Exposure 1010 or 2010 amp for Sonodyne 2605V2

[vsg]

Hello,

First of all must say this is one of the best forums in terms of getting information on Audio equipment. Very useful and extremely informative.

I need some help from all you experts to decide on an amplifier for running the Sonodyne 2605V2 floorstander.

I had auditioned these speakers 2 yrs back at Forum mall in Kolkata. It was run by a Nad amplifier (don't remember the model) and to me the sound was muddled, quite bassy and not the kind of sound I would associate with a high end equipment. Yet I went ahead and bought those speakers as I had thought a better amplifier would do justice ( was bit of a hurried decision). That was that and subsequently I moved to London and went on to buy the home theatre setup which I am currently using. Till now those speakers are there in my house in Kolkata and hasn't been used.

Now I am soon to relocate back to India and hence have expedited my search for that amplifier which could be used with the sonodyne speakers. I was mainly looking for something very compact but powerful enough to run these speakers.

That's how it led me to listen to Exposure 1010 amplifier here in London. Its 50 watts at 8 ohms. I listened to it once with a Dynaudio bookshelf speakers (DM 2/6) and it did sound quite good. Now I am getting a used one at a very good price, so I was wondering if I could mate it with my sonodyne speakers or will it be too underpowered ? The other option is to buy the higher model i.e. Exposure 2010 (75 watts at 8 ohms) but then apart from cost implication its not as compact as 1010. So in a bit of a fix right now...

So any advice in this regard would be quite helpful ...also do suggest if you think there are some other amplifiers which are very compact and yet can fulfil the duties meaningfully.

Thanks

 

[koushik]

That's quite a decision. Using Dynaudio for HT and Sonodyne for Stereo.
It's been long time and am sure your ears have matured fair bit. You are up for a surprise when you will hear these two brands side by side.

 

[vsg]

Koushik you are right.. but given the different price points maybe not fair to compare the two... its just that since childhood had a fascination towards Sonodyne system (maybe that prompted the purchase...I still remember that I was blown away listening to a Sonodyne Uranus system ) ... given that it will not be my primary system so expectation is low...just tying to ensure getting the best possible sound using a compact amplifier.

 

[koushik]

True. I agree.

 

[mpw]

Exposure - 2010S will serve you well in case you decide to let go of the sonodyne 2605 ( which is a very likely scenario considering the Focus 140 you are "exposed" to.)

:lol:

Make sure it is the 2010 S model.

Since you are coming from UK.. you may like to see what a Naim or a Creek can do too.

Try to get a matching CDP too.. and that will take care of your electronics requirements for some time. I understand the pre-loved market there is quite nice.

mpw

 

[ghatgepatil]

Other than the Exposure, Naim and Creek amps, also try looking at the used Sugden Class A amps (A21 series shall do). I was told they can easily be located back there.

 

[vsg]

mpw, will surely try out Naim and Creek...not sure which one would be a comparable Naim model with 2010S...Also thanks for the preloved pointer ...till now was mainly hooked onto ebay n some known dealers..checked one site...quite helpful

As for Sonodyne, I do intend to keep it but you are right sonically its a downhill compared to Dyns

ghatgepatil, thanks for the suggestion... Sugden does have revered set of amps.. but given the speakers will it be an overkill? Actually I was getting Exposure 1010 at 200 pounds and I think I will be able to source the 2010 (used) somewhere around 450. Sugden to my mind would exceed 1000 mark even in the used market, let me see if I can source something cheap.

 

[drkaushik]

Whatever you choose to play the 2605 with, there will be a lot of people in this forum who would be waiting with baited breath, to know the end result.

So please do inform us of your choice and the audio output, you get from it.

Exposure 2010 is a gem of an amp, in my opinion and definitely better than 1010, when driving the 2605.

 

[ghatgepatil]

Well, I would have picked this one up eyes closed ..

Sugden a21 amplifier | eBay

In case, you interested, there is still some time left .... hurry!

 

[ghatgepatil]

Yet another one ....
Sugden A21aI Integrated Amplifier | eBay

 

[vsg]

drkaushik , yes I am sure..but it will be few months before I can test it with the Sonodyne speakers which are in India.. but definitely will keep the forum posted as n when I do it..

ghatgepatil - thanks for the links...though the first one says its quite old...second one looks interesting..worth putting in a bid..

 

[mpw]

The naim Nait S would be OK or even the naim nait 5i.

If you plan to retain the Focus 140 the naim S will be noce.

Creek 5350 and destiny are good amps but i dont know if they fall in your budget.

mpw

mpw, will surely try out Naim and Creek...not sure which one would be a comparable Naim model with 2010S...Also thanks for the preloved pointer ...till now was mainly hooked onto ebay n some known dealers..checked one site...quite helpful

As for Sonodyne, I do intend to keep it but you are right sonically its a downhill compared to Dyns

ghatgepatil, thanks for the suggestion... Sugden does have revered set of amps.. but given the speakers will it be an overkill? Actually I was getting Exposure 1010 at 200 pounds and I think I will be able to source the 2010 (used) somewhere around 450. Sugden to my mind would exceed 1000 mark even in the used market, let me see if I can source something cheap.

 

[vsg]

Mpw, Will check out the Naim ones and creek suggested by you. But that will be for the sonodyne speakers...the dynaudio (focus n dm) will be part of the HT setup driven by the current receiver Arcam avr600.

Also Incase you have something more compact in mind, do let me know.

 

[mpw]

reverse it.

let the sonodyne be for HT.

Try to use the focus for stereo duties.

That will be so much better... i think


mpw

 

[vsg]

mpw, the Dyn Focus is used for stereo (for music) but run by the Arcam. Sorry for digressing here but honestly I am yet to come across a receiver as capable as the avr600 and before buying it, I tested a few like the higher end Denon - 5805, Yamaha - Z9/Z11, Anthem mrx700 etc. Infact to me even the Arcam pre pro 888/777 (which is much expensive than avr600) also wasn't that involving compared to the 600.

So unless I get into very high end pre pro model - krell, McIntosh etc (or maybe tubes) it might be difficult to match the power and the tonality of this receiver more so on the stereo side. Maybe when I move back to India I would love to have some forum members hear it at my place and give their views on the same.

That said, I am keen to have a decent sound system using the sonodyne speakers in my second home in Kolkata and hence this search. As suggested by you, I looked for used Naim amps and there are quite a few listed so would be demoing it soon. I am planning to do a demo of exposure /Naim/ Sugden next week. Will report back my experience.

 

[vsg]

Hi All,

My journey towards finding a suitable integrated amplifier continues. While the suggestions in this forum have been great but unfortunately I havnt been able to audition any due to hectic traveling. So finally back and have decided to nail the amplifier by next week.

I have set up auditioning of the following
1) Exposure 2010S2 ( this I am most keen on)
2) Naim XS (some suggest it's better than Exposure)
3) Naim Supernait (getting good exdemo price - though still over budget)

I was told to think over the Sugden especially with my 4 yr old daughter running around, as the Sugden does get very hot and may be unsuitable with children around.

Now to make matters more confusing the dealer has suggested that I should audition two more amps at his shop and if I were to think of the 2k GBP mark then the below two fits the price point.. (Both are ex-demo)

1) Ayre AX 7e
2) Electrocompaniet EC 5 markii

He is convinced that hearing the above 2, I wouldn't even consider Exposure and Naim in the reckoning. While obviously will let my ears be the final judge , but would any of you know much about Ayre and Electrocompaniet?

Sorry again for all this confusion, just a hapless soul seeking some help before burning his hard earned money

 

[ghatgepatil]

Agree with your dealer on the Electrocompaniet, budget permitting.

 

[denom]

Hi All,

My journey towards finding a suitable integrated amplifier continues. While the suggestions in this forum have been great but unfortunately I havnt been able to audition any due to hectic traveling. So finally back and have decided to nail the amplifier by next week.

I have set up auditioning of the following
1) Exposure 2010S2 ( this I am most keen on)
2) Naim XS (some suggest it's better than Exposure)
3) Naim Supernait (getting good exdemo price - though still over budget)

I was told to think over the Sugden especially with my 4 yr old daughter running around, as the Sugden does get very hot and may be unsuitable with children around.

Now to make matters more confusing the dealer has suggested that I should audition two more amps at his shop and if I were to think of the 2k GBP mark then the below two fits the price point.. (Both are ex-demo)

1) Ayre AX 7e
2) Electrocompaniet EC 5 markii

He is convinced that hearing the above 2, I wouldn't even consider Exposure and Naim in the reckoning. While obviously will let my ears be the final judge , but would any of you know much about Ayre and Electrocompaniet?

Sorry again for all this confusion, just a hapless soul seeking some help before burning his hard earned money

Eyes closed in a flash, GO FOR IT!!!

The sonodynes are darn blessed to have such a beautiful amp make love to them

 

[vsg]

Thanks Guys, though I am going there to like either the exposure or the Naim. But one never knows as this audio auditioning is a tricky thing. I remember few yrs back when I was in a similar situation, I went there convincing myself to like the Arcam avr400 , but the dealer told me to listen to the Arcam avr600 and pioneer susano ...n that did it, today the avr600 sits comfortably on the rack. just hoping not to repeat the same thing...as I would have to do fair bit of explaining to my better half...

 

[vsg]

Hey guys, just wanted to provide an update regarding purchase of the amp which I have been contemplating for sometime now...in the meantime lot of things changed.. job, location etc (its been few days that I moved back to Mumbai from London) hence the plan of getting the ex-demo Electrocompaniet didn't materialise ...by the time I could check, it was long gone...also given my traveling, couldn't demo most of the amps which I planned...( only managed to demo Naim 5i which I didn't like)...so it all boiled down to the last day in London....on that morning... quick drive to a nearby shop.... took demo of 3 amps...Arcam FMj A19, Roksan Kandy K2 & Audio Lab 8200a for 5 mins each using the speakers Dynaudio 2/7 ...as for Arcam the sound was fantastic in terms of clarity but was bit lean compared to my taste...AudioLab - had lot of oomph...nice midrange...and also nice low end extension....was getting convinced that this is the one...then came the Roksan - sheer raw power came into the fore....it kind of opened up the speakers...made it much more lively...It was like being in a live performance...very nice vocals and had that 3D soundstage effect which I was looking for...so that said Roksan Kandy K2 was quickly packed....and got it straight to the movers & packers who were held up at home waiting for the last item to be packed ...so now waiting in Mumbai for the shipment to arrive....I know its a rushed decision...n I am sure there are far better products in that range...but given the circumstances couldn't help...will be plugging the amp to my current dac (Halide hd) ...and mostly will be using my laptop for my music needs...Wanted to thank everyone for their valuable inputs ! as I have experienced time n again...the end purchase is never as planned