Need amp and cable recommendations for Allo Boss DAC and NHT SuperOne 2.1

[adakadavuley]

I recently purchased an NHT SuperOne 2.1 and have assembled an Allo Boss Dac 1.2. The only thing missing is an amp.

The speakers have a sensitivity of 86db at 8ohms with max power handling of 125W

I have a local person selling an used Pioneer A-300R (not the precision version) that I find tempting because I will get it immediately. But it is rated at 35W per channel at 8ohms. Will this be sufficient to drive the low sensitivity NHTs? Other options are a used Rotel amp rated at 60W or the Arcam Alpha 3 at 40W. Looking at SPL calculators online it seems like it should be sufficient. My room size is 12' X 14' with a passage in between. I will not be blasting music. I haven't listened to the speakers yet so I am not sure if I will require a subwoofer in the future.

I am currently looking at a used amp for not more than 15k INR. Is this the right direction? I considered the Norge concerto gold but I am scared of speaker pop.

Should I consider the source as well while picking the amp? The Allo Boss Dac has an RCA output. Can I connect it directly to a power amplifier instead of an integrated amplifier? Is a preamp required with the Allo Boss?

What would you get if you were in my position? Thanks!

 

[adakadavuley]

Oh and I missed this in my post content. What budget cable would you recommend for connecting the bookshelf speakers and DAC to the amplifier? Thanks!

 

[VSTEREO]

Hi,

The amps that you have mentioned should drive the speaker with ease. I would prefer Rotel.

On connecting BOSS DAC to power amp, yes you can as I hold the same DAC and I connect to power amp directly. But, adding a preamp (or an integrated amp) would bring music musicality as I do not like BOSS DAC -> Power amp combo when compared to Preamp or buffer in the chain. So I would suggest to go with integrated amp.

 

[adakadavuley]

Thanks for your reply! I am mostly going with the Rotel amp. Can I ask what power supply you are using to power the Allo boss?

 

[VSTEREO]

After trying stock, Allo SMPS, Power bank and I have settled with IFI 5V. Very happy with the difference it brings to the setup. I would strongly recommend to go with LPS or IFI 5V to bring the best of the Boss DAC.

 

[premoddev]

You could consider Allo Volt+D amp as well, which will be in your budget. also it got good reviews among cheaper class D amps.

 

[jai1611]

You could consider Allo Volt+D amp as well, which will be in your budget. also it got good reviews among cheaper class D amps.

Second that. Allo also sells a dual power supply that can power both your DAC and the amp

 

[venkatcr]

You could consider Allo Volt+D ...... among 'cheaper' class D amps.

The correct term to use is 'less expensive'.

 

[adakadavuley]

You could consider Allo Volt+D amp as well, which will be in your budget. also it got good reviews among cheaper class D amps.

I did consider that but their website said 24W only.

After trying stock, Allo SMPS, Power bank and I have settled with IFI 5V. Very happy with the difference it brings to the setup. I would strongly recommend to go with LPS or IFI 5V to bring the best of the Boss DAC.

I was hoping I could use an Apple Adapter. The ifi ipower costs 9K. Same for LPS which is a lot. Could spend that on a DAC

 

[raghupb]

I recently purchased an NHT SuperOne 2.1 and have assembled an Allo Boss Dac 1.2. The only thing missing is an amp.

The speakers have a sensitivity of 86db at 8ohms with max power handling of 125W

I have a local person selling an used Pioneer A-300R (not the precision version) that I find tempting because I will get it immediately. But it is rated at 35W per channel at 8ohms. Will this be sufficient to drive the low sensitivity NHTs? Other options are a used Rotel amp rated at 60W or the Arcam Alpha 3 at 40W. Looking at SPL calculators online it seems like it should be sufficient. My room size is 12' X 14' with a passage in between. I will not be blasting music. I haven't listened to the speakers yet so I am not sure if I will require a subwoofer in the future.

I am currently looking at a used amp for not more than 15k INR. Is this the right direction? I considered the Norge concerto gold but I am scared of speaker pop.

Should I consider the source as well while picking the amp? The Allo Boss Dac has an RCA output. Can I connect it directly to a power amplifier instead of an integrated amplifier? Is a preamp required with the Allo Boss?

What would you get if you were in my position? Thanks!

Allo Boss does have HW and SW based volume control. I preferred the HW based volume control over the SW based one.
It has lots of control to tailor the SQ to your liking and rest of the system.

I would not recommend connecting directly to poweramp without a preamp or at least a volume control.
The smart phone apps for these OSes are not great when it comes to on screen sliders.
Volumio is particularly bad on smartphones. One mistake and the volume can be too loud.
If you do go down this path, please explore a way to set the max volume to a sane level.

You could consider Allo Volt+D amp as well, which will be in your budget. also it got good reviews among cheaper class D amps.

Allo Volt+D is a nice unit. But be prepared to tweak settings using EQ or PEQ in Allo Boss, if the speakers are neutral-to-bright.
With 86dB sensitivity you may have to dial up the stepped attenuator on Volt+D.

Second that. Allo also sells a dual power supply that can power both your DAC and the amp

Allo has stopped making these dual PS units. Now it is a 5V brick, 19V brick, Nirvana and Shanthi.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[jai1611]

Allo has stopped making these dual PS units. Now it is a 5V brick, 19V brick, Nirvana and Shanthi.

Recent development. I'd picked up one up in July. Elegant solution, pity they discontinued it.

 

[adakadavuley]

I would not recommend connecting directly to poweramp without a preamp or at least a volume control.
The smart phone apps for these OSes are not great when it comes to on screen sliders.
Volumio is particularly bad on smartphones. One mistake and the volume can be too loud.
If you do go down this path, please explore a way to set the max volume to a sane level.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be careful. I'll mostly be connecting it to a Rotel amp.

Allo has stopped making these dual PS units. Now it is a 5V brick, 19V brick, Nirvana and Shanthi.

Interesting! The nirvana is only 3k on fab to lab. Guess that is my best option now.

iFi has this interesting graphic on their page. Is it actually better than a LPSU?
t

 

[venkatcr]

I was hoping I could use an Apple Adapter. The ifi ipower costs 9K. Same for LPS which is a lot. Could spend that on a DAC

I am using two stock Allo power bricks (some Rs.800 each) - one for the DAC and one for RPi. I have not faced any issues nor heard any noise in the quietest of moments in a song. If you are buying a Allo Boss, remember to get a Isolator also. That removes all noise.