Suitable stereo Amp for Wharfedale 9.2

sonosphere

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Hi,
I have Wharfedate 9.2 and driving them from Onkyo AVR 5105. For better SQ I plan to buy a stereo amp.

I listen mostly to soft-rock and Pop of 80's and 90's (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Santana, Bee Gees etc) and Hindi songs from A.R Rahman, Himesh, Pritam etc.

In my present setup I like the bass extension provided by 9.2, and the laid-back sound. But I am looking for more detail and punch in mids and highs (which the AVR is probably not providing to 9.2... I am using a LG DVD player digital out as source)

1. Please suggest suitable Stereo amp in 25k budget.
2. How will NAD 325, Marantz PM7001, CA 640 V2 and likes will fare with 9.2?
3. Has anybody auditioned Norge 1000 in comparison to above NAD/Marantz/CA ? If yes does the extra bucks for these amps justify the cost increase... I mean is the SQ twice as good! (Norge 1000 retails for 9.5 k approx)

Thanks in advance,
Sonosphere
 
Hi,
I have Wharfedate 9.2 and driving them from Onkyo AVR 5105. For better SQ I plan to buy a stereo amp.

I listen mostly to soft-rock and Pop of 80's and 90's (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Santana, Bee Gees etc) and Hindi songs from A.R Rahman, Himesh, Pritam etc.

In my present setup I like the bass extension provided by 9.2, and the laid-back sound. But I am looking for more detail and punch in mids and highs (which the AVR is probably not providing to 9.2... I am using a LG DVD player digital out as source)

1. Please suggest suitable Stereo amp in 25k budget.
2. How will NAD 325, Marantz PM7001, CA 640 V2 and likes will fare with 9.2?
3. Has anybody auditioned Norge 1000 in comparison to above NAD/Marantz/CA ? If yes does the extra bucks for these amps justify the cost increase... I mean is the SQ twice as good! (Norge 1000 retails for 9.5 k approx)

Thanks in advance,
Sonosphere

:lol: the facts are as follows:

every amp has a different signature - Marantz is musical but slightly forward in the treble part (sharp), dynamics are good, CA is very transparent soundstage is nice, NAD is neutral but somehow the bass response is great (mez a fan). Norge is a budget one size fits all amp - cheap but delivers as much if not more than the others - trust me there is nothing wrong with the amp - very neutral but it does not have the USP as other amps and brands.

Norge is decent and I have actually tried it with Wharf 9.2 overall a good combination that performs well.- though the bass seems slightly lackign at higher volumes. Its total VFM (check other posts man - we have posted a lot on Norge).

Try NAD or Norge if you want good midrange performance. Audition first though....
 
Norge sounds pretty good and is worth it for ~10K price tag.
Remember most of the hefty price you pay for foreign brands is because of the duties.

I prefer my amp to be as neutral as possible, thats what Norge does.

You wont get fancy remote controls and silver finish etc with it though.



IMHO - I would be willing to pay higher for an amp mainly on basis of its undistorted power capabilities.
How do you judge that?
By plugging the amp to standard speaker, and trying max possible clean volume.

Besides there is hardly anything great about hi-fi amps - they are just supposed to reproduce the input signal at much higher levels.
If we were talking about guitar amps, then I can go on and on - why they are difficult creatures (which color the output signal to a very large extent, and change the tone), and why you may pay ten times to get a 1/10th power rated amp.
 
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Norge sounds pretty good and is worth it for ~10K price tag.
Remember most of the hefty price you pay for foreign brands is because of the duties.

I prefer my amp to be as neutral as possible, thats what Norge does.

You wont get fancy remote controls and silver finish etc with it though.



IMHO - I would be willing to pay higher for an amp mainly on basis of its undistorted power capabilities.
How do you judge that?
By plugging the amp to standard speaker, and trying max possible clean volume.


+1 to Norge audio quality - I have always mentioned Norge 1000 is good light in previous posts.

But still when you compare to NAD 325 (at 25k) and look at the sound and interconnects and build quality and remote - suddenly 24-25k is not too bad is it - the norge 1000 at least could provide gold plated speaker binding posts.:eek:
 
NAD is a good buy @16K (without VAT refund) which is what I paid for it in SG. I'm not boasting, but I honestly feel sorry for you guys having to shell out 8K more for it.

I second the feedback on Norge provided above. It may be better VFM than paying 8K upfront extra for the eventuality that something may go kaput and you might need servicing. Edit: Then again the servicing might take a month to accomplish .. given the Indian quality of service .. so I dont know if the extra bucks for Indian dealer are worth that much.. I can understand a premium of upto 30%, customs notwithstanding.


Regards
 
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Hi,

I got the 9.2s recently. For stereo it is driven by a marantz amp(its an old one),and i am simply loving it.People in many intl forums are expressing the view that wharfs and marantz are made for each other. If u can get someone to bring it from either singapore or US of A there is nothing like it.

Norge 1000 is also very popular in this forum, but i have not heard it.

cheers,
sri
 
Besides there is hardly anything great about hi-fi amps - they are just supposed to reproduce the input signal at much higher levels.

I just could not help smiling at this statement. I really wish it was this simple. We would all then be happy with amps made by Sony that claim 2500 watts PMPO, and Mr. Sony would be richest man in the world.

Cheers
 
I just could not help smiling at this statement. I really wish it was this simple. We would all then be happy with amps made by Sony that claim 2500 watts PMPO, and Mr. Sony would be richest man in the world.

Cheers

trust venkat sir to notice all the nuances.......
Statistics are like miniskirts, they reveal more than what they hide...........provided you got the eye for that:eek:hyeah:
 
Hi,

1. Please suggest suitable Stereo amp in 25k budget.
2. How will NAD 325, Marantz PM7001, CA 640 V2 and likes will fare with 9.2?
3. Has anybody auditioned Norge 1000 in comparison to above NAD/Marantz/CA ? If yes does the extra bucks for these amps justify the cost increase... I mean is the SQ twice as good! (Norge 1000 retails for 9.5 k approx)

Thanks in advance,
Sonosphere

Try auditioning NAD326 and Marantz 7002. It costs around 25k.

Edit: sorry for typo. It's Marantz 6002 and not 7002.

Thanks,
Prakash.
 
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Has anyone tried Sherwood amps? They are priced reasonably, but I have never heard them with Wharfedales. Besides, they are mostly HT amps, I think.

its better to go with the bduget norge or NAD 315 - they perform better than the Sherwood (though that model was over 5 years old and I cannot remember the model number too well)
 
I just could not help smiling at this statement. I really wish it was this simple. We would all then be happy with amps made by Sony that claim 2500 watts PMPO, and Mr. Sony would be richest man in the world.

Cheers
Its not simple I agree, and I also did not talk about Sony.
If you refer to my post - I said the only sure way to test a hi-fi amp is to listen to it, wattages written on websites and brochures can be doctored.

2500 PMPO Sony might look big on paper, but if it sounds puny compared to a 15W home made amp, there is no point spending double/treble amount. Aint it?
Thats what I meant for foreign (say Rotel) vs Indian brands (say Pulz) also.
What holds good for Sony vs Marantz, should also hold good for Denon vs Norge.

Second is that many ppl prefer their hi-fi amps to impart certain flavor to the tone. Like some like a shimmer, some prefer warmth, some prefer bass heavy, some prefer scooped mids etc.
I prefer total neutral sounding hi-fi amp.
IMO its not supposed to impart any color to the tone.
Thats what Norge does.
 
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its better to go with the bduget norge or NAD 315 - they perform better than the Sherwood (though that model was over 5 years old and I cannot remember the model number too well)

Not sure whats the basis for the above statement. Sherwood is very well known for pre processors and AVRs rather than integrateds. Your options may be limited with this line.
 
Not sure whats the basis for the above statement. Sherwood is very well known for pre processors and AVRs rather than integrateds. Your options may be limited with this line.

i agree - i never came across a a sherwood apart from that at my firends place - and i did not like it at all - was noisy i felt with 0 dynamics. He had Polk BS.
Since he mentioned wharf 9.2 - i gave him a solution that performs better - i have listened to the wharf + norge/NAD combo many times - they perform well.....

PS: The thing is I always ask people to audition first before buying - the forum is for sharing thoughts and knowledge and often the right advice can come from a combination of things right??? So if 4(?)4=16, 5(?)5 =25 is set then it can be assume that 3(?)5=15 right
 
Hi,
I have Wharfedate 9.2 and driving them from Onkyo AVR 5105. For better SQ I plan to buy a stereo amp.

I listen mostly to soft-rock and Pop of 80's and 90's (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Santana, Bee Gees etc) and Hindi songs from A.R Rahman, Himesh, Pritam etc.

In my present setup I like the bass extension provided by 9.2, and the laid-back sound. But I am looking for more detail and punch in mids and highs (which the AVR is probably not providing to 9.2... I am using a LG DVD player digital out as source)

1. Please suggest suitable Stereo amp in 25k budget.
2. How will NAD 325, Marantz PM7001, CA 640 V2 and likes will fare with 9.2?
3. Has anybody auditioned Norge 1000 in comparison to above NAD/Marantz/CA ? If yes does the extra bucks for these amps justify the cost increase... I mean is the SQ twice as good! (Norge 1000 retails for 9.5 k approx)

Thanks in advance,
Sonosphere

IMO for the Wharfs the marantz should be a good amp. Combo should have a bit of everything. Marantz and Denon are easily available in grey in bbay at attractive prices which is an option to consider. The Money u save from your allocated 25K budget gets u decent interlinks/speaker cable.
Rgds
 
Hi,
I have Wharfedate 9.2 and driving them from Onkyo AVR 5105. For better SQ I plan to buy a stereo amp.

I listen mostly to soft-rock and Pop of 80's and 90's (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Santana, Bee Gees etc) and Hindi songs from A.R Rahman, Himesh, Pritam etc.

In my present setup I like the bass extension provided by 9.2, and the laid-back sound. But I am looking for more detail and punch in mids and highs (which the AVR is probably not providing to 9.2... I am using a LG DVD player digital out as source)

1. Please suggest suitable Stereo amp in 25k budget.
2. How will NAD 325, Marantz PM7001, CA 640 V2 and likes will fare with 9.2?
3. Has anybody auditioned Norge 1000 in comparison to above NAD/Marantz/CA ? If yes does the extra bucks for these amps justify the cost increase... I mean is the SQ twice as good! (Norge 1000 retails for 9.5 k approx)

Thanks in advance,
Sonosphere

Hi Sonosphere,

Me either using Wharfedale Diamond 8.4 speakers in Beech, must admit that its a good SQ speakers. Im driving the speakers with Harmon Kardon AVR200 II, hence i felt something not really clear. also received some comments from my local AV freinds who recomended to drive with the dedicated STEREO amps. So i would take some advice which given for you as well here. :licklips:

Nice to meet you guys.
 
I auditioned both Norge 1000 and Denon on Wharfdale 10.1 & 10.2 . What I observed was the difference between the two amps is approx 3% . If you ignore that 3% difference go for Norge , which costs you 10000/- else go for Denon which costs you 20000/- where you can shade out this diff. of 3% in inferior sound quality and get remote facility , sturdy body , good looks , good connectors etc., with foreign tag
As pointed elsewhere in this forum levels of satisfaction differs from person to person , ear to ear.

Regards
 
I auditioned both Norge 1000 and Denon on Wharfdale 10.1 & 10.2 . What I observed was the difference between the two amps is approx 3% . If you ignore that 3% difference go for Norge , which costs you 10000/- else go for Denon which costs you 20000/- where you can shade out this diff. of 3% in inferior sound quality and get remote facility , sturdy body , good looks , good connectors etc., with foreign tag
As pointed elsewhere in this forum levels of satisfaction differs from person to person , ear to ear.
Regards

Which DENON you auditioned against NORGE 1000 can you elaborate.
 
Sorry, I do not remember the model No as it was some months back. It is a entry level amp in Denon somewhere around 75 + 75 W.

Regards
 
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