Amplifier power confusion - for floor standers

kvm

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Hello dear FMs

Am in the lookout for decent floor standers and have auditioned KEF Q900, MA RX6, Heco Victa Metas 501, B&W 684, Focal apart from Polk Rti & Yamaha series which I did not prefer though.

Am yet to decide between MA RX6, Heco Metas 501 or B&W 684.

Am told by the dealer during MA RX6 audition that we need a 'capable' amplifier like Marantz 7004 (with 70Wpc) to drive MA RX6 (rated 40-125W) while in another showroom I could find Marantz 6004 (rated 45Wpc) driving Heco Metas 501 (rated 160W RMS) very beautifully.

My confusion is if I should necessarily go for a higher power rated amp or if a lower power rated amp can drive these FS to generate good level of detail at modest volumes? Am not a big volume buff so I don't imagine going beyond 40-50% of the amp volume but would not like to miss any detail/ body of the tracks.

Appreciate your advice/ suggestions,

regards
Maruthi.
 
its not about the volume you play at. Higher power amps will give more control on the speaker and thereby get you more information from the CP you play.

Generally for example of RX6 - minimum amp power requirement is 40W - i would suggest you an amp that does 70-80W. Weather Marantz or X or Y will be your taste and liking of the music the pairing generates ?

Higher power amp also reduce the chances of speaker damage by clipping.

Higher power amps will be able to handle transients and dynamics in the CD better.

All this depends on the speaker impedance ( the min speaker impedance ) and if you like Marantz 7004 with MA RX6 and it fits in the budget and in your room.. then you may go for it.

YMMV.

mpw
 
+1
The rule of thumb is to have an Amp power of atleast the average of the MIn and Max ratings of the speakers.
 
Hello dear FMs

Am in the lookout for decent floor standers and have auditioned KEF Q900, MA RX6, Heco Victa Metas 501, B&W 684, Focal apart from Polk Rti & Yamaha series which I did not prefer though.

Am yet to decide between MA RX6, Heco Metas 501 or B&W 684.

Am told by the dealer during MA RX6 audition that we need a 'capable' amplifier like Marantz 7004 (with 70Wpc) to drive MA RX6 (rated 40-125W) while in another showroom I could find Marantz 6004 (rated 45Wpc) driving Heco Metas 501 (rated 160W RMS) very beautifully.

My confusion is if I should necessarily go for a higher power rated amp or if a lower power rated amp can drive these FS to generate good level of detail at modest volumes? Am not a big volume buff so I don't imagine going beyond 40-50% of the amp volume but would not like to miss any detail/ body of the tracks.

Appreciate your advice/ suggestions,

regards
Maruthi.

How much power is dependent on how efficient/sensitive the speaker is... Assuming you speakers are 88 db + efficiency, you may need a amplifier which can produce 50 watts of continuous power...
 
Thanks much mpw, jagdish and elangoas for your inputs. Yes, all these speakers are 88dB+ and am trying to optimize amp power (and hence cost! :)) especially knowing that I will not be playing them at louder volumes at all...

Am checking out with both 5004/ 6004 today..

regards
 
Thanks Homiyar. Have finalized RX6 yesterday. Will check this Marantz Pearlite Ki series amp as many of the dealers do not stock stereo amps as compared to AVRs.

One related q: How about a good AVR that can dish out 70W+ per channel.. will that be a good combination for stereo music. Pl let me know if anyone has tried this combination.
 
Thanks Homiyar. Have finalized RX6 yesterday. Will check this Marantz Pearlite Ki series amp as many of the dealers do not stock stereo amps as compared to AVRs.

One related q: How about a good AVR that can dish out 70W+ per channel.. will that be a good combination for stereo music. Pl let me know if anyone has tried this combination.

You may have to invest in in high end AVRs to have a good stereo performance and they are way too costly. AV receivers with 70 wpc rating might cost less, but they cannot match the performance of a similar priced dedicated integrated amps.
If you want both HT and stereo setup together and if you have a limited budget, then you go for AVR. If you are looking only for stereo, you can get very good integrated amps for a very good price.
 
For what its worth, I have a APPJ 0901A 3.5W SET amplifier which drive my RX6 wonderfully. I also have a 50W Sugden Mystro which sounds even better with RX6, even with volume knob in just 8-9 o'clock position. IMHO, its not the amount of watts but the quality of watts that matter. As for the AVR, i would not advise to go with it as it will not play RX6 upto its potential and the value for the money you spend buying such expensive speakers will not be realised. BTW, what price are you getting the speakers for?
 
Thanks for your replies folks. sorry for my late response. Got my Rx6 and now have to hunt for the right amp combination.

True - watt/ amp quality matters more than pure wattage.

Have checked both music fidelity M3i (70 wpc) and Marantz 5004 (35wpc) (only ones the dealer has). found M3i reproduction very balanced and smooth/ warm across the range with excellent tonal quality but felt it lacked the punch/bass effects at times - maybe because of its balancing nature.

Whereas 5004 (even with 35wpc) could reproduce excellent bass effects with Rx6 but the tonal quality is no where comparable to M3i.

Now the million $ q (or 1L rupee q:)) is if the M3i delivery tonal quality is so good due to its pure product premium or if we can achieve comparable results (excellent tonal quality with good bass presence too) with say a higher power Marantz amp like 7004 or KiLite (also 70wpc) amps? we couldn't ascertain this as the dealers do not stock many integrated amps now-a-days.

Request any FM who has/auditioned/ compared similar setup (Rx6 with Marantz 6004/ 7004/ KiLite/ MF M3i) to share your experiences so I can make the right choice.

also, mowgli80: checked Sugden Mystro's website - seems very interesting. not sure if any of our dealers stock them. BTW, got the Rx6 for 85k with bill/wty.
 
I have the MA GS10. I had intially bought this to be driven by the 7004 as a preamp along with the MF A5 power amp. During the demo sessions, I had also tested A5 integrated, PM7004, and PM7004(as pre) with A5. To my liking it was the 1st and 3rd setups were more musical than the PM7004.

Even now I run my GS10 with the 7004 at times only to go back to use it as a pre with the A5 everytime. (Am thinking about giving away the 7004 as I am not using the power section at all)

But again that's my my view because I have seen a many contended us with the 7004 and Rx6
 
Last edited:
Greetings
40 or 70 watts per channel is very little difference and not even noticeable by that much, go for the amp that sounds best to you.
In theory in order for a amp to produce twice the volume, it will need to have 10 times the power. Most listeners will be using 3 watts per channel and at that level you would not be able to talk to a person beside you, so with 40 watts you have plenty of headroom.
 
Thanks Homiyar. Have finalized RX6 yesterday. Will check this Marantz Pearlite Ki series amp as many of the dealers do not stock stereo amps as compared to AVRs.

One related q: How about a good AVR that can dish out 70W+ per channel.. will that be a good combination for stereo music. Pl let me know if anyone has tried this combination.

kvm I just spotted your question in there and wanted to caution you not to take the AVR route. Its a common mistake people make.
A pure stereo amp costing under Rs 35k will trounce any AVR in the Rs 1 lakh range.

Where in Hyderabad are you located?
 
Thanks Raaga, Input2 and Nikhil for your messages. I kind of ditched the AVR route now :)

Am trying to figure out an integrated amp that can deliver good performance even at low volumes.
 
I have heard 3 of the 4 floorstanders you have mentioned and I strongly recommend the B&W 684 over MA. Any good amp with 70W + should be able to drive them comfortably. 6 of us heard the MA Rx6 at a dealer and felt it was not worth the price. Please listen to all the choices and make a decision.
 
well Santy my observation between B&W 684/MA Rx6 was different. Couple of us auditioned both and found Rx6 was more crisp and clear with the mids and highs while B&W was more mixed/muddy for the same tracks. The tonal quality was also very warm/soothing for MA compared to B&W. Additionally B&W is also about 20-30% higher (price) and I felt was not enough VFM and hence chose MA already.
 
also, mowgli80: checked Sugden Mystro's website - seems very interesting. not sure if any of our dealers stock them. BTW, got the Rx6 for 85k with bill/wty.

Sorry, did not see your mention of me earlier. I purchased the Mystro from the DND in kolkata, SKS Traders. You are welcome to my home if you would like to audition it with my RX6.
 
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