had my eyes on the Yamaha WXA 50 as it has has all the above mentioned functionality And it has a small footprint that will allow him to place it in his bedroom inconspicuously and not be objected to by my sister as cluttering up the room. However, I am concerned about whether it can drive the missions since their nominal impedance is four ohms only whereas The Yamaha amp only mentions a 6 ohm rating.

I have no idea about its sound quality either so some feedback in that regard from FMs who have experienced it would be reassuring.

My question is in two parts i.e. firstly, whether the Yamaha amp can drive the missions and secondly, considering a maximum budget of 40k, Are there any other competent one box solutions that are easy to use and have better SQ than the Yamaha. Will getting an AVR, Something like a Marantz NR1609, be a better bet?

Came across this thread that I'd posted some time back and i guess the topic is worth exploring again since a lot of FMs have voiced similar concerns, most recently @Beast_of_burden i.e. whether a beefy amplifier is required to drive a speaker that advertises a 4ohm nominal load.

After i got the missions for my brother in law and since impedance issues seem to be a grey area amongst FMs, i decided to take a leap of faith with a Marantz NR1509 to pair it with. Now the Marantz does not even advertise a 4ohm load but following popular wisdom that I'd gathered from a lot of reviewers online on YT (i know they are scoffed at on this forum but with a bit of vetting and common sense, I've found them to be quite reliable) i.e. that most newer amplifiers can drive a 4ohm load without any of the associated problems that plagued older amplifiers.

What was the problem? Older Amplifiers not capable of handling 4ohm loads would apparently overheat and blowup whereas newer amplifiers have in-built circuit protection which automatically lowers the volume or switch themselves off entirely.

9 months hence and despite having an 8 year old nephew who loves cranking up the volume, the Marantz NR1509 has held up so far without tripping once as per feedback I've received from them. I've heard the combo too and the NR1509 has no problems driving the QX2s with deep and substantial room filling bass emanating from them when the tracks demand it without the NR1509 melting down so far (or tripping for that matter).

is it good practice? Who knows??? all i know if that the NR1509 has held up... And how. Only time will tell i guess.

What i do believe right now is that it's time to revisit a number of preconceived notions and examine whether they still hold true in today's world.

 

[Beast_of_burden]

Came across this thread that I'd posted some time back and i guess the topic is worth exploring again since a lot of FMs have voiced similar concerns, most recently @Beast_of_burden i.e. whether a beefy amplifier is required to drive a speaker that advertises a 4ohm nominal load.

After i got the missions for my brother in law and since impedance issues seem to be a grey area amongst FMs, i decided to take a leap of faith with a Marantz NR1509 to pair it with. Now the Marantz does not even advertise a 4ohm load but following popular wisdom that I'd gathered from a lot of reviewers online on YT (i know they are scoffed at on this forum but with a bit of vetting and common sense, I've found them to be quite reliable) i.e. that most newer amplifiers can drive a 4ohm load without any of the associated problems that plagued older amplifiers.

What was the problem? Older Amplifiers not capable of handling 4ohm loads would apparently overheat and blowup whereas newer amplifiers have in-built circuit protection which automatically lowers the volume or switch themselves off entirely.

9 months hence and despite having an 8 year old nephew who loves cranking up the volume, the Marantz NR1509 has held up so far without tripping once as per feedback I've received from them. I've heard the combo too and the NR1509 has no problems driving the QX2s with deep and substantial room filling bass emanating from them when the tracks demand it without the NR1509 melting down so far (or tripping for that matter).

is it good practice? Who knows??? all i know if that the NR1509 has held up... And how. Only time will tell i guess.

What i do believe right now is that it's time to revisit a number of preconceived notions and examine whether they still hold true in today's world.

The amp most certainly will not blow up, but the presentation can sound quite uninvolving and grating at worse. Most SS amps(not all)with 70-80 watts of power will not be bothered by a 4 Ohm speaker at typical in room listening levels. The nominal impedance is one thing, actual measured impedance at certain frequencies can dip to as low as 2 ohms, this can put huge demands on the amplifier, can lead to distortion, shifts in tonality and clipping.

The minimum impedance is a huge consideration for owners of low powered SET amps. In my experience, a higher impedance even with a lower efficiency rating appears to benefit powerful solid state amps. For me a high impedance is a fairly good indicator of whether the speaker will pair well with most amps out there.

Since I am an owner of SET amps, the impedance curve is the most important consideration. I would prefer a speaker that never dips below 6 ohms impedance even if the efficiency is under 90db. Speakers that never dip below 8 ohms are rare, the LS3/5A perhaps the most famous.

 

[DB1989]

The amp most certainly will not blow up, but the presentation can sound quite uninvolving and grating at worse. Most SS amps(not all)with 70-80 watts of power will not be bothered by a 4 Ohm speaker at typical in room listening levels. The nominal impedance is one thing, actual measured impedance at certain frequencies can dip to as low as 2 ohms, this can put huge demands on the amplifier, can lead to distortion, shifts in tonality and clipping.

The minimum impedance is a huge consideration for owners of low powered SET amps. In my experience, a higher impedance even with a lower efficiency rating appears to benefit powerful solid state amps. For me a high impedance is a fairly good indicator of whether the speaker will pair well with most amps out there.

Since I am an owner of SET amps, the impedance curve is the most important consideration. I would prefer a speaker that never dips below 6 ohms impedance even if the efficiency is under 90db. Speakers that never dip below 8 ohms are rare, the LS3/5A perhaps the most famous.

Never tried a SET amp ever.

Very different philosophies on loudspeaker design I guess. I was watching this video on the launch event of a certain loudspeaker some time ago (I'm not sure but i think it was the polk audio reserve series) on Audioholics and according to the designer of the loudspeaker, 8ohm speakers are only built by manufacturers who are incapable of implementing a 4ohm design and that the latter was the way to go.

I wish I'd seen the video in it's entirety and the hunt is still on to trace it back to understand the reasons behind it. Will post it here as soon as i do.