Amplifier Dilemma

[odyssey]

psychotropic
if you do come to check the Ushers out, I will also show you a new line of integrated amps that we have been evaluating which are from East Europe the lowest starts at 30W @ 8 ohms and the most powerful integrated goes to 90W. They are fantastic, musically very good, however not sure if they are something that we will carry going forward. We havent made a decision as yet but if we decide not to carry them, they will be let go at cost ! Lowest will start from around low 20's. First come first serve hyeah:

cheers
Sridhar

 

[psychotropic]

hey sridhar, there is no question of an "if" i am definitely coming to check out the Ushers, and I know which amps you are talking about They're out of my budget, from what I've read and what you've told me anyone else with a budget in the 20s for an amp should pounce!

As Asit said, have you by any chance heard the Usher S520 with the NAD C320BEE or any of its variants? or just any NAD amps? From how you described the Ushers, they sound like they'd be (on paper) a good match with NAD amps, have you perhaps had the opportunity to hear such a combination?

psychotropic
if you do come to check the Ushers out, I will also show you a new line of integrated amps that we have been evaluating which are from East Europe the lowest starts at 30W @ 8 ohms and the most powerful integrated goes to 90W. They are fantastic, musically very good, however not sure if they are something that we will carry going forward. We havent made a decision as yet but if we decide not to carry them, they will be let go at cost ! Lowest will start from around low 20's. First come first serve hyeah:

cheers
Sridhar

 

[psychotropic]

hey Asit, I am grateful to hear that somehow the fact that someone who's been listening to good equipment for decades thinks it's a decent idea makes me feel a lot better about it! i AM in the process of trying to get hold of an NAD C320BEE, and if and when I get it, I am planning to audition it with my speakers on the shortlist I have on my other thread. I am not yet sure if I'll go with the Usher S520, but I am hoping that on listening they'll be in line with my expectations. The strange thing of course is that I am now possessing a soft corner for the Epos ELS8, and i am getting a hunch the final choice might be between the Epos and the Usher (with maybe a BR2 showing up its head somewhere).

That sounds good to me already. Why don't you go for something like that? I don't think you would make too big a mistake for the price if you go for something like that.
The little Nad 320 is a wonderful little amp, Marantz CDPs are generally excellent, and Usher always offers VFM. Just ask somebody like Sridhar if he has ever heard any Nad with the little Ushers and how is the synergy.

You have named this thread "Amplifier Dilemma". I was thinking if the word "dilemma" covers all the multiple options you have been considering. But with the above simple statement, you have reduced the problem from "multilemma" (I do not think the word exists) back to the original simpler problem .

 

[thevortex]

I hope I am not pouring water over your ebullient emotions, but really there is no bad decision as far as audio equipment goes. All of them are very good. It is just that we as individuals, each with our own hearing apparatus, appreciate certain ones and cannot stand others.

So, what could be a wonderful pairing for many may be a headache-starter for you or even vice versa. No matter even if this is your first foray into this area. Do listen to the pairing yourself and only then make your decision.

 

[psychotropic]

hey vortex, thanks for that advice. Of course I will be listening to the amp-speaker combinations before I pick-up something, and this is especially so because I am new to this area, and there's no such thing as too much information on which a decision can be based. Of course, the CDP-amp-speaker combo i probably won't be able to achieve unless I lug my CDP also, which is going to be impossible, so that much of compromise I will have to do.

At ARN systems it should be a bit easier because Sridhar has a CD63SE (albeit modded), and so there should be an approximate recreation of the combination Unless of course Raghu or someone else provides me an opportunity to do a home audition!

I hope I am not pouring water over your ebullient emotions, but really there is no bad decision as far as audio equipment goes. All of them are very good. It is just that we as individuals, each with our own hearing apparatus, appreciate certain ones and cannot stand others.

So, what could be a wonderful pairing for many may be a headache-starter for you or even vice versa. No matter even if this is your first foray into this area. Do listen to the pairing yourself and only then make your decision.

 

[stevieboy]

are you coming to bangalore or does arn have an outlet in chennai?

 

[psychotropic]

Coming to Bangalore. I work for a Bangalore based firm anyways, so i come to Bangalore fairly frequently. I shall definitely get in touch with you when I am in BLR, stevieboy, I do want to hear your SET > single-driver setup!

 

[psychotropic]

Okay ladies, the amp has landed. As disclosed in other threads and all that it's a C320BEE, bought in 2005 by the original owner, seems to be in good condition. I've tested it with the one passive speaker of the Audioengine 2 pair, once on each channel, seems to be working fine. Now I just need to get some speakers. I picked it up yesterday in Hyderabad and brought it back.

Couple of questions for the experts. I've generally observed that amp on top of speaker is the way people stack equipment, (if they are stacking), would this be advisable for me? this amp is a bit less than 8 kgs. The Marantz CD63SE is about 5.6 kgs, and looks like it's built reasonably, and the PM66SE which was the matching amp of that time was well over 10 kgs (if that is relevant) As of now anyway i've kept them side by side, but I'd much prefer it if i can stack.

The other option is CDP on top of the amp, but then the top-vents of the amp won't get clear ventilation, so i guess this won't be advisable.

The second question is, when I peer in through the top vent, I can see that the transformer and the PCBs have a bit of dust on them. Would it be worth it for me to open up the amp and vacuum it up or something? Or should I follow the dictum of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

Now of course the last step remains. The speakers. Let me see how soon i can get myself down to Hyderabad to check out the Ushers. In the next couple of days I will try and audition the Monitor Audio BR2 and the Dali Lektor 1 in Chennai itself.

 

[unleash_me]

I've generally observed that amp on top of speaker is the way people stack equipment...

First of all congratulations on your new amp!

2nd whats up with this general observation?!

Psycho, the best way is to get yourself a rack. If you don't want to get branded, get hold of a good carpenter or blacksmith and you can build yourself a very good rack. Its a worthy investment.

Best luck with the on going speaker hunt!

 

[psychotropic]

he he he, that was my mental picture, but i just did a google image search for amplifier and CD player, and every picture where they are stacked, the CD-P appears to be on top of the amplifier. But the cambridge audio site i think shows ap on top of CDP.

Don't have the space or the budget for a rack. It's a nice broad cabinet, so I can sit them side by side, not a problem. I use squash balls to isolate the CD player (and an 8" square granite piece on top). I am dong this shit blindly. Haven't got an accomplice to see whether it's making any difference.

2nd whats up with this general observation?!

Psycho, the best way is to get yourself a rack. If you don't want to get branded, get hold of a good carpenter or blacksmith and you can build yourself a very good rack. Its a worthy investment.

Best luck with the on going speaker hunt!

 

[gobble]

You CDP chassis needs to be exposed to air to dissipate heat. I wouldn't cover the top with a slab ...

Regards

 

[anm]

maybe you can use 4 or 6 or 8 steel hollow rods (separators) to stack the two equipment, while giving some space between them for breathing. It should not look too awful!

regards

 

[dinyaar]

Okay ladies, the amp has landed. As disclosed in other threads and all that it's a C320BEE, bought in 2005 by the original owner, seems to be in good condition. I've tested it with the one passive speaker of the Audioengine 2 pair, once on each channel, seems to be working fine. Now I just need to get some speakers. I picked it up yesterday in Hyderabad and brought it back.

Couple of questions for the experts. I've generally observed that amp on top of speaker is the way people stack equipment, (if they are stacking), would this be advisable for me? this amp is a bit less than 8 kgs. The Marantz CD63SE is about 5.6 kgs, and looks like it's built reasonably, and the PM66SE which was the matching amp of that time was well over 10 kgs (if that is relevant) As of now anyway i've kept them side by side, but I'd much prefer it if i can stack.

The other option is CDP on top of the amp, but then the top-vents of the amp won't get clear ventilation, so i guess this won't be advisable.

The second question is, when I peer in through the top vent, I can see that the transformer and the PCBs have a bit of dust on them. Would it be worth it for me to open up the amp and vacuum it up or something? Or should I follow the dictum of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

Now of course the last step remains. The speakers. Let me see how soon i can get myself down to Hyderabad to check out the Ushers. In the next couple of days I will try and audition the Monitor Audio BR2 and the Dali Lektor 1 in Chennai itself.

Congratulations.
If u must stack than get some wood or rubber blocks and put them on the four corners of the amp and put the cdp on it. This Nad is not going to really heat up and about 2 inches clearance will do.
A cobbler uses thick rubber to resole shoes. Buy one sheet of that rubber (as thick as available) cut into 8 small squares. Use two of these squares on every corner. Most amps will also ventilate from the bottom and IMO there will be no problem.

If its just two components to house get a cheap rack made or look around for a ready made one that fits the bill. Always a better solution than stacking.
NEVER VACUMM the amp. Yes dust does accumulate and its not a problem. U could (if u are confident) open the amp and clean. If not let things be.
Lastly try all the above speakers and some more. Look for used options too. A used MA silver goes cheaper than a new bronze and IMO a better option.
Rgds

 

[anm]

what is the issue with vacuum cleaning? can it suck out caps and resistors? I think blowing with a vacuum cleaner can be effective, instead of sucking. Pls educate!

 

[stevieboy]

congrats! happy hunting for speakers now!

 

[dinyaar]

what is the issue with vacuum cleaning? can it suck out caps and resistors? I think blowing with a vacuum cleaner can be effective, instead of sucking. Pls educate!

U cant use a powerful vacumm cleaner and vacumm. Half ur amp will be in the bag of the cleaner. U could use the blower from a distance. Best is to use a small portable blower if one has to. Use a soft brush to clean of dust instead.
Rgds

 

[psychotropic]

hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I need one more tiny bit of advice. The RCA connectors at the back (except for one pair, which i presume was the regularly used one) seem to be covered with some sort of greenish patina, i am guessing this is oxidation or some such thing. What should i do about this? How can I go about removing this stuff?

 

[moserw]

hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I need one more tiny bit of advice. The RCA connectors at the back (except for one pair, which i presume was the regularly used one) seem to be covered with some sort of greenish patina, i am guessing this is oxidation or some such thing. What should i do about this? How can I go about removing this stuff?

I'm not too sure so I will wait for the experts to correct me but I believe nail polish remover or alcohol will be good to clean. I do use my sister's or wife's nail polish remover to clean and it works great.

 

[sushanthace]

hey guys, thanks for all the advice. I need one more tiny bit of advice. The RCA connectors at the back (except for one pair, which i presume was the regularly used one) seem to be covered with some sort of greenish patina, i am guessing this is oxidation or some such thing. What should i do about this? How can I go about removing this stuff?

Hi Psycho,

Try using Vinegar or your good ol after shave. i used both and was able to remove the greenish grim on the back panels...

Cheers
S

 

[unleash_me]

I believe nail polish remover or alcohol will be good to clean. I do use my sister's or wife's nail polish remover to clean and it works great.

2nd that.

To avoid the after-wrath of the invasion of cosmetics dept., other options i used are turpentine/thinner. They work clean with out a trace and is a lot cheaper than a branded nail polish remover in a fancy bottle!

A little off-topic but it's one of my favorite quick fix solutions second only to WD40 and Super Glue.

Cheers.